Midrasch zu Divrej Hajamim II 33:11

20. Alternately, (Deuteronomy 4:25) "When you have begotten children..." This accords with what the verse says (Proverbs 10:16) "The labor of the righteous man makes for life; The produce of the wicked man makes for want." "The labor of the righteous man makes for life"- Rabbi Tanchum says: This refers to Eliphaz, who grew up in Isaac's bosom. "The produce of the wicked man makes for want"- This refers to Amalek, who grew up in Esav's bosom. Alternately, "The labor of the righteous man makes for life"- All that David and his son Shlomo did, for life for Israel. Then what is meant by "The produce of the wicked man makes for want ("chatat")"? Through one act of entrance ("biah"), when Menashe went inside the Holy of Holies, all of Israel experienced a misdirection ("chataya"), since he made an image with four faces and placed it inside the Temple. Where is the source for this? As it is said, (Ezekiel 8:5) "And there, north of the gate of the altar, was that infuriating image on the approach ("biah")." Rabbi Acha says: What a great travesty ("biya") for the world that the visitor cleared out the master of the house. And why did he make an image with four faces? To parallel the four Chayot who carry the throne of the Holy Blessed One. Alternately, why four faces? To parallel the four directions in the world, as if to say: Anyone who comes from the four directions of the world will bow to this image. And what did the Holy Blessed One do to him? He gave him over to the hand of his enemies. Where is the source for this? As it is said (II Chronicles 33:11) So the LORD brought against them the officers of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh captive in manacles, bound him in fetters." They made for him a mule of copper and put him inside it, and they would light a fire underneath it and he would be burned inside it. At that hour, Menashe called out to every deity in the world that he had sacrificed to, and not one of them answered him. As it is said, (Isaiah 46:7) "If they cry out to it, it does not answer; It cannot save them from their distress." When Menashe saw that his distress was distressing, that not one of them had answered him, he began to call out to the Holy Blessed One. He said before Him, "Master of the world, behold I have called out to every deity in the world, and I realize that there is nothing real to them. Master of the world, You are God over all gods, and if You do not answer me, I will say, Heaven forbid, that all of the options are the same [i.e. that you are not real either]." The Holy Blessed One said to him, "Oh wicked person! According to the rules, I should not answer you, since you angered Me. But in order not to lock the door before those who repent, so they do not say, 'Behold Menashe tried to repent and was not accepted,' for this reason I will answer you." As it is said, (II Chronicles 33:13) "He prayed to Him, and He granted ("ye'ater") his prayer." He tunneled ("yachtor") for him. This teaches that the ministering angels would close the windows of the firmament so that his [Menashe's] prayer would not rise up to the Heavens. What did the Holy Blessed One do? He tunneled through the firmament below the Throne of Glory and accepted his prayer. (II Chronicles 33:13) "And He returned him to Jerusalem to his kingdom." Rabbi Shmuel bar Onya says citing Rabbi Acha: He returned him through wind, as you say, "Who makes the wind blow (literally 'return')." At that hour, (II Chronicles 33:13) "Manasseh knew that the LORD alone was God." Alternately, (Proverbs 10:16) "The labor of the righteous man makes for life;" These are the righteous people who lived at the time of Moshe. "The produce of the wicked man makes for want." (Deuteronomy 4:25) "When you have begotten children and children’s children and are long established in the land..."

Rabbi Joshua said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, who perpetrated all the evil abominations much more than all the nations. He made his son to pass through the fire to Baal outside Jerusalem, causing (doves) to fly, and sacrificing to all the host of heaven. The princes of the troops of the king of Babylon came, and they caught him by the hair of his head, and brought him down to Babylon, and they put him in a pan (over) a fire, and there he called upon all the other gods to whom he had sacrificed, and not one of them either answered him or saved him. He said: I will call on the God of my fathers with all my heart; perhaps He will do unto me according to all His wonders which He did unto my father. And he called on the God of his fathers with all his heart, and He was entreated of him, and He heard his supplication, as it is said, "And he prayed unto him; and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication… then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God" (2 Chron. 33:18). In that hour Manasseh said: There is both judgment as well as a judge.