Israel Worships a Golden Calf
1The people saw that Moses took a long time to come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “Come. Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2Aaron answered them, “Take the gold earrings off your wives, your sons and your daughters. Bring the earrings to me.” 3So all the people took off their earrings. They brought them to Aaron. 4He took what they gave him and made it into a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. Aaron shaped it with a tool. Then the people said, “Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5When Aaron saw what they were doing, he built an altar in front of the calf. He said, “Tomorrow will be a feast day to honor the Lord.” 6So the next day the people got up early. They sacrificed burnt offerings and brought friendship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance wildly in front of their god.
7The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Go down. Your people you brought up out of Egypt have become very sinful. 8They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal statue of a god in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down and sacrificed to it. And they have said, ‘Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses. “They are stubborn. 10Now leave me alone. I will destroy them because of my great anger. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11But Moses asked the Lord his God to have mercy on the people. “Lord,” he said, “why should you destroy your people in anger? You used your great power and mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. 12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out to hurt them. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn away from your great anger. Please take pity on your people. Don’t destroy them! 13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel. You made a promise to them in your own name. You said, ‘I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will give them all this land I promised them. It will belong to them forever.’ ” 14Then the Lord took pity on his people. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.
15Moses turned and went down the mountain. He had the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. Words were written on both sides of the tablets, front and back. 16The tablets were the work of God. The words had been written by God. They had been carved on the tablets.
17Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. So he said to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp.”
18Moses replied,
“It’s not the sound of winning.
It’s not the sound of losing.
It’s the sound of singing that I hear.”
19As Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf. He also saw the people dancing. So he was very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands. They broke into pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf the people had made. He burned it in the fire. Then he ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water. And he made the Israelites drink it.
21He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you? How did they make you lead them into such terrible sin?”
22“Please don’t be angry,” Aaron answered. “You know how these people like to do what is evil. 23They said to me, ‘Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24So I told them, ‘Anyone who has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ They gave me the gold. I threw it into the fire. And out came this calf!”
25Moses saw that the people were running wild. Aaron had let them get out of control. The people had become a joke to their enemies. 26Moses stood at the entrance to the camp. He said, “Anyone on the Lord’s side, come to me.” All the Levites joined him.
27Then he spoke to them. He said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Each man must put on his sword. Then he must go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” 28The Levites did as Moses commanded. About 3,000 of the people died that day. 29Then Moses said to the Levites, “You have been set apart for the Lord today. You fought against your own sons and brothers. And he has blessed you this day.”
30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe if I pray to him, he will forgive your sin.”
31So Moses went back to the Lord. He said, “These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold for themselves. 32Now please forgive their sin. But if you won’t, then erase my name out of the book you have written.”
33The Lord replied to Moses. The Lord said, “I will erase out of my book only the names of those who have sinned against me. 34Now go. Lead the people to the place I spoke about. My angel will go ahead of you. But when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35The Lord struck the people with a plague. That’s because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
Sika Nantwi Ba
1Mose kyɛe wɔ bepɔw no so saa no, nnipa no nyinaa kɔɔ Aaron so kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ntɛm, yɛ anyame a wobedi yɛn anim ma yɛn, efisɛ yenhu baabi a Mose a odii yɛn anim de yɛn fi Misraim asase so baa ha no afa; ebia na biribi ayɛ no.”
2Aaron nso ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munyiyi mo sika nsonkaa nyinaa mmra.” 3Wɔn nyinaa yiyii wɔn nsonkaa brɛɛ Aaron. 4Aaron nan sikakɔkɔɔ nsonkaa no, na ɔde oguu nantwi ba ohoni. Nnipa no nyinaa kae se, “Israel, oyi ne mo nyame a oyii mo fii Misraim asase so bae no.”
5Aaron huu sɛ nnipa no ani agye sika nantwi ba ohoni no ho no, osii afɔremuka sii nantwi ba no anim kae se, “Ɔkyena yɛbɛhyɛ fa ama Awurade.” 6Wɔsɔree anɔpahema fii ase bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre de maa nantwi ba ohoni no. Ɛno akyi no, wɔtoo pon kɛse, didi nomee, goruu abosongoru, yɛɛ ahuhude.
7Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “Yɛ ntɛm na sian kɔ wo nkurɔfo a wode wɔn fi Misraim asase so bae no nkyɛn, efisɛ wɔagu wɔn ho fi, 8na wɔabu me mmara nyinaa nso so. Wɔabɔ sika nantwi ba a wɔsom no, asan abɔ afɔre nso ama no aka se, ‘Israel, oyi ne mo nyame a oyii mo fii Misraim asase so bae no.’ ”
9Awurade kae se, “Mahu sɛnea saa nnipa yi si yɛ asoɔden na wɔsan yɛ atuatewfo fa. 10Afei, ma me kwan na memma mʼabufuw nnɛw ntia wɔn mma mensɛe wɔn. Na mɛyɛ wo ɔman kɛse.”
11Nanso Mose srɛɛ Onyankopɔn sɛ ɔnyɛ saa. Ɔkɔɔ so se, “Awurade, adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ wʼabufuw dɛw atia wo ara wo nkurɔfo a wonam anwonwakwan ne wo tumi so yii wɔn fii Misraim asase so yi? 12Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ Misraimfo no ka se, ‘Onyankopɔn daadaa wɔn sɛ wɔmmra bepɔw no so sɛnea obenya wɔn akum wɔn, atɔre wɔn ase afi asase so?’ Ma wo bo ntɔ wo yam na gyae ɔsɛe a wopɛ sɛ wode ba wo nkurɔfo no so no. 13Kae bɔ a wohyɛɛ wʼasomfo Abraham, Isak ne Israel no. Wo ara wokaa ntam se, ‘Mɛma mo asefo adɔɔso sɛ ɔsoro nsoromma na mede saa asase a mahyɛ mo ho bɔ yi nyinaa bɛma mo asefo na wɔatena so afebɔɔ.’ ” 14Na Awurade sesaa nʼadwene de wɔn ho kyɛɛ wɔn.
15Afei, Mose sian fii bepɔw no so bae a okura Mmaransɛm Du no a wɔakyerɛw agu abo apon abien akyi ne anim no. 16Onyankopɔn no ankasa na ɔkyerɛw mmaransɛm no wɔ apon no so.
17Bere a Yosua tee sɛ nnipa bi reyɛ gyegyeegye no, ɔka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “Ɛyɛ me sɛ wɔreboaboa wɔn ho akɔ ɔko!”
18Ɛnna Mose nso buaa no se, “Ɛnyɛ nkonimdi mu nnyigyei na ɛnyɛ nkogu de, na mmom, ɛyɛ nnwonto nnyigyei na mete.”
19Wobeduu atenae hɔ, Mose huu nantwi ba no ne asaw a wɔresaw. Enti ɔde abufuwhyew tow kyerɛwapon no hwehwee fam ma ebubuu wɔ bepɔw no ase. 20Ɔfaa nantwi ba no nan no wɔ ogya mu na edwoe no, ɔyam no muhumuhu de guu nsu mu maa nnipa no nomee.
21Obisaa Aaron se, “Dɛn nko ara na saa nnipa no yɛɛ wo a enti wudii wɔn anim ma wɔyɛɛ saa bɔne kɛse yi?”
22Aaron buaa no se, “Mma wo bo mmfuw. Wo ara wunim sɛnea wo nkurɔfo yi yɛ nnipa bɔne fa. 23Wɔn ara na wɔka kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Yɛ onyame bi ma yɛn na ɔnkyerɛ yɛn kwan na yennim nea ayɛ saa Mose a odii yɛn anim fii Misraim no.’ 24Enti me nso mekae se, ‘Munyiyi mo sikakɔkɔɔ nsonkaa mma me.’ Woyiyi de maa me na mede guu gya mu. Ɛne saa nantwi ba no!”
25Mose huu sɛ Aaron ama nnipa no adan aguamammɔfo ama wɔn atamfo anya wɔn no, 26ogyinaa wɔn atenae hɔ pon no ano teɛɛ mu se, “Mo a mowɔ Awurade afa no, mommra me nkyɛn.” Lewifo no nyinaa kɔɔ ne nkyɛn.
27Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Awurade Israel Nyankopɔn se, ‘Momfa mo afoa nhyehyɛ mo ho na munni mo atenae hɔ akɔneaba, na munkunkum mo nuanom, mo nnamfonom ne mo afipamfo.’ ” 28Enti wɔyɛɛ saa maa nnipa bɛyɛ mpensa totɔɔ da no. 29Afei, Mose ka kyerɛɛ Lewifo no se, “Nnɛ, moatu mo ho asi hɔ sɛ mobɛsom Awurade, efisɛ moayɛ osetie ama no ama mpo, monam so akunkum mo mma ne mo nuanom, enti obehyira mo bebree.”
30Ade kyee anɔpa no, Mose ka kyerɛɛ nkurɔfo no se, “Moayɛ bɔne a ɛso bi mmaa da, nanso mɛsan akɔ Awurade nkyɛn wɔ bepɔw no so akɔhwɛ sɛ ebia, menya bɔnefakyɛ ama mo ana.”
31Enti Mose san kɔɔ Awurade nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ao, saa nnipa yi ayɛ bɔne a ɛso bi mmaa da, na wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ ayɛ wɔn anyame. 32Enti meredi ama wɔn sɛ, fa wɔn bɔne kyɛ wɔn, na sɛ ɛnte saa nso a, pepa me din fi nhoma a woakyerɛw no mu.”
33Awurade buaa Mose se, “Obiara a wayɛ me bɔne no, mɛpepa no afi me nhoma mu. 34Enti afei, kɔ na di nkurɔfo no anim kɔ baabi a mekyerɛɛ wo no na mehyɛ wo bɔ sɛ mɛma me bɔfo adi wʼanim; nanso sɛ mebɛsra nkurɔfo no a, mɛtwe wɔn aso wɔ wɔn bɔne no ho.”
35Na esiane sɛ nnipa no som Aaron nantwi ba no nti, ɔtew ɔyare guu wɔn so.
