9 Don’t worship or serve idols of any kind. Why? Because I am the Lord your God. I hate for my people to worship other gods. [26] People who sin against me become my enemies. And I will punish those people. And I will punish their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren.
9 thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
9 thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me;
9 Do not bow down to them or worship them because I, the LORD your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents’ sins—even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.
9 You shall not adore and you shall not worship these things. For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, repaying the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation to those who hate me,
The Lord shows his kindness to thousands {of generations}. The Lord forgives [340] people for the wrong things they do. But the Lord does not forget to punish guilty people. The Lord will punish not only the guilty people, but their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren will suffer for the bad things those people do. [341] ”
You said, ‘The Lord is slow to become angry. The Lord is full of great love. The Lord forgives [184] people who are guilty and break the law. But the Lord always punishes people who are guilty. The Lord punishes those people, and he also punishes their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren for those bad things!’ [185]
Lord, you are loyal and kind to thousands of people. But you also bring punishment to children for their fathers’ sins. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord All-Powerful.
So be careful! Don’t sin and destroy yourselves by making false gods or statues in the shape of any living thing. Don’t make an idol that looks like a man or a woman.
The Lord your God is always with you. And the Lord hates his people worshiping other gods! So if you follow those other gods, the Lord will become very angry at you. He will destroy you from the face of the earth.
The Lord made an Agreement with the people of Israel. The Lord commanded them, “You must not honor other gods. You must not worship them, or serve them, or offer sacrifices to them.