וְגַ֤ם דַּֽם־הַנָּקִי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁפָ֔ךְ וַיְמַלֵּ֥א אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם דָּ֣ם נָקִ֑י וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לִסְלֹֽחַ׃
and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not pardon.
Depths of Yonah
Chizkiyahu repented and agreed to fulfill his obligation. Sure enough, his son Menashe grew up to be one of the worst kings in Jewish history. According to Melachim II 24:4, he figuratively filled the streets of Jerusalem with innocent blood. He was so steeped in idolatry that his influence could not be stemmed by his grandson, the righteous king Yoshiyahu. Menashe was directly responsible for the Babylonian exile and the destruction of the first Temple – and yet Hashem told Chizkiyahu that it was his responsibility to have children18Translation adapted from https://www.ou.org/blog/torah-blog/peter-lanza-dont-blame/. !