The Gold Bull-Calf
(Deuteronomy 9.6-29)1 When the people saw that Moses had not come down from the mountain but was staying there a long time, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “We do not know what has happened to this man Moses, who led us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.”
2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold earrings which your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the earrings, melted them, poured the gold into a mold, and made a gold bull-calf.
The people said, “Israel, this is our god, who led us out of Egypt!”
5 Then Aaron built an altar in front of the gold bull-calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to honor the Lord.” 6 Early the next morning they brought some animals to burn as sacrifices and others to eat as fellowship offerings. The people sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex.
7 The Lord said to Moses, “Hurry and go back down, because your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have sinned and rejected me. 8 They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt. 9 I know how stubborn these people are. 10 Now, don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation.”
11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, “Lord, why should you be so angry with your people, whom you rescued from Egypt with great might and power? 12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and to give their descendants all that land you promised would be their possession forever.” 14 So the Lord changed his mind and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
15 Moses went back down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets with the commandments written on both sides. 16 God himself had made the tablets and had engraved the commandments on them.
17 Joshua heard the people shouting and said to Moses, “I hear the sound of battle in the camp.”
18 Moses said, “That doesn't sound like a shout of victory or a cry of defeat; it's the sound of singing.”
19 When Moses came close enough to the camp to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing, he became furious. There at the foot of the mountain, he threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them. 20 He took the bull-calf which they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it. 21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have made them commit such a terrible sin?”
22 Aaron answered, “Don't be angry with me; you know how determined these people are to do evil. 23 They said to me, ‘We don't know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.’ 24 I asked them to bring me their gold ornaments, and those who had any took them off and gave them to me. I threw the ornaments into the fire and out came this bull-calf!”
25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get out of control and make fools of themselves in front of their enemies. 26 So he stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord's side come over here!” So all the Levites gathered around him, 27 and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands every one of you to put on your sword and go through the camp from this gate to the other and kill your brothers, your friends, and your neighbors.” 28 The Levites obeyed, and killed about three thousand men that day. 29 Moses said to the Levites, “Today you have consecrated yourselves as priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will again go up the mountain to the Lord; perhaps I can obtain forgiveness for your sin.” 31 Moses then returned to the Lord and said, “These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold and worshiped it. 32 Please forgive their sin; but if you won't, then remove my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”
33 The Lord answered, “It is those who have sinned against me whose names I will remove from my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Remember that my angel will guide you, but the time is coming when I will punish these people for their sin.”
35 So the Lord sent a disease on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.
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.
