CHAPTER 32
1 Forsooth the people saw, that Moses made tarrying to come down from the hill, and it was gathered together against Aaron, and said, Rise thou, and make gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not what is befallen to this man Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt.
2 And Aaron said to them, Take ye the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring ye them to me.
3 The people did those things, that he commanded, and brought the earrings to Aaron;
4 and when he had taken those, he formed them by work of melting, and he made of them a molten calf. And they said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron had seen this thing, he builded an altar before the calf, and he cried by the voice of a crier, and said, Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord.
6 And they rose early, and offered burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacri-fices; and the people sat to eat and to drink, and they rose up to play, or to scorn, for idolatry is scorning of God.
7 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, Go thou, go down, thy people hath sinned, whom thou leddest out of the land of Egypt.
8 They have gone away soon from the way that thou showedest them, and they have made to them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and they have offered sacrifices to it, and said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.
9 And again the Lord said to Moses, I see [well], that this people is of hard noll;
10 suffer thou me, that my strong vengeance be wroth against them, and that I do away them; and I shall make thee into a great folk.
11 Forsooth Moses prayed the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why is thy vengeance wroth against thy people, whom thou hast led out of the land of Egypt in great strength, and in a strong hand?
12 I beseech, that [the] Egyptians say not, He led them out fellily or slyly, to slay in the hills, and to do them away from [the] earth; thine ire cease, and be thou quemeful on the wicked-ness of thy people.
13 Have thou mind of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, thy servants, to which thou hast sworn by thyself, and saidest, I shall multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and I shall give to your seed all the land of which I spake, and ye shall wield it ever[more].
14 And the Lord was pleased with Moses’ words, that he did not the evil which he spake against his people.
15 And Moses turned again from the hill, and bare in his hands two tables of witnessing, written in either side,
16 and made by the work of God; and the writing of God was engraved in the tables.
17 Forsooth Joshua heard the noise of the people crying [out], and he said to Moses, Yelling of fighting is heard in the tents.
18 To whom Moses answered, It is not a cry of men exciting to battle, neither the cry of men compelled to fleeing, but I hear the voices of singers.
19 And when Moses had nighed to the tents, he saw the calf, and dances; and he was wroth greatly, and he threw out of his hands the tables, and he brake them at the roots of the hill.
20 And he took the calf, which they had made, and he burnt it, and brake it till to powder, which he sprinkled into the water, and gave thereof drink to the sons of Israel.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought in on them the greatest sin?
22 To whom he answered, My lord, be not thou wroth, for thou knowest this people, that it is inclined, either ready, to evil;
23 they said to me, Make thou gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not, what hath befallen to this Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt.
24 To whom I said, Who of you hath gold? They took, and gave to me, and I casted it forth into the fire, and this calf went out.
25 Therefore Moses saw the people, that it was made bare; for Aaron had spoiled it for the shame of the filthhood of making of the idol, and he had made the people naked among enemies.
26 And Moses stood in the gate of the tents, and said, If any man is of the Lord, be he joined to me; and all the sons of Levi were gathered to him.
27 To which he said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, A man put his sword upon his hip, go ye, and turn ye again from gate unto gate by the middle of the tents, and each man slay his brother, his friend, and [his] neighbour, which consented to this idolatry.
28 And the sons of Levi did by the word of Moses, and as three thousand of men felled down in that day.
29 And Moses said, Ye have hallowed your hands today to the Lord, each man in his son, and [his] brother, that blessing be given to you.
30 Soothly when the tother day was made, Moses spake to the people, Ye have sinned the most sin; I shall go up to the Lord, if in any manner I shall be able to beseech him for your felony.
31 And he turned again to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, this people hath sinned a great sin, and they have made golden gods to them;
32 either forgive thou this guilt to them, either if thou doest not, do away me from thy book, which thou hast written.
33 To whom the Lord answered, I shall do away from my book him that sinneth against me;
34 forsooth go thou, and lead this people, whither I spake to thee; mine angel shall go before thee; forsooth in the day of vengeance I shall visit also this sin of them.
35 Therefore the Lord smote the people, for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron made.