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.
Onhana yoshingoldo
1 Ovanhu eshi va mona nokutya Moses okwa kala ko, ina dja ko komhunda, ovanhu va ongala puAron ndele tava ti kuye: “Fikama u tu ningile oikalunga ei tai tu kwatele komesho, osheshi inatu shiiva oshike sha hanga Moses, omulumenhu tuu ou e tu pitifa mo medu laEgipiti.” 2 Ndele Aron okwe va lombwela: “Dulei mo omangola oshingoldo omomatwi ovalikadi veni, novana veni ovamati noukadona, ndele mu a etele nge.” 3 Opo nee ovanhu aveshe va dula mo omangola oshingoldo omomatwi, nove a etela Aron. 4 Ndele ye okwe a tambula momake avo nokwe a longifa noshilongifo nokwa ninga nao oshitelekwanhana. Opo nee vo otava ti: “Oyo kalunga koye, Israel, e ku pitifa mo medu laEgipiti.” 5 Aron eshi e i mona okwe i tungila oaltari. Ndele Aron okwa vilikila ndele ta ti: “Mongula oku na oshivilo shefimano lOmwene.” 6 Ndele mefiku lomongula va penduka ongula inene ndele va yamba omaxwikiloyambo nova eta omapanduloyambo. Opo nee ovanhu va kala omutumba va lye nova nwe, ndele va fikama okudana. 7 Opo nee Omwene okwa lombwela Moses: “Inda ko, londoloka, osheshi ovanhu voye, we va pitifa mo medu laEgipiti, va longa oixuna. 8 Ndele vo ova kanduka mo mondjila oyo nde i va lombwela; vo ove li ningila oshitelekwanhana nokulinyongamena poshi moipafi yayo noku i yambela ndele tava ti: Israel, oyo kalunga koye, e ku pitifa mo medu laEgipiti.” 9 Omwene okwa tya vali kuMoses: “Ame nda tala oshiwana eshi, sho oshiwana shi nofingo ikukutu. 10 Efe nge, ehandu lange li va xwamenene naAme ohandi va mane po. Opo nee Ame ohandi ke ku ninga oshiwana shinene.”
Moses ta ilikanene oshiwana
11 Ndelenee Moses okwe liindilila onghenda kOmwene Kalunga kaye, ndele ta ti: “Akutu Omwene, omolwashike ehandu loye la xwamenena ovanhu voye, ove we va pitifa mo muEgipiti neenghono dinene neke li neenghono? 12 Omolwashike ngeno Ovaegipiti tava ka tya: ‘Ye e va twala ko va hangike komupiya, e va dipaele keemhunda noku va komba po kombada yedu?’ Piluka moupyuhandu woye, opo u lialuluke komupya, ove we u diladilila ovanhu voye. 13 Dimbulukwa ovapiya voye Abraham, Isak naIsrael, Ove mwene wa ana kuvo wa tile: ‘Ame ohandi ka hapupalifa oludalo leni ngaashi eenyofi dokeulu, nedu eli alishe nde li tonga Ame ohandi ka yandja koludalo leni, opo vo ve li fyuulule fiyo alushe.’ ” 14 Opo nee Omwene okwe lialuluka kehandu eli a tongele te li ningile ovanhu vaye.
Moses ta tatula oipelende
15 Ndele Moses okwa piluka nokwa londoloka komhunda, e kwete momake aye oipelende ivali youndobwedi, noipelende ya shangwa keembinga adishe mbali. 16 Noipelende oya ningwa kuKalunga. Eshangelo yo ola li eshangelo laKalunga, la pandelwa moipelende. 17 Ndele Josua eshi a uda ondaka yovanhu, nhumbi va kuwilila pombada, okwa lombwela Moses: “Oku nondokosho monhanda!” 18 Ndelenee ye ta nyamukula ta ti: “Ondaka kai fi yaava hava imbi oshikwambi, noihe fi ondaka yaava va tewa. Ame handi udu ovaimbi hava imbi.”
Ovanhu tava handukilwa
19 Ndele ye eshi a ehena popepi nonhanda, ndele a mona onhana nedanotanho, ehandu laMoses la xwama, nokwa ekelashi oipelende ya li momake aye, nokwe i tatula pefina lomhunda. 20 Ndele ye okwa kufa onhana ve i ninga nokwe i xwika po momundilo nokwe i twa oufila. Opo nee ye e u unda kombada yomeva nokwe a nwefa ovana vaIsrael. 21 Ndelenee Moses okwa lombwela Aron ndele ta ti: “Ovanhu ava ove ku ninga shike, eshi we va etela etimba linene li fike opo?” 22 Opo nee Aron okwa nyamukula ndele ta ti: “Omwene wange, ino handukila nge. Ovanhu ava ove mwene u va shii nhumbi vo vai unene. 23 Vo ova lombwela nge: ‘Tu ningila oikalunga tai tu kwatele komesho, osheshi omulumenhu ou Moses, ou e tu pitifa mo medu laEgipiti, fye katu shi shii eshi she mu hanga.’ 24 Opo nee ame nde va nyamukula handi ti: ‘Ou e noshingoldo, ne shi kufe mo!’ Ndele vo ove shi etela nge. Ndele ame nde shi tula momundilo, nomusho mwa dja onhana ei.” 25 Moses eshi a mona ovanhu va ninga ovahaduliki komapukululo, osheshi Aron okwe va efela okuhadulika kwavo, oko kwa hafifa ovatondadi vavo. 26 Opo nee Moses okwa ya, a kala ofika poshivelo shonhanda ndele ta ti: “Ou a ama kOmwene, ne uye kwaame!” Opo nee Ovalevi aveshe va ongala puye. 27 Ndele ye okwe va lombwela ta ti: “Omwene, Kalunga kaIsrael ta ti ngaha: ‘Keshe umwe na djale eongamukonda moshiya. Indeni, taululeni onhanda koshivelo shimwe fiyo okoshivelo shikwao, nakeshe umwe na dipae omumwaina nookaume kaye namukwao waye.’ ” 28 Novalevi ova wanifa ondjovo yaMoses, nomefiku tuu olo movanhu mwa dipawa ovalumenhu ngeno omayovi atatu. 29 Opo nee Moses ta ti: “Nye eshi mwa lwifa keshe umwe omona waye nomumwaina, nye mwe liyapulila Omwene nena eli, opo Ye a shiive oku mu nangeka noupuna nena.”
Moses ta ilikanene oshiwana
30 Ndele mefiku la shikula Moses okwa lombwela ovanhu ndele ta ti: “Nye mwa nyona unene. Ndelenee paife ame ohandi ka londa kOmwene. Kashiimba ame ohandi dulu oku mu kongela ekwatakanifo molwetimba leni.” 31 Ndele Moses okwa shuna kOmwene ndele ta ti: “Akutu, oshiwana eshi osha nyona unene, ndele she li ningila oikalunga yoshingoldo. 32 Onghee hano paife ngeno Ove u va dimine po etimba lavo! Ngeenge hasho, dima mo yo edina lange membo loye we li shanga.” 33 Opo nee Omwene okwa nyamukula Moses ndele ta ti: “Keshe tuu ou ta nyono kwaame, ye ohandi ke mu dima mo membo lange. 34 Ndelenee inda ko u twale oshiwana eshi konhele inya nde i ku lombwela. Tala, omweengeli wange ote ke ku kwatela komesho. Ndelenee mefiku longhone ohandi ke va kwatela onghone.” 35 Osho ngaha hano Omwene okwa handukila ovanhu, osheshi vo va ninga onhana ei ya ningwa kuAron.
