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.
Ontana yoshingoli
(Deut. 9:6-29)1 Aantu sho ya mono Moses a kala ko kondundu inaa za ko, oya gongalele Aaron e taa ti kuye: “Katu shi wo tuu shoka sha adha omulumentu nguka Moses, ngoka e tu tembudha muEgipiti; tu ningila kalunga e tu kwatele komeho.”
2 Aaron okwa ti kuyo: “Kuthii mo omagola goshingoli ngoka ga zalwa momakutsi kaakiintu nokaana yeni aamati naakadhona, mu ga etele ndje.” 3 Aantu ayehe oya hula mo omagola gawo goshingoli momakutsi gawo e taye ga eta kuAaron. 4 Oye okwa taamba omagola nokwe ga hemuna e ga tula montelekelo e te ga tholoma ontana yoshingoli.
Aantu oya popi ya ti: “Israel, kalunga koye oye ngu e ku tembudha muEgipiti!”
5 Aaron sho e shi mono, okwa tungile oshiyambelo komeho gontana yoshingoli e ta ti: “Ongula esiku lyoshituthi shOmuwa.” 6 Aantu oya meneka ongulangula noya yamba omafikilondjambo nomakwatathanondjambo. Oya kuutumba ya lye e taa nu noya thikama ya dhane.
7 Omuwa okwa lombwele Moses a ti: “Londoloka u ye pohi, oshoka aantu yoye mboka wa tembudha muEgipiti, oya yono noye ekelehi ndje. 8 Oye etha ondjila ndjoka nde ya lombwele ye yi landule; oyi iningile ontana ya tholomwa moshingoli noye yi simaneke noku yi yambela omayambo. Otaa ti, oyo kalunga kawo, ngoka e ya tembudha muEgipiti.” 9 Omuwa okwa ti ishewe kuMoses: “Aantu mbaka onde ya tala, oyo aatangalali. 10 Ano ngashingeyi etha ndje, ndi ya geele. Otandi ya kombo po, ihe ngoye otandi ku ningi oshigwana oshinene.”
11 Moses okwa galikana Omuwa, Kalunga ke, e ta ti: “Omuwa, omolwashike to geele aantu yoye, mboka we ya mangulula muEgipiti koonkondo dhoye oonene noshikaha shoye sha kola? 12 Omolwashike to pe Aayegipiti ompito yokutya, aantu yoye owe ya tembudha muEgipiti, opo u ya dhipagele moondundu noku ya komba po thilu? Geyuluka, itedhulula, waa etele aantu yoye omupya gu thike mpoka. 13 Dhimbulukwa euvaneko lyoye we li uvanekele aantu yoye Abraham, Isak naJakob nokugana wa ti: ‘Otandi mu pe oluvalo lu thike poonyothi dhokegulu; evi alihe ndjoka ndu uvaneke, otali ningi uuthiga wawo sigo aluhe.’ ” 14 Omuwa nokwi itedhulula noine etela we aantu ye uuwinayi mboka a li e u ya dhiladhilile.
15 Moses okwa punguluka e ta londoloka ko kondundu a humbata iipelende yomamanya yiipango ya nyolwa koombinga adhihe mbali. 16 Kalunga oye mwene a hongo iipelende mbika e ta takele mo iipango.
17 Josua oku uvu ombuyagano yaantu, sho taa kudhile e ta ti kuMoses: “Ondu uvite onkugo yolugodhi montanda.”
18 Moses okwa ti: “Ewi ndika kali shi lyekaluluko lyekandanga lyesindano nenge lyaamboka taa kugu sho ya sindika, ondu uvite ewi lyaantu taa imbi meziminathano.”
19 Ano Moses sho a hedha kontanda e ta mono ontana naantu nkene taa dhana, ondjahi ye oya hwama. Oye nokwe ekelehi iipelende mbyoka a li a humbata e te yi tatulile mpoka ponyonga yondundu. 20 Okwa kutha ontana ndjoka ye yi hambula e te yi lungunitha po momulilo e tayi ningi omutoko, ngoka a pilulile momeya e te ga nwetha Aaisraeli. 21 Okwa ti kuAaron: “Aantu mbaka oye ku ningi shike, sho we ya etele eyono enene li thike mpano?”
22 Aaron okwa yamukula a ti: “Ino geela ndje, mwene gwandje, ou shi shi naanaa kutya aantu mbaka aawinayi shili. 23 Oya lombwele ndje ya ti: ‘Katu shi wo shoka sha adha omulumentu nguka Moses, ngoka e tu tembudha muEgipiti; tu ningila kalunga e tu kwatele komeho.’ 24 Onde ya indile, ye etele ndje iingoli yawo, mbyoka ye yi ikutha e taye yi etele ndje. Onde yi tula meziko e tamu zi ihe ontana ndjika.”
25 Moses okwa mono kutya aantu oya tangalala, oshoka Aaron okwe ya ethele etangalalo, ya ninge ekugililo kaatondi yawo. 26 Moses okwa thikama muuyanda wontanda e ti igidha ta ti: “Shaa ngoka a gama kOmuwa, ne ye kungame.” Aalevi ayehe noye mu gongalele, 27 e ta ti kuyo: “Omuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael, ta ti: ‘Omulumentu kehe na zale egongamwele lye ponto, ye a ye moontanda okuza posheelo shika sigo okoshikwawo nokudhipaga shaa ngoka, ngele omumwayina nenge kuume ke nenge omushiinda.’ ” 28 Aalevi oya vulika noya dhipaga po aalumentu ye thike pomayuvi gatatu esiku ndyoka. 29 Moses okwa ti kAalevi: “Nena omwi iyapula ne yene mwa ningi aayambi mokulongela Omuwa, sho mwa dhipaga aana yeni aamati naamwanyoko aalumentu, onkee Omuwa te mu yambeke.”
30 Esiku lyanofu Moses okwa lombwele aantu a ti: “Omwa yono nayi. Ano ngashingeyi otandi londo ndi ye kOmuwa kondundu, pamwe tandi ningile wo tuu eyono lyeni epopilokwatathano.” 31 Moses okwa shuna kOmuwa e ta ti: “Aantu mbaka oya yono nayi. Oyi iningile kalunga koshingoli. 32 Dhima po oondjo dhawo; ihe ngele nani hasho, dhima ndje mo shila membo lyoye moka wa nyolele aantu yoye.”
33 Omuwa okwa yamukula a ti: “Ngoka a yono kungame, oye tandi dhimi mo membo lyandje. 34 Ngashingeyi inda u ka fale aantu kehala ndyoka nde ku lombwele. Tala, omuyengeli gwandje ote ku kwatele komeho, ihe esiku tandi ke ya adha, otandi ya geelele ondjo yawo.”
35 Omuwa nokwa tumu oshivu maantu, oshoka oya thiminikile Aaron e ya hambulile ontana.
