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 coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”
2 UAroni wasesithi kubo: Qamulani amacici egolide asendlebeni zabomkenu, zamadodana enu, lezamadodakazi enu, liwalethe kimi.
Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 Bonke abantu basebeqamula amacici egolide ayesendlebeni zabo, bawaletha kuAroni.
All the people took off the golden rings which were in 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 what they handed him, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a moulded calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which 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 it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
6 Basebevuka ekuseni kakhulu, banikela iminikelo yokutshiswa, basondeza iminikelo yokuthula; abantu bahlala phansi ukudla lokunatha, basebesukuma ukudlala.
They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Hamba wehle, ngoba abantu bakho owabakhuphula elizweni leGibhithe bonakalisile;
The LORD spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; 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 turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a moulded calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Ngibabonile lababantu, khangela-ke, bangabantu abantamo zilukhuni.
The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people.
10 Khathesi-ke ngiyekela ukuze ulaka lwami lubavuthele, ngibaqede; kodwa wena ngizakwenza ube yisizwe esikhulu.
Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”
11 Kodwa uMozisi wancenga ubuso beNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe wathi: Kungani, Nkosi, ulaka lwakho lubavuthela abantu bakho owabakhupha elizweni leGibhithe ngamandla amakhulu langesandla esiqinileyo?
Moses begged the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that 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 talk, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against 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.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
14 INkosi yasizisola ebubini eyayisithi izabenza ebantwini bayo.
So the LORD turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.
15 UMozisi wasetshibilika wehla entabeni, lezibhebhe ezimbili zobufakazi esandleni sakhe; izibhebhe zazibhalwe inhlangothi zazo zombili; zibhalwe ngapha langapha.
Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides. They were written on one side and on the other.
16 Lezibhebhe zazingumsebenzi kaNkulunkulu, lombhalo wawungumbhalo kaNkulunkulu, ubazwe ezibhebheni.
The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, 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 war in the camp.”
18 Kodwa wathi: Kakusumsindo wokuklabalala kokunqoba, njalo kakusumsindo wokuklabalala kokunqotshwa; ngizwa umsindo wokuhlabelela.
He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.”
19 Kwasekusithi esesondele enkambeni walibona ithole lokugida; ulaka lukaMozisi lwaseluvutha, wasezilahla izibhebhe ezandleni zakhe, waziphahlazela phansi kwentaba.
As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain.
20 Wathatha ithole ababelenzile, walitshisa emlilweni, walichola laze lacoleka, walivuvuzela emanzini, wabanathisa wona abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink it.
21 UMozisi wasesithi kuAroni: Abantu laba benzeni kuwe ukuze ubehlisele isono esikhulu kangaka?
Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”
22 UAroni wasesithi: Kalungavuthi ulaka lwenkosi yami; wena uyabazi abantu ukuthi batshekele ebubini.
Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
23 Ngoba bathi kimi: Senzele onkulunkulu abazahamba phambi kwethu; ngoba uMozisi lo, indoda eyasikhuphula elizweni leGibhithe, kasazi ukuthi yehlelwe yini.
For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’
24 Ngasengisithi kubo: Loba ngubani olegolide, kabaliqamule. Basebenginika lona. Ngasengiliphosela emlilweni, kwasekuphuma lelithole.
I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off.’ So they gave it to me; 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),
When Moses saw that the people were out of control, (for Aaron had let them lose control, causing derision amongst their enemies),
26 uMozisi wasesima esangweni lenkamba, wathi: Loba ngubani ongoweNkosi, keze kimi! Kwasekubuthana kuye wonke amadodana kaLevi.
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side, come to me!” All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to 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, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.’”
28 Amadodana kaLevi asesenza njengelizwi likaMozisi; njalo kwawa ebantwini ngalolosuku abantu abangabazinkulungwane ezintathu.
The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men fell of the people that day.
29 UMozisi wasesithi: Lizehlukanisele iNkosi lamuhla, ngoba ngulowo lalowo ubemelene lendodana yakhe amelane lomfowabo, ukuze aphe isibusiso phezu kwenu lamuhla.
Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, for every man was against his son and against his brother, that he may give you a blessing today.”
30 Kwasekusithi kusisa uMozisi wathi ebantwini: Lina lenze isono esikhulu; khathesi sengizakwenyukela eNkosini; mhlawumbe ngingenza inhlawulo yokuthula ngesono senu.
On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.”
31 UMozisi wasebuyela eNkosini wathi: Maye! Lababantu bonile isono esikhulu, bazenzele onkulunkulu begolide.
Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold.
32 Khathesi-ke, uba uthethelela isono sabo - kodwa uba kungenjalo, ake ungesule egwalweni lwakho olubhalileyo.
Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”
33 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Owonileyo kimi ngizamesula egwalweni lwami.
The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him 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.
Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 INkosi yasibatshaya abantu ngoba babenze ithole, uAroni ayelenzile.
The LORD struck the people, because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.
