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Exodus 32

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1 καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ λαὸς ὅτι κεχρόνικεν Μωυσῆς καταβῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους συνέστη ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Ααρων καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ἀνάστηθι καὶ ποίησον ἡμῖν θεούς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ Μωυσῆς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γέγονεν αὐτῷ 2 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Ααρων περιέλεσθε τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν τῶν γυναικῶν ὑμῶν καὶ θυγατέρων καὶ ἐνέγκατε πρός με 3 καὶ περιείλαντο πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὰ ἐνώτια τὰ χρυσᾶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἤνεγκαν πρὸς Ααρων 4 καὶ ἐδέξατο ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔπλασεν αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ γραφίδι καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ μόσχον χωνευτὸν καὶ εἶπεν οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου Ισραηλ οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου 5 καὶ ἰδὼν Ααρων ᾠκοδόμησεν θυσιαστήριον κατέναντι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκήρυξεν Ααρων λέγων ἑορτὴ τοῦ κυρίου αὔριον 6 καὶ ὀρθρίσας τῇ ἐπαύριον ἀνεβίβασεν ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ προσήνεγκεν θυσίαν σωτηρίου καὶ ἐκάθισεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν

1 Meanwhile, finding that Moses’ return from the mountain was so long delayed, the people remonstrated with Aaron. Bestir thyself, they said; fashion us gods, to be our leaders. We had a man to lead us, this Moses, when we came away from Egypt; but there is no saying what has become of him. 2 Take out the gold ear-rings, said Aaron, that your wives and sons and daughters wear, and bring them to me. 3 The people, then, brought him their ear-rings as he had bidden them, 4 and he melted down what they had given him and cast them into the figure of a calf. And all cried out, Here are thy gods, Israel, the gods that rescued thee from the land of Egypt. 5 Aaron, finding them so minded, built an altar in front of it, and bade the crier give out that there would be a solemn feast next day in the Lord’s honour. 6 So when they awoke on the morrow, they offered burnt-sacrifice and welcome-offerings; and with that, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to take their pleasure.

1 Videns autem populus quod moram faceret descendendi de monte Moyses, congregatus adversus Aaron, dixit: Surge, fac nobis deos, qui nos præcedant: Moysi enim huic viro, qui nos eduxit de terra Ægypti, ignoramus quid acciderit. 2 Dixitque ad eos Aaron: Tollite inaures aureas de uxorum, filiorumque et filiarum vestrarum auribus, et afferte ad me. 3 Fecitque populus quæ jusserat, deferens inaures ad Aaron. 4 Quas cum ille accepisset, formavit opere fusorio, et fecit ex eis vitulum conflatilem: dixeruntque: Hi sunt dii tui Israël, qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti. 5 Quod cum vidisset Aaron, ædificavit altare coram eo, et præconis voce clamavit dicens: Cras solemnitas Domini est. 6 Surgentesque mane, obtulerunt holocausta, et hostias pacificas, et sedit populus manducare, et bibere, et surrexerunt ludere.

7 καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων βάδιζε τὸ τάχος ἐντεῦθεν κατάβηθι ἠνόμησεν γὰρ ὁ λαός σου οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου 8 παρέβησαν ταχὺ ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἧς ἐνετείλω αὐτοῖς ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς μόσχον καὶ προσκεκυνήκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ τεθύκασιν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπαν οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου Ισραηλ οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου 9 10 καὶ νῦν ἔασόν με καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὀργῇ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐκτρίψω αὐτοὺς καὶ ποιήσω σὲ εἰς ἔθνος μέγα 11 καὶ ἐδεήθη Μωυσῆς ἔναντι κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἵνα τί κύριε θυμοῖ ὀργῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν σου οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐν ἰσχύι μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐν τῷ βραχίονί σου τῷ ὑψηλῷ 12 μήποτε εἴπωσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι λέγοντες μετὰ πονηρίας ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν καὶ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς παῦσαι τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ σου καὶ ἵλεως γενοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου 13 μνησθεὶς Αβρααμ καὶ Ισαακ καὶ Ιακωβ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν οἷς ὤμοσας κατὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησας πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων πολυπληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα ὑμῶν ὡσεὶ τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ταύτην ἣν εἶπας δοῦναι τῷ σπέρματι αὐτῶν καὶ καθέξουσιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα 14 καὶ ἱλάσθη κύριος περὶ τῆς κακίας ἧς εἶπεν ποιῆσαι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ

7 And now the Lord said to Moses, Away, down with thee; they have fallen into sin, this people thou didst bring out of Egypt with thee. 8 They have been swift to leave the way thou didst mark out for them, by making a molten calf and falling down to worship it; brought victims to it, and cried out, Here are thy gods, Israel, the gods that rescued thee from the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, I know them now for a stiff-necked race; 10 spare me thy importunacy, let me vent my anger and destroy them; I will make thy posterity into a great nation instead. 11 But Moses would still plead with the Lord his God; What, Lord, said he, wilt thou vent thy anger on thy people, the people thou didst rescue from Egypt so imperiously, with so strong a hand? 12 Wilt thou let the Egyptians say it was but a treacherous deliverance; that thou hadst marked them out for death, here in the mountains, and no trace left of them on earth? Oh let the storm of thy anger pass; pardon thy people’s guilt! 13 Remember thy servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and the oath thou didst swear by thy own name: I will make your posterity countless as the stars in heaven, and give them all this land of which I spoke to you, to be their everlasting home. 14 So the Lord relented, and spared his people the punishment he had threatened.

7 Locutus est autem Dominus ad Moysen, dicens: Vade, descende: peccavit populus tuus, quem eduxisti de terra Ægypti. 8 Recesserunt cito de via, quam ostendisti eis: feceruntque sibi vitulum conflatilem, et adoraverunt, atque immolantes ei hostias, dixerunt: Isti sunt dii tui Israël, qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti. 9 Rursumque ait Dominus ad Moysen: Cerno quod populus iste duræ cervicis sit: 10 dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus contra eos, et deleam eos, faciamque te in gentem magnam. 11 Moyses autem orabat Dominum Deum suum, dicens: Cur, Domine, irascitur furor tuus contra populum tuum, quem eduxisti de terra Ægypti, in fortitudine magna, et in manu robusta? 12 Ne quæso dicant Ægyptii: Callide eduxit eos, ut interficeret in montibus, et deleret e terra: quiescat ira tua, et esto placabilis super nequitia populi tui. 13 Recordare Abraham, Isaac, et Israël servorum tuorum, quibus jurasti per temetipsum, dicens: Multiplicabo semen vestrum sicut stellas cæli; et universam terram hanc, de qua locutus sum, dabo semini vestro, et possidebitis eam semper. 14 Placatusque est Dominus ne faceret malum quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum.

15 καὶ ἀποστρέψας Μωυσῆς κατέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ αἱ δύο πλάκες τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ πλάκες λίθιναι καταγεγραμμέναι ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν αὐτῶν ἔνθεν καὶ ἔνθεν ἦσαν γεγραμμέναι 16 καὶ αἱ πλάκες ἔργον θεοῦ ἦσαν καὶ ἡ γραφὴ γραφὴ θεοῦ ἐστιν κεκολαμμένη ἐν ταῖς πλαξίν 17 καὶ ἀκούσας Ἰησοῦς τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ λαοῦ κραζόντων λέγει πρὸς Μωυσῆν φωνὴ πολέμου ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ 18 καὶ λέγει οὐκ ἔστιν φωνὴ ἐξαρχόντων κα{T'} ἰσχὺν οὐδὲ φωνὴ ἐξαρχόντων τροπῆς ἀλλὰ φωνὴν ἐξαρχόντων οἴνου ἐγὼ ἀκούω 19 καὶ ἡνίκα ἤγγιζεν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ὁρᾷ τὸν μόσχον καὶ τοὺς χορούς καὶ ὀργισθεὶς θυμῷ Μωυσῆς ἔρριψεν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ τὰς δύο πλάκας καὶ συνέτριψεν αὐτὰς ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος 20 καὶ λαβὼν τὸν μόσχον ὃν ἐποίησαν κατέκαυσεν αὐτὸν ἐν πυρὶ καὶ κατήλεσεν αὐτὸν λεπτὸν καὶ ἔσπειρεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐπότισεν αὐτὸ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ισραηλ 21 καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς τῷ Ααρων τί ἐποίησέν σοι ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ὅτι ἐπήγαγες ἐ{P'} αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην 22 καὶ εἶπεν Ααρων πρὸς Μωυσῆν μὴ ὀργίζου κύριε σὺ γὰρ οἶδας τὸ ὅρμημα τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου 23 λέγουσιν γάρ μοι ποίησον ἡμῖν θεούς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ Μωυσῆς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γέγονεν αὐτῷ 24 καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς εἴ τινι ὑπάρχει χρυσία περιέλεσθε καὶ ἔδωκάν μοι καὶ ἔρριψα εἰς τὸ πῦρ καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ μόσχος οὗτος

15 With that, Moses came down from the mountain, carrying in his hand the two tablets of the law, with writing on either side, 16 God’s workmanship; a divine hand had traced the characters they bore. 17 And now, as the noise of shouting reached him, Josue said to Moses, I hear the cry of battle in the camp. 18 No, said he, this is no sound of triumph or of rout; it is the sound of singing that I hear. 19 Then they drew nearer the camp, and he saw the calf standing there, and the dancing. And so angry was he that he threw down the tablets he held, and broke them against the spurs of the mountain; 20 then he took the calf they had made and threw it on the fire, and beat it into dust; this dust he sprinkled over water, which he made the Israelites drink. 21 And he asked Aaron, What harm has this people done thee, that thou hast involved them in such guilt? 22 Do not be angry with me, my lord, said he; thou knowest how the whole bent of this people is towards wrong-doing, 23 and it was they who said to me, Fashion us gods to be our leaders. We had a man to lead us, this Moses, when we came away from Egypt, but there is no saying now what has become of him. 24 So I asked them, Which of you has any gold in his possession? And they brought what they had, and gave it to me; I cast it into the fire, and this calf was the issue of it.

15 Et reversus est Moyses de monte, portans duas tabulas testimonii in manu sua, scriptas ex utraque parte, 16 et factas opere Dei: scriptura quoque Dei erat sculpta in tabulis. 17 Audiens autem Josue tumultum populi vociferantis, dixit ad Moysen: Ululatus pugnæ auditur in castris. 18 Qui respondit: Non est clamor adhortantium ad pugnam, neque vociferatio compellentium ad fugam: sed vocem cantantium ego audio. 19 Cumque appropinquasset ad castra, vidit vitulum, et choros: iratusque valde, projecit de manu tabulas, et confregit eas ad radicem montis: 20 arripiensque vitulum quem fecerant, combussit, et contrivit usque ad pulverem, quem sparsit in aquam, et dedit ex eo potum filiis Israël. 21 Dixitque ad Aaron: Quid tibi fecit hic populus, ut induceres super eum peccatum maximum? 22 Cui ille respondit: Ne indignetur dominus meus: tu enim nosti populum istum, quod pronus sit ad malum: 23 dixerunt mihi: Fac nobis deos, qui nos præcedant: huic enim Moysi, qui nos eduxit de terra Ægypti, nescimus quid acciderit. 24 Quibus ego dixi: Quis vestrum habet aurum? Tulerunt, et dederunt mihi: et projeci illud in ignem, egressusque est hic vitulus.

25 καὶ ἰδὼν Μωυσῆς τὸν λαὸν ὅτι διεσκέδασται διεσκέδασεν γὰρ αὐτοὺς Ααρων ἐπίχαρμα τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις αὐτῶν 26 ἔστη δὲ Μωυσῆς ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ εἶπεν τίς πρὸς κύριον ἴτω πρός με συνῆλθον οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ Λευι 27 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ θέσθε ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ῥομφαίαν ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν καὶ διέλθατε καὶ ἀνακάμψατε ἀπὸ πύλης ἐπὶ πύλην διὰ τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ ἀποκτείνατε ἕκαστος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος τὸν ἔγγιστα αὐτοῦ 28 καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Λευι καθὰ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς Μωυσῆς καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς τρισχιλίους ἄνδρας 29 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Μωυσῆς ἐπληρώσατε τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν σήμερον κυρίῳ ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ἢ τῷ ἀδελφῷ δοθῆναι ἐ{F'} ὑμᾶς εὐλογίαν

25 Moses saw, too, that the people went all unarmed; Aaron had let them strip, in their shameless debauchery, so that they were defenceless against attack.[1] 26 So he stood there at the gate of the camp, and said, Rally to my side, all that will take the Lord’s part. Then the whole tribe of Levi gathered round them, 27 and he said, A message to you from the Lord God of Israel. Gird on your swords, and pass to and fro through the middle of the camp, from gate to gate, killing your own brothers, your own friends, your own neighbours. 28 So the sons of Levi did as Moses bade them, and that day some twenty-three thousand men fell slain. 29 To-day, said Moses, at war with your own flesh and blood, you have dedicated your hands to the Lord’s service, and earned his blessing.[2]

25 Videns ergo Moyses populum quod esset nudatus (spoliaverat enim eum Aaron propter ignominiam sordis, et inter hostes nudum constituerat), 26 et stans in porta castrorum, ait: Si quis est Domini, jungatur mihi. Congregatique sunt ad eum omnes filii Levi: 27 quibus ait: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Ponat vir gladium super femur suum: ite, et redite de porta usque ad portam per medium castrorum, et occidat unusquisque fratrem, et amicum, et proximum suum. 28 Feceruntque filii Levi juxta sermonem Moysi, cecideruntque in die illa quasi viginti tria millia hominum. 29 Et ait Moyses: Consecrastis manus vestras hodie Domino, unusquisque in filio, et in fratre suo, ut detur vobis benedictio.

30 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὴν αὔριον εἶπεν Μωυσῆς πρὸς τὸν λαόν ὑμεῖς ἡμαρτήκατε ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην καὶ νῦν ἀναβήσομαι πρὸς τὸν θεόν ἵνα ἐξιλάσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν 31 ὑπέστρεψεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον καὶ εἶπεν δέομαι κύριε ἡμάρτηκεν ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς θεοὺς χρυσοῦς 32 καὶ νῦν εἰ μὲν ἀφεῖς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἄφες εἰ δὲ μή ἐξάλειψόν με ἐκ τῆς βίβλου σου ἧς ἔγραψας 33 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν εἴ τις ἡμάρτηκεν ἐνώπιόν μου ἐξαλείψω αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς βίβλου μου 34 νυνὶ δὲ βάδιζε κατάβηθι καὶ ὁδήγησον τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον εἰς τὸν τόπον ὃν εἶπά σοι ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄγγελός μου προπορεύεται πρὸ προσώπου σου ᾗ {D'} ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπισκέπτωμαι ἐπάξω ἐ{P'} αὐτοὺς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν

30 When the morrow came, Moses told the people, You have sinned heinously; I will go up into the Lord’s presence, and see if I can make amends for your guilt. 31 And so, having recourse to the Lord again, he prayed thus: Thy people have sinned heinously, in making themselves gods of gold. I entreat thee, pardon this offence of theirs; 32 or else blot out my name too from the record thou hast written.[3] 33 Whoever sins against me, the Lord answered, shall be blotted out from my record. 34 But do thou march on, and lead this people into the land I told thee of, and my angel shall still go before thee. But when the time comes for vengeance, this sin of theirs shall not be forgotten.

30 Facto autem altero die, locutus est Moyses ad populum: Peccastis peccatum maximum: ascendam ad Dominum, si quomodo quivero eum deprecari pro scelere vestro. 31 Reversusque ad Dominum, ait: Obsecro, peccavit populus iste peccatum maximum, feceruntque sibi deos aureos: aut dimitte eis hanc noxam, 32 aut si non facis, dele me de libro tuo quem scripsisti. 33 Cui respondit Dominus: Qui peccaverit mihi, delebo eum de libro meo: 34 tu autem vade, et duc populum istum quo locutus sum tibi: angelus meus præcedet te. Ego autem in die ultionis visitabo et hoc peccatum eorum.

35 καὶ ἐπάταξεν κύριος τὸν λαὸν περὶ τῆς ποιήσεως τοῦ μόσχου οὗ ἐποίησεν Ααρων

35 The Lord, then, made the people suffer for their wickedness in the matter of the calf Aaron made for them.[4]

35 Percussit ergo Dominus populum pro reatu vituli, quem fecerat Aaron.

[1] The meaning of the Hebrew text here is somewhat obscure; it says no more, than that Aaron had given the people free rein, exposing them to the derision of their attackers. If the interpretation given in the Latin is correct, we should perhaps suppose that the Hebrews were commanded to go always armed; and it was the neglect of this command which exposed them to the onslaught of the Levites.

[2] Wherever the Old Testament records bloodthirsty actions done from zeal for the worship of God, we should remember (i) the barbarity of the times and (ii) the fact that God, under the imperfect revelation of the Old Covenant, did sometimes sanction conduct which, for more enlightened consciences, would be wrong. Hence we must not regard exploits like that of the Levites in this passage as worthy of imitation. According to the Hebrew text, the number of those killed was three thousand.

[3] It does not seem probable that Moses refers here to the book of eternal life; if we understand him in that sense, he is perhaps giving rhetorical expression to the love he bears for his people. (Cf. note on Rom. 9.3.) But the allusion is more probably to the register of God’s people, mystically conceived as written down under his eye; cf. Mal. 3.16

[4] It is not clear whether this refers to the events described in verses 27-29, or some other punishment not here specified.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd