Exodus 32

1And the people seeing that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has befallen him.

2And Aaron said to them: Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.

3And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron.

4And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders’ work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

5And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation by a crier’s voice, saying: Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord.

6And rising in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat, and drink, and they rose up to play.

7And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.

8They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

9And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:

10Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.

11But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.

13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever.

14And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

15And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

16And made by the work of God: the writing also of God was graven in the tables.

17And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp.

18But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.

19And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount:

20And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strowed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.

21And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?

22And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.

23They said to me: Make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him.

24And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me: and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.

25And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies,)

26Then standing in the gate of the camp, he said: If any man be on the Lord’s side let him join with me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him:

27And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and friend, and neighbour.

28And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men.

29And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.

30And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime.

31And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass,

32Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.

33And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:

34But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs.

35The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.

1Videns autem populus quod moram faceret descendendi de monte Moyses, congregatus adversus Aaron, dixit: Surge, fac nobis deos, qui nos præcedant: Moysi enim huic viro, qui nos eduxit de terra Ægypti, ignoramus quid acciderit.

2Dixitque ad eos Aaron: Tollite inaures aureas de uxorum, filiorumque et filiarum vestrarum auribus, et afferte ad me.

3Fecitque populus quæ jusserat, deferens inaures ad Aaron.

4Quas cum ille accepisset, formavit opere fusorio, et fecit ex eis vitulum conflatilem: dixeruntque: Hi sunt dii tui Israël, qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti.

5Quod cum vidisset Aaron, ædificavit altare coram eo, et præconis voce clamavit dicens: Cras solemnitas Domini est.

6Surgentesque mane, obtulerunt holocausta, et hostias pacificas, et sedit populus manducare, et bibere, et surrexerunt ludere.

7Locutus est autem Dominus ad Moysen, dicens: Vade, descende: peccavit populus tuus, quem eduxisti de terra Ægypti.

8Recesserunt cito de via, quam ostendisti eis: feceruntque sibi vitulum conflatilem, et adoraverunt, atque immolantes ei hostias, dixerunt: Isti sunt dii tui Israël, qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti.

9Rursumque ait Dominus ad Moysen: Cerno quod populus iste duræ cervicis sit:

10dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus contra eos, et deleam eos, faciamque te in gentem magnam.

11Moyses autem orabat Dominum Deum suum, dicens: Cur, Domine, irascitur furor tuus contra populum tuum, quem eduxisti de terra Ægypti, in fortitudine magna, et in manu robusta?

12Ne quæso dicant Ægyptii: Callide eduxit eos, ut interficeret in montibus, et deleret e terra: quiescat ira tua, et esto placabilis super nequitia populi tui.

13Recordare Abraham, Isaac, et Israël servorum tuorum, quibus jurasti per temetipsum, dicens: Multiplicabo semen vestrum sicut stellas cæli; et universam terram hanc, de qua locutus sum, dabo semini vestro, et possidebitis eam semper.

14Placatusque est Dominus ne faceret malum quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum.

15Et reversus est Moyses de monte, portans duas tabulas testimonii in manu sua, scriptas ex utraque parte,

16et factas opere Dei: scriptura quoque Dei erat sculpta in tabulis.

17Audiens autem Josue tumultum populi vociferantis, dixit ad Moysen: Ululatus pugnæ auditur in castris.

18Qui respondit: Non est clamor adhortantium ad pugnam, neque vociferatio compellentium ad fugam: sed vocem cantantium ego audio.

19Cumque appropinquasset ad castra, vidit vitulum, et choros: iratusque valde, projecit de manu tabulas, et confregit eas ad radicem montis:

20arripiensque vitulum quem fecerant, combussit, et contrivit usque ad pulverem, quem sparsit in aquam, et dedit ex eo potum filiis Israël.

21Dixitque ad Aaron: Quid tibi fecit hic populus, ut induceres super eum peccatum maximum?

22Cui ille respondit: Ne indignetur dominus meus: tu enim nosti populum istum, quod pronus sit ad malum:

23dixerunt mihi: Fac nobis deos, qui nos præcedant: huic enim Moysi, qui nos eduxit de terra Ægypti, nescimus quid acciderit.

24Quibus ego dixi: Quis vestrum habet aurum? Tulerunt, et dederunt mihi: et projeci illud in ignem, egressusque est hic vitulus.

25Videns ergo Moyses populum quod esset nudatus (spoliaverat enim eum Aaron propter ignominiam sordis, et inter hostes nudum constituerat),

26et stans in porta castrorum, ait: Si quis est Domini, jungatur mihi. Congregatique sunt ad eum omnes filii Levi:

27quibus ait: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Ponat vir gladium super femur suum: ite, et redite de porta usque ad portam per medium castrorum, et occidat unusquisque fratrem, et amicum, et proximum suum.

28Feceruntque filii Levi juxta sermonem Moysi, cecideruntque in die illa quasi viginti tria millia hominum.

29Et ait Moyses: Consecrastis manus vestras hodie Domino, unusquisque in filio, et in fratre suo, ut detur vobis benedictio.

30Facto autem altero die, locutus est Moyses ad populum: Peccastis peccatum maximum: ascendam ad Dominum, si quomodo quivero eum deprecari pro scelere vestro.

31Reversusque ad Dominum, ait: Obsecro, peccavit populus iste peccatum maximum, feceruntque sibi deos aureos: aut dimitte eis hanc noxam,

32aut si non facis, dele me de libro tuo quem scripsisti.

33Cui respondit Dominus: Qui peccaverit mihi, delebo eum de libro meo:

34tu autem vade, et duc populum istum quo locutus sum tibi: angelus meus præcedet te. Ego autem in die ultionis visitabo et hoc peccatum eorum.

35Percussit ergo Dominus populum pro reatu vituli, quem fecerat Aaron.

1Then the people, seeing that Moses made a delay in descending from the mountain, gathered together against Aaron, and said: “Rise up, make us gods, who may go before us. But as for this man Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.”

2And Aaron said to them, “Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

3And the people did what he had commanded, carrying the earrings to Aaron.

4And when he had received them, he formed these by the work of a casting furnace, and he made from these a molten calf. And they said: “These are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt.”

5And when Aaron had seen it, he built an altar before it, and he cried out with a voice of proclamation, saying, “Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord.”

6And rising up in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they rose up to play.

7Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Go, descend. Your people, whom you led away from the land of Egypt, have sinned.

8They have quickly withdrawn from the way which you revealed to them. And they have made for themselves a molten calf, and they have worshiped it. And immolating victims to it, they have said: ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt.’ ”

9And again, the Lord said to Moses: “I discern that this people is stiff-necked.

10Release me, so that my fury may be enraged against them, and I may destroy them, and then I will make of you a great nation.”

11Then Moses prayed to the Lord his God, saying: “Why, O Lord, is your fury enraged against your people, whom you led away from the land of Egypt, with great strength and with a mighty hand?

12I beg you, let not the Egyptians say, ‘He cleverly led them away, so that he could put them to death in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.’ Let your anger be quieted and appeased concerning the wickedness of your people.

13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self, saying: ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And this entire land, about which I have spoken, I will give to your offspring. And you shall possess it forever.’ ”

14And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

15And Moses returned from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

16and accomplished by the work of God. Also, the writing of God was engraved on the tablets.

17Then Joshua, hearing the tumult of the people shouting, said to Moses: “The outcry of battle is heard in the camp.”

18But he responded: “It is not the clamor of men being exhorted to battle, nor the shout of men being compelled to flee. But I hear the voice of singing.”

19And when he had approached to the camp, he saw the calf and the dances. And being very angry, he threw down the tablets from his hand, and he broke them at the base of the mountain.

20And seizing the calf, which they had made, he burnt it and crushed it, even to dust, which he scattered into water. And he gave from it to the sons of Israel to drink.

21And he said to Aaron, “What has this people done to you, so that you would bring upon them the greatest sin?”

22And he answered him: “Let not my lord be indignant. For you know this people, that they are prone to evil.

23They said to me: ‘Make gods for us, who may go before us. For this Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.’

24And I said to them, ‘Which of you has gold?’ And they took it and gave it to me. And I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

25Therefore, Moses, seeing that the people were naked (for Aaron had stripped them because of the disgrace of their sordidness, and he had set them naked among their enemies),

26and standing at the gate of the camp, said: “If anyone is for the Lord, let him join with me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

27And he said to them: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let a man place his sword at his thigh. Go forth, and then return, from gate to gate, through the midst of the camp, and let each one kill his brother, and friend, and neighbor.”

28And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there fell on that day about twenty-three thousand men.

29And Moses said: “On this day, you have consecrated your hands to the Lord, each one in his son and in his brother, so that a blessing may be given to you.”

30Then, when the next day arrived, Moses spoke to the people: “You have sinned the greatest sin. I will ascend to the Lord. Perhaps, in some way, I might be able to entreat him for your wickedness.”

31And returning to the Lord, he said: “I beg you, this people has sinned the greatest sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. Either release them from this offense,

32or, if you do not, then delete me from the book that you have written.”

33And the Lord answered him: “Whoever has sinned against me, him I will delete from my book.

34But as for you, go and lead this people where I have told you. My angel will go before you. Then, on the day of retribution, I will also visit this sin of theirs.”

35Therefore, the Lord struck the people for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron had made.