The People Make an Idol To Worship
(Deuteronomy 9.6-29)1 After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, they went to Aaron and said, “Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron told them, “Bring me the gold earrings that your wives and sons and daughters are wearing.” 3 Everybody took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron, 4 then he melted them and made an idol in the shape of a young bull.
All the people said to one another, “This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!”
5 When Aaron saw what was happening, he built an altar in front of the idol and said, “Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the Lord.” 6 The people got up early the next morning and killed some animals to be used for sacrifices and others to be eaten. Then everyone ate and drank so much that they began to carry on like wild people.
7 The Lord said to Moses:
Hurry back down! Those people you led out of Egypt are acting like fools. 8 They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull. They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt. 9 Moses, I have seen how stubborn these people are, 10 and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me. But I will make your descendants into a great nation.
11 Moses tried to get the Lord God to change his mind:
Our Lord, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt. Now don't become angry and destroy them. 12 If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!
13 Remember the solemn promise you made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You promised that someday they would have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and that you would give them land.
14 So even though the Lord had threatened to destroy the people, he changed his mind and let them live.
15-16 Moses went back down the mountain with the two flat stones on which God had written all of his laws with his own hand, using both sides of the stones.
17 When Joshua heard the noisy shouts of the people, he said to Moses, “A battle must be going on down in the camp.”
18 But Moses replied, “It doesn't sound like they are shouting because they have won or lost a battle. It sounds more like a wild party!”
19 As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it. 21 Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?”
22 Aaron answered:
Don't be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil. 23 They even told me, “That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us.” 24 Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.
25 Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord's side come over here!”
Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, 27 and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors.”
28 The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about 3,000 men. 29 Moses said to them, “You obeyed the Lord and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the Lord has blessed you and made you his priests today.”
30 The next day Moses told the people, “This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.”
31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god. 32 But I beg you to forgive them. If you don't, please wipe my name out of your book.”
33 The Lord replied, “I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34 Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin.”
35 So the Lord punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.
Ondana Ondume yongoldo
(Deu 9:6-29)1 Otjiwaṋa tji tja muna kutja Moses wa kawomba okuheruka kondundu, otji tja woronganena pu Aron natji tja ku ye: “Indjo u tu ungurire otjiserekarera tjotjisenginina tji matji tu hongorere; orondu katu nokutjiwa kutja Moses, ngwe tu tjindisa mOengipte, wa katjitwa vi.”
2 Nu Aron wa tja ku wo: “Homoneye ozomburi zongoldo momatwi wovakazendu nowovazandu nowovasuko veṋu nu mu ze ete ku ami.” 3 Otjiwaṋa atjihe otji tja homona ozomburi nḓa ri momatwi wawo, nave ze eta ku Aron. 4 Neye wa kambura inḓa ozomburi ne ze zuzura momuriro na ungura po ondana ondume yongoldo.
Novandu va tja: “Ingwi eye omukuru woye, Israel, ngwe ku tjindisa mOengipte.”
5 Nu Aron tja muna otjiṋa hi, otja tunga otjipunguhiro momurungu wondana ondume yongoldo na ravaere a tja: “Muhuka mape kara omukandi wondjozikiro ya Muhona!” 6 Nowo ve rirongera omuhuka omunene wependukirwa raindo nave tjiti ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozohange. Novandu va kara pehi, ave ri ave nu nave sekama okunyanda nokupunda omuhingo wongaro yomararerero wapamwe.
7 Muhona arire tja tja ku Moses: “Hakahana, twende, heruka pehi orondu otjiwaṋa tji wa tjindisa mOengipte tja tjiti ourunde nu tje ndji imbirahi. 8 Owo va hakahana okuyepa mondjira, ndji mbe ve rakiza. Ve riungurire ondana ondume yongoldo, nave rikotamene ku yo amave i tjitire ozombunguhiro nave tja: ‘Israel, ingwi eye mukuru woye ngwe ku tjindisa mOengipte!’ ” 9 Norukwao Muhona wa hungira ku Moses a tja: “Ami mba muna otjiwaṋa hi kutja otjirangaranga. 10 Ndji esa nambano mbi ve yandeke momazenge wandje. Tjazumba ami me ku tjiti u rire otjiwaṋa otjinene.”
11 Nungwari Moses we riheka ku Muhona, Ndjambi we, ama tja: “Arikana, Muhona, okutjavi tji mo ṱomazenge tjinene nai notjiwaṋa tjoye tji wa pitisa mehi ra Engipte nomasa woye omanene? 12 Okutjavi Ovaengipte tji mave tja: ‘Eye we ve pitisa momazenge we kutja e kevezepere mozondundu nokukevenyona avehe oparukaze?’ Za ko komazenge woye, nu ṱondjenda nouhasemba wotjiwaṋa tjoye! 13 Rizemburuka novakarere voye Abraham na Isak na Israel mbu we ve yanena no tja ku wo: ‘Ami me takavarisa orukwato rweṋu otja ozonyose nḓe ri keyuru. Ami me yandja ehi ndi arihe ndi mba kwizikira ozondekurona zeṋu azehe ri rire ouini wazo nga aruhe.’ ” 14 Muhona otja ṱondjenda na ha eta omanyoneno nga heya kotjiwaṋa tje.
15 Nu Moses wa tanauka na heruka kondundu ama tjindi imbi ovitjangero vyomatwako vivari vyomawe mbya tjangwa kominda aviyevari. 16 Ndjambi omuini ongwa ungura ovitjangero nakorora mo omatwako. 17 Josua tja zuva ombosiro yotjiwaṋa tjaa tji rokoha, wa tja ku Moses: “Ami me zuu ombosiro yovita mozondanda.”
18 Nu Moses wa zira a tja: “Indji kambosiro yetangero rondoṋeno, nu kandjuriro yaindu tji va haverwa, indji ombosiro yeimburiro ndi me zuu.”
19 Moses tjeya popezu nozondanda na munu ondana ondume na imba mbaa ve pundu, arire tja ṱomazenge na nakaura imbi ovitjangero mbya tjindi, ne vi nyanyaurire pehi meṋe yondundu. 20 Neye wa kambura indji ondana ondume, ndji va ungura, e i nyosa nomuriro ne i kweye nga tji ya rire orunḓunḓura. Tjazumba e ru tirire momeva na hire Ovaisrael omeva nga. 21 Nu Moses wa tja ku Aron: “Otjiwaṋa hi tje ku tjiti tjike tji we tji tjitisa ourunde mbu ṱa mba?”
22 Aron opa zirira a tja: “Muhona wandje, o ndji pindikire. Ove omuini mo tjiwa kutja otjiwaṋa hi tji nonḓero yokutjita ouvi. 23 Owo va tja ku ami: ‘Tu ungurira mukuru wetu wotjisenginina ngu me tu hongorere: Orondu tji tu hi nokutjiwa kutja ingwi Moses, ngwe tu tjindisa mOengipte, wa katjitwa vi.’ 24 Ami opu mbe ve zirira nai: ‘Auhe ngu nongoldo nge i homone nu nge i ete ku ami,’ nu ami otji mbe i yumba momuriro; nondana ondume ndji omu ya pitira.”
25 Nu Moses wa muna kutja Aron otjiwaṋa wa pitisa mongaro nu we tji tjiti kutja tjiungure oviṋa vyouyova komurungu wovanavita nawo. 26 Moses otja kurama pomuvero worumbo rwozondanda na ravaere a tja: “Auhe ngu ri komukuma wa Muhona, nge ye ku ami!” NOvalevi avehe va woronganena pu ye. 27 Neye wa tja ku wo: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma rakiza auhe weṋu kutja a toore engaruvyo re a katuurunge ondanda ngamwa aihe, nu auhe nga zepe erumbi re nepanga re nomuzamumwe we!” 28 NOvalevi va tjita otja Moses pe ve raera. Nu meyuva ndo mwa ṱa ovarumendu mangara omayovi yetatu. 29 Nu Moses otja tja kOvalevi: “Ndino eṋe mwe riyapura oveni otja ovapristeri motjiungura tja Muhona, tjinga amwa zepa ovazandu veṋu nomarumbi weṋu; Muhona ope mu pere ondaya ndino.”
30 Mependukirwa, Moses wa tja kotjiwaṋa: “Eṋe mwa tjiti ourunde ounene; nungwari ami nambano me rondo kondundu ku Muhona, ngahino ami me kemutjitira ondjesiro yourunde weṋu.” 31 Nu Moses wa yaruka ku Muhona a katja: “Arikana! Otjiwaṋa hi tja tjita ourunde ounene tji tje riungurira otjiserekarera tjotjisenginina tjongoldo. 32 Nambano, arikana, ve isira ourunde wawo. Nu tji u hi nokuvanga, ṱokuzemisa ena randje membo roye, ndi wa tjanga.”
33 Muhona otja zira nai ku Moses: “Ingwi ngwa tjiti ourunde komurungu wandje ongu me zemisa ena re membo randje. 34 Nungwari nambano twende kaṱike otjiwaṋa koṋa ngo ku mbe ku raera. Tara, omuengeri wandje me ku hongorere. Nungwari eyuva, ndi meya okupangura, ami meve verere ourunde wawo.”
35 Muhona otja hinda omberero kotjiwaṋa mena rotjiserekarera tjondana ondume yongoldo, ndji va ungurisa ku Aron.
