You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth [generations] of those who hate Me,

Those who survive in the lands of your enemies will waste away because of their sin; they will also waste away because of their fathers' sins along with theirs.

May it hang over Joab's head and his father's whole house, and may the house of Joab never be without someone who has an infection or leprosy or a man who can only work a spindle or someone who falls by the sword or starves."

During David's reign there was a famine for three successive years, so David inquired of the LORD. The LORD answered, "It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family when he killed the Gibeonites."

But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, who were the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, and the five sons whom Merabdaughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite

and handed them over to the Gibeonites. They hanged them on the hill in the presence of the LORD; the seven of them died together. They were executed in the first days of the harvest at the beginning of the barley harvest.

You therefore testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

"Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the LORD's sight like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law to Ahab's family.

When King Ahaziah of Judah saw [what was happening], he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, shouting, "Shoot him too!" So they shot him in his chariot at Gur Pass near Ibleam, but he fled to Megiddo and died there.

Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?" They answered, "We're Ahaziah's relatives. We've come down to greet the king's sons and the queen mother's sons."

Then Jehu ordered, "Take them alive." So they took them alive and then slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked-- 42 men. He didn't spare any of them.

When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.

He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice.

So he did what was evil in the LORD's sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction.

Do not cover their guilt or let their sin be erased from Your sight, because they have provoked the builders.

"It is I who sweep away your transgressions for My own sake and remember your sins no more.

But You, LORD, know all their deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their guilt; do not blot out their sin before You. Let them be forced to stumble before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.