1 و َرَأى الشَّعبُ أنَّ مُوسَى قَدْ تَأخَّرَ فِي النُّزُولِ مِنَ الجَبَلِ، فاجتَمَعُوا حَولَ هارُونَ وَقالُوا لَهُ: «قُمْ وَاصنَعْ لَنا آلِهَةً لِتَقُودَنا فِي الطَّرِيقِ. فَنَحْنُ لا نَدرِي ما الَّذِي حَلَّ بهَذا الرَّجُلِ مُوسَى الَّذِي أخرَجَنا مِنْ أرْضِ مِصرَ.»

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

2 ف َقالَ هارُونُ لَهُمْ: «انزِعُوا أقراطَ الذَّهَبِ الَّتِي فِي آذانِ زَوجاتِكُمْ وَأولادِكُمْ وَأحضِرُوها لَي.»

And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 ف َنَزَعَ الشَّعبُ أقراطَ الذَّهَبِ الَّتِي كانَتْ فِي آذانِهِمْ وَأحضَرُوها إلَى هارُونَ.

So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

4 ف َأخَذَ هارُونُ الذَّهَبَ مِنهُمْ، وَصَهَرَهُ وَشَكَّلَهُ بِالإزمِيلِ، وَصَنَعَ مِنهُ عِجلاً مَسبُوكاً. فَقالُوا: «هَذِهِ هِيَ آلِهَتُكَ الَّتِي أخرَجَتْكَ مِنْ أرْضِ مِصرَ يا إسْرائِيلُ.»

And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

5 و َحِينَ رَأى هارُونُ هَذا، بَنَى مَذبَحاً أمامَهُ. وَأعلَنَ هارُونُ: «سَنَعمَلُ عِيداً للهِ غَداً.»

So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.”

6 ف َنَهَضَ الشَّعبُ باكِراً فِي صَباحِ اليَومِ التّالِي وَقَدَّمُوا ذَبائِحَ صاعِدَةً وَذَبائِحَ سَلامٍ. وَبَعدَ ذَلِكَ جَلَسَ الشَّعبُ لِيأكُلُوا وَيَشْرَبُوا، وَنَهَضُوا لِيُرَفِّهُوا عَنْ أنفُسِهِمْ.

Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

7 و َقالَ اللهُ لِمُوسَى: «انزِلْ فِي الحالِ! فَها شَعبُكَ الَّذِي أخرَجتَهُ مِنْ أرْضِ مِصرَ قَدْ فَسَدَ.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

8 ح ادُوا سَريعاً عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ الَّذِي أمَرتُهُمْ بِهِ، إذْ صَنَعُوا عِجلاً مَسبُوكاً لِأنفُسِهِمْ وَسَجَدُوا لَهُ وَقَدَّمُوا لَهُ ذَبائِحَ، وَقالُوا: ‹هَذِهِ هِيَ آلِهَتُكَ الَّتِي أخرَجَتْكَ مِنْ مِصرَ يا إسْرائِيلُ.›»

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”

9 و َقالَ اللهُ لِمُوسَى: «قَدْ رَأيتُ هَذا الشَّعبَ! إنَّهُمْ شَعبٌ عَنِيدٌ.

And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!

10 و َالآنَ، دَعْنِي فَيَشتَعِلَ غَضَبِي عَلَيهِمْ وَيَلتَهِمَهُمْ. حِينَئِذٍ، سَأجْعَلُ مِنكَ أُمَّةً عَظِيمَةً.»

Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

11 ل َكِنَّ مُوسَى تَوَسَّلَ إلَى إلَهِهِ وَقالَ: «لِماذا يا اللهُ يَشتَعِلُ غَضَبُكَ عَلَى شَعبِكَ الَّذِي أخرَجتَهُ مِنْ مِصرَ بِقُوَّةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ وَيَدٍ قَوِيَّةٍ؟

Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “ Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

12 ل ِماذا تُعطِي المِصرِيِّينَ فُرصَةً لِيَقُولُوا: ‹أخرَجَهُمُ إلَهُهُمْ وَهُوَ يُضْمِرُ لَهُمُ الشَّرَّ، لِيَقتُلَهُمْ في الجِبالِ، وَلِيُبِيدَهُمْ مِنْ عَلَى وَجهِ الأرْضِ›؟ ارجِعْ عَنْ غَضَبِكَ الشَّدِيدِ. وَلا تَعمَلْ ما فَكَّرْتَ بِهِ مِنَ الشَّرِّ عَلَى شَعبِكَ.

Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.

13 ت َذَكَّرْ إبراهِيمَ وَإسْحاقَ وَإسْرائِيلَ، خُدّامَكَ الَّذِينَ أقسَمتَ لَهُمْ بِنَفسِكَ وَوَعَدتَهُمْ: ‹سَأُكَثِّرُ نَسلَكَ لِيَصِيرَ كَعَدَدِ نُجُومِ السَّماءِ، وَسَأُعطِي هَذِهِ الأرْضَ، الَّتِي وَعَدْتُ بِها، لِنَسلِكُمْ لِيَمتَلِكُوها إلَى الأبَدِ.›»

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14 ف َرَجِعَ اللهُ عَمّا كانَ يُفَكِّرُ بِهِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قالَ إنَّهُ سَيَعمَلُهُ بِشَعبِهِ.

So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 ث ُمَّ نَزَلَ مُوسَى مِنَ الجَبَلِ وَلَوحا الشَّهادَةِ فِي يَدِهِ. كانَتِ الوَصايا مَنْقُوشَةً عَلَى اللَّوحَينِ مِنَ الأمامِ وَمِنَ الخَلفِ.

And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.

16 ا للهُ هُوَ مَنْ صَنَعَ اللَّوحَينِ، وَاللهُ هُوَ مَنْ نَقَشَ الكِتابَةَ عَلَيهِما.

Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

17 و َحِينَ سَمِعَ يَشُوعُ ضَجيجَ الشَّعبِ، قالَ لِمُوسَى: «هُناكَ صَوتُ حَربٍ فِي المُخَيَّمِ.»

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “ There is a noise of war in the camp.”

18 ف َأجابَهُ مُوسَى: «لَيسَ هَذَا بِهُتافِ انتِصارٍ وَلا صُراخِ هَزِيمَةٍ. إنَّهُ صَوتُ غِناءٍ.»

But he said: “ It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.”

19 و َحِينَ اقتَرَبَ مُوسَى مِنَ المُخَيَّمِ، رَأى العِجلَ الذَّهَبِيَّ وَالرَّقصَ. فَغَضِبَ جِدّاً، وَطَرَحَ اللَّوحَينِ مِنْ يَدَيهِ فَتَحَطَّما عِندَ أسفَلِ الجَبَلِ.

So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

20 ث ُمَّ أخَذَ العِجلَ الَّذِي صَنَعُوهُ، وَأحرَقَهُ بِالنّارِ وَسَحَقَهُ سَحقاً، وَرَشَّهُ عَلَى الماءِ، وَجَعَلَ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ يَشرَبُونَ مِنَ الماءِ.

Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.

21 و َقالَ مُوسَى لِهارُونَ: «ماذا عَمِلَ هَذا الشَّعبُ ضِدَّكَ حَتَّى تَجلِبَ عَلَيهِمْ هَذِهِ الخَطِيَّةَ العَظِيمَةَ؟»

And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

22 ف َقالَ هارُونُ: «لا تَغضَبْ يا سَيِّدِي! أنتَ تَعرِفُ أنَّ الشَّعبَ مَيّالٌ لِلشَّرِّ،

So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.

23 و َقَدْ قالُوا لِيَ: ‹قُمْ وَاصنَعْ لَنا آلِهَةً لِتَقُودَنا فِي الطَّرِيقِ. فَنَحْنُ لا نَدرِي ما الَّذِي حَلَّ بهَذا الرَّجُلِ مُوسَى الَّذِي أخرَجَنا مِنْ أرْضِ مِصرَ.›

For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

24 ف َقُلْتُ لَهُمْ مَنْ يَملُكُ ذَهَباً فَلْيَنْزِعْهُ وَلْيُعطِهِ لِي. ثُمَّ ألقَيتُ الذَّهَبَ فِي النّارِ، فَخَرَجَ هَذا العِجلُ!»

And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

25 ف َرَأى مُوسَى أنَّ الشَّعبَ قَدْ خَرَجَ عَنِ السَّيطَرَةِ، لِأنَّ هارُونَ سَمَحَ بِذَلِكَ، حَتَّى إنْ أعْداءَهُمُ اسْتَهْزأوا بَسُلُوكِهِمُ المُخْزِي.

Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),

26 ف َوَقَفَ فِي مَدخَلِ المُخَيَّمِ وَقالَ: «مَنْ يَتبَعُ اللهَ فَلْيَأْتِ إلَيَّ.» فَأتَى الَّلاوِيُّونَ إلَيهِ.

then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord ’s side— come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

27 و َقالَ لَهُمْ: «هَذا هُوَ ما يَقُولُهُ إلَهُ إسْرائِيلَ: فَلْيَضَعْ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ سَيفَهُ عَلَى فَخذِهِ، وَيَمشِي فِي المُخَيَّمِ مِنْ بابٍ إلَى آخَرَ. وَلْيَقتُلْ كُلُّ واحِدٍ أخاهُ وَصَدِيقَهُ وَجارَهُ.»

And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’”

28 ف َعَمِلَ الَّلاوِيُّونَ بِحَسَبِ قَولِ مُوسَى. وَماتَ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ نَحْوُ ثَلاثَةِ آلافٍ مِنْ الشَّعبِ.

So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

29 و َقالَ مُوسَى: «قَدْ كَرَّسْتُمْ أنفُسَكُمُ اليَومَ لِخِدْمَةِ اللهِ ، حَتَّى بِأبنائِكُمْ وَإخوَتِكُمْ. فَسَيُبارِكَكُمُ اللهُ اليَومَ.»

Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”

30 و َفِي اليَومِ التّالِي، قالَ مُوسَى لِلشَّعبِ: «لَقَدْ أخطَأْتُمْ خَطِيَّةً عَظِيمَةً. وَالآنَ، سَأصعَدُ إلَى اللهِ ، لَعَلَّهُ يَستَجِيبُ لِي فَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ.»

Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31 ف َعادَ مُوسَى إلَى اللهِ وَقالَ: «يا اللهُ ، قَدْ أخطَأ هَذا الشَّعبُ خَطِيَّةً عَظِيمَةً بِصُنعِهِمْ آلِهَةً مِنْ ذَهَبٍ لِأنفُسِهِمْ.

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!

32 و َالآنَ، اغفِرْ خَطِيَّتَهُمْ، أوِ امحُنِي مِنْ كِتابِكَ الَّذِي كَتَبتَهُ.»

Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

33 ف َقالَ اللهُ لِمُوسَى: «مَنْ يُخطِئُ إلَيَّ، أمحُو اسْمَهُ مِنْ كِتابِي.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

34 و َالآنَ، اذْهَبْ وَقُدِ الشَّعبَ إلَى حَيثُ قُلْتُ لَكَ. سَيَسِيرُ مَلاكِي أمامَكَ، لَكِنِّي سَأُعاقِبُهُمْ عَلَى خَطِيَّتِهِمْ فِي الوَقتِ المُناسِبِ.»

Now therefore, 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 visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

35 ث ُمَّ ضَرَبَ اللهُ الشَّعبَ بِوَباءٍ لِأنَّهُمْ هُمْ بِالحَقيقَةِ الَّذينَ صَنَعُوا العِجلَ الَّذِي صَنَعَهُ هارُونُ.

So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.