U-Eksodusi 32
1 Abantu sebebonile ukuthi uMozisi uphuzile ukwehla entabeni, abantu babuthana kuAroni bathi kuye: Sukuma, usenzele onkulunkulu abazahamba phambi kwethu; ngoba uMozisi lo, indoda eyasikhuphula elizweni leGibhithe, kasazi ukuthi yehlelwe yini.
When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us an idol that will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.”
2 UAroni wasesithi kubo: Qamulani amacici egolide asendlebeni zabomkenu, zamadodana enu, lezamadodakazi enu, liwalethe kimi.
So Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings that are on your wives' ears, and the ears of your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 Bonke abantu basebeqamula amacici egolide ayesendlebeni zabo, bawaletha kuAroni.
All the people took off the golden rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.
4 Wawemukela ezandleni zabo, walibumba ngesikhali sokukhanda, wawenza aba lithole elibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa. Basebesithi: Laba ngonkulunkulu bakho, Israyeli, abakukhuphule elizweni leGibhithe.
He received the gold from them, fashioned it in a mold, and made it into a molded calf. Then the people said, “Israel, this is your god who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
5 UAroni eselibonile wakha ilathi phambi kwalo; uAroni wamemezela wathi: Kusasa kuzakuba khona umkhosi weNkosi.
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and made a proclamation; he said, “Tomorrow will be a festival in Yahweh's honor.”
6 Basebevuka ekuseni kakhulu, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa, basondeza iminikelo yokuthula; abantu bahlala phansi ukudla lokunatha, basebesukuma ukudlala.
The people arose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Then they sat down to eat and to drink, and then got up to carouse in wild celebration.
7 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Hamba wehle, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhuphula elizweni leGibhithe bonakalisile;
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go quickly, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8 baphambukile masinyane endleleni engabalaya ngayo; bazenzele ithole elibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa, balikhonza, balihlabela, bathi: Laba ngonkulunkulu bakho, Israyeli, abakukhuphule elizweni leGibhithe.
They have quickly left the way that I commanded them. They have molded for themselves a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it. They have said, 'Israel, this is your god who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'”
9 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ngibabonile lababantu, khangela-ke, bangabantu abantamo zilukhuni.
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people. Look, they are a stiff-necked people.
10 Khathesi-ke ngiyekela ukuze ulaka lwami lubavuthele, ngibaqede; kodwa wena ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esikhulu.
Now then, do not try to stop me. My anger will burn hot against them, so I will destroy them. Then I will make a great nation from you.”
11 Kodwa uMozisi wancenga ubuso beNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe wathi: Kungani, Nkosi, ulaka lwakho lubavuthela abantu bakho owabakhupha elizweni leGibhithe ngamandla amakhulu langesandla esiqinileyo?
But Moses tried to calm down Yahweh his God. He said, “Yahweh, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12 Kungani amaGibhithe ezakhuluma athi: Wabakhuphela ububi ukubabulala ezintabeni, lokubaqeda ebusweni bomhlaba? Phenduka ekuvutheni kolaka lwakho, uzisole ngobubi obumelene labantu bakho.
Why should the Egyptians say, 'He led them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth?' Turn from your burning anger and relent from this punishment on your people.
13 Khumbula uAbrahama, uIsaka loIsrayeli, inceku zakho, owazifunga wena kizo wathi kuzo: Ngizakwandisa inzalo yenu njengezinkanyezi zamazulu, lalelilizwe lonke engikhulume ngalo, ngizalipha inzalo yenu, njalo bazalidla ilifa lalo kuze kube nininini.
Call to mind Abraham and Isaac and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self and said to them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the heavens, and I will give to your descendants all this land of which I have spoken. They will inherit it forever.'”
14 INkosi yasizisola ebubini eyayisithi izabenza ebantwini bayo.
Then Yahweh relented from the punishment that he had said he would inflict on his people.
15 UMozisi wasetshibilika wehla entabeni, lezibhebhe ezimbili zobufakazi esandleni sakhe; izibhebhe zazibhalwe inhlangothi zazo zombili; zibhalwe ngapha langapha.
Then Moses turned around and went down the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant decrees in his hand. The tablets were written on both their sides, on both the front and the back.
16 Lezibhebhe zazingumsebenzi kaNkulunkulu, lombhalo wawungumbhalo kaNkulunkulu, ubazwe ezibhebheni.
The tablets were God's own work, and the writing was God's own writing, engraved on the tablets.
17 Kwathi uJoshuwa esezwile umsindo wabantu beklabalala, wathi kuMozisi: Kulomsindo wempi enkambeni.
When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of combat in the camp.”
18 Kodwa wathi: Kakusumsindo wokuklabalala kokunqoba, njalo kakusumsindo wokuklabalala kokunqotshwa; ngizwa umsindo wokuhlabelela.
But Moses said, “It is not the sound of a victor, and not the sound of defeated people, but the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 Kwasekusithi esesondele enkambeni walibona ithole lokugida; ulaka lukaMozisi lwaseluvutha, wasezilahla izibhebhe ezandleni zakhe, waziphahlazela phansi kwentaba.
When Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf and the people dancing. He became very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the bottom of the mountain.
20 Wathatha ithole ababelenzile, walitshisa emlilweni, walichola laze lacoleka, walivuvuzela emanzini, wabanathisa wona abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
He took the calf that the people had made, burned it, ground it to powder, and poured it into the water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.
21 UMozisi wasesithi kuAroni: Abantu laba benzeni kuwe ukuze ubehlisele isono esikhulu kangaka?
Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin on them?”
22 UAroni wasesithi: Kalungavuthi ulaka lwenkosi yami; wena uyabazi abantu ukuthi batshekele ebubini.
Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my master. You know these people, how they are set on doing evil.
23 Ngoba bathi kimi: Senzele onkulunkulu abazahamba phambi kwethu; ngoba uMozisi lo, indoda eyasikhuphula elizweni leGibhithe, kasazi ukuthi yehlelwe yini.
They said to me, 'Make us a god who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'
24 Ngasengisithi kubo: Loba ngubani olegolide, kabaliqamule. Basebenginika lona. Ngasengiliphosela emlilweni, kwasekuphuma lelithole.
So I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let him take it off.' They gave me the gold and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
25 Kwathi uMozisi esebonile abantu ukuthi babengabambeki (ngoba uAroni wabayekela bangabambeki ukuze bayangeke kwababengabavukela),
Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them get out of control, causing their enemies to mock them).
26 uMozisi wasesima esangweni lenkamba, wathi: Loba ngubani ongoweNkosi, keze kimi! Kwasekubuthana kuye wonke amadodana kaLevi.
Then Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh's side, come to me.” All the Levites gathered around him.
27 Wasesithi kuwo: Itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ithi: Ngulowo lalowo kahlome inkemba yakhe ethangazini lakhe, adabule aphenduke esuka esangweni esiya esangweni enkambeni, langulowo lalowo abulale umfowabo, langulowo lalowo umngane wakhe, langulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe.
He said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: 'Let each man fasten his sword on his side and go back and forth from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and kill his brother, his companion, and his neighbor.'”
28 Amadodana kaLevi asesenza njengelizwi likaMozisi; njalo kwawa ebantwini ngalolosuku abantu abangabazinkulungwane ezintathu.
The Levites did what Moses ordered. That day about three thousand of the people died.
29 UMozisi wasesithi: Lizehlukanisele iNkosi lamuhla, ngoba ngulowo lalowo ubemelene lendodana yakhe amelane lomfowabo, ukuze aphe isibusiso phezu kwenu lamuhla.
Moses said to the Levites, “You have been placed into Yahweh's service today, for each of you has taken action against his son and his brother, so Yahweh might give you a blessing today.”
30 Kwasekusithi kusisa uMozisi wathi ebantwini: Lina lenze isono esikhulu; khathesi sengizakwenyukela eNkosini; mhlawumbe ngingenza inhlawulo yokuthula ngesono senu.
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a very great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 UMozisi wasebuyela eNkosini wathi: Maye! Lababantu bonile isono esikhulu, bazenzele onkulunkulu begolide.
Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin and made themselves an idol of gold.
32 Khathesi-ke, uba uthethelela isono sabo - kodwa uba kungenjalo, ake ungesule egwalweni lwakho olubhalileyo.
But now, please forgive their sin; but if you do not, blot me out of the book that you have written.”
33 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Owonileyo kimi ngizamesula egwalweni lwami.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, that person I will blot out of my book.
34 Kodwa hamba-ke, ukhokhele abantu baye lapho engikhulume lawe ngakho; khangela, ingilosi yami izahamba phambi kwakho. Kanti mhla ngiphindisela ngizaphindisela isono sabo phezu kwabo.
So now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish them, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 INkosi yasibatshaya abantu ngoba babenze ithole, uAroni ayelenzile.
Yahweh sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
