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you shall not bow down before them or serve them.(A) For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation[a];

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Footnotes

  1. 20:5 Jealous: demanding exclusive allegiance. Inflicting punishment…the third and fourth generation: the intended emphasis is on God’s mercy by the contrast between punishment and mercy (“to the thousandth generation”—v. 6). Other Old Testament texts repudiate the idea of punishment devolving on later generations (cf. Dt 24:16; Jer 31:29–30; Ez 18:2–4). Yet it is known that later generations may suffer the punishing effects of sins of earlier generations, but not the guilt.

You shall not bow down to them or worship(A) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(B) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(C) to the third and fourth generation(D) of those who hate me,

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So the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity,[a] continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but bringing punishment for their parents’ wickedness on children and children’s children to the third and fourth generation!(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 34:6 Gracious…fidelity: this succinct poetic description of God is an often-repeated statement of belief (see Nm 14:18; Ps 103:8; 145:8; Jl 2:13; Jon 4:2). All the terms describe God’s relationship to the covenant people.

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate(A) and gracious God, slow to anger,(B) abounding in love(C) and faithfulness,(D) maintaining love to thousands,(E) and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.(F) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;(G) he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”(H)

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Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
    slow to anger, abounding in mercy.(A)

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The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(A)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

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The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in mercy.(A)

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The Lord is gracious and compassionate,(A)
    slow to anger and rich in love.(B)

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