Exodus 32

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 When the people saw that Moses was a long time before coming down the mountain, they gatheredround Aaron and said to him, 'Get to work, make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man whobrought us here from Egypt -- we do not know what has become of him.'	1 And the people seeing that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has befallen him.
2 Aaron replied, 'Strip off the gold rings in the ears of your wives and your sons and daughters, andbring them to me.'	2 And Aaron said to them: Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.
3 The people al stripped off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.	3 And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron.
4 He received what they gave him, melted it down in a mould and with it made the statue of a calf.'Israel,' the people shouted, 'here is your God who brought you here from Egypt!'	4 And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders' work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
5 Observing this, Aaron built an altar before the statue and made this proclamation, 'Tomorrow will be afeast in Yahweh's honour.'	5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation by a crier's voice, saying: To morrow is the solemnity of the Lord.
6 Early next morning they sacrificed burnt offerings and brought communion sacrifices. The people thensat down to eat and drink, and afterwards got up to amuse themselves.	6 And rising in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat, and drink, and they rose up to play.
7 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go down at once, for your people whom you brought here from Egypthave become corrupt.	7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.
8 They have quickly left the way which I ordered them to fol ow. They have cast themselves a metal calf,worshipped it and offered sacrifice to it, shouting, "Israel, here is your God who brought you here from Egypt!" '	8 They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
9 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'I know these people; I know how obstinate they are!	9 And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:
10 So leave me now, so that my anger can blaze at them and I can put an end to them! I shal make agreat nation out of you instead.'	10 Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 Moses tried to pacify Yahweh his God. 'Yahweh,' he said, 'why should your anger blaze at yourpeople, whom you have brought out of Egypt by your great power and mighty hand?	11 But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians say, "He brought them out with evil intention, to slaughter them in themountains and wipe them off the face of the earth?" Give up your burning wrath; relent over this disasterintended for your people.	12 Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.
13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom you swore by your very self andmade this promise: "I shal make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and this whole country ofwhich I have spoken, I shal give to your descendants, and it wil be their heritage for ever." '	13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to you seed, and you shall possess it for ever.
14 Yahweh then relented over the disaster which he had intended to inflict on his people.	14 And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.
15 Moses turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands,tablets inscribed on both sides, inscribed on the front and on the back.	15 And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,
16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing on them was God's writing, engraved on thetablets.	16 And made by the work of God: the writing also of God was graven in the tables.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, 'There is the sound of battlein the camp!'	17 And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp.
18 But he replied: No song of victory is this sound, no lament for defeat this sound; but answeringchoruses I hear!	18 But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.
19 And there, as he approached the camp, he saw the calf and the groups dancing. Moses blazed withanger. He threw down the tablets he was holding, shattering them at the foot of the mountain.	19 And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount:
20 He seized the calf they had made and burned it, grinding it into powder which he scattered on thewater, and made the Israelites drink it.	20 And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strowed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.
21 Moses then said to Aaron, 'What have these people done to you for you to have brought so great asin on them?'	21 And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?
22 Aaron replied, 'My lord should not be so angry. You yourself know what a bad state these people arein!	22 And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.
23 They said to me, "Make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man who brought us herefrom Egypt -- we do not know what has become of him."	23 They said to me: Make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him.
24 I then said to them, "Anyone with gold, strip it off!" They gave it to me. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!'	24 And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me: and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.
25 When Moses saw that the people were out of hand -- for Aaron had let them get out of hand to thederision of their enemies al round them-	25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies,)
26 Moses then stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, 'Who is for Yahweh? To me!' And al theLevites ral ied round him.	26 Then standing in the gate of the camp, he said: If any man be on the Lord's side let him join with me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him:
27 He said to them, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "Buckle on your sword, each of you, and go upand down the camp from gate to gate, every man of you slaughtering brother, friend and neighbour." '	27 And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and friend, and neighbour.
28 The Levites did as Moses said, and of the people about three thousand men perished that day.	28 And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men.
29 'Today', Moses said, 'you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh, one at the cost of his son,another of his brother; and so he bestows a blessing on you today.'	29 And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.
30 On the fol owing day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin. But now I shal goup to Yahweh: perhaps I can secure expiation for your sin.'	30 And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime.
31 Moses then went back to Yahweh and said, 'Oh, this people has committed a great sin by makingthemselves a god of gold.	31 And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass,
32 And yet, if it pleased you to forgive their sin. . .! If not, please blot me out of the book you havewritten!'	32 Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.
33 Yahweh said to Moses, 'Those who have sinned against me are the ones I shal blot out of my book.	33 And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:
34 So now go and lead the people to the place I promised to you. My angel will indeed go at your headbut, on the day of punishment, I shall punish them for their sin.'	34 But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs.
35 And Yahweh punished the people for having made the calf, the one Aaron had made.	35 The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.