Exodus 32

Wycliffe Bible

32 Forsooth the people saw, that Moses made tarrying to come down from the hill, and it was gathered together against Aaron, and said, Rise thou, and make gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not what is befallen to this man Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt. (And the people saw, that Moses was very long in coming down from the mountain, and so they gathered together around Aaron, and said, Rise thou up, and make gods for us, that shall go before us, for we know not what hath befallen this man Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt.)

² And Aaron said to them, Take ye the golden earrings from the ears of your wives (Take ye the gold earrings from the ears of your wives), (and) of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring ye them to me.

³ The people did those things, that he commanded, and brought the earrings to Aaron;

⁴ and when he had taken those, he formed them by work of melting, and he made of them a molten calf (and he made a calf out of the melted gold). And they said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.

⁵ And when Aaron had seen this thing, he builded an altar before the calf, and he cried by the voice of a crier, and said, Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord. (And when Aaron had seen this thing, he built an altar before the calf, and he cried by the voice of a crier, and said, Tomorrow shall be a Feast to the Lord.)

⁶ And they rose (up) early, and offered burnt sacrifices, and peaceable sacrifices (and peace offerings); and the people sat (down) to eat and to drink, and (then) they rose up to play, or to scorn, for idolatry is (the) scorning of God.

⁷ And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, Go thou, go down, thy people hath sinned, whom thou leddest out of the land of Egypt. (And the Lord spoke to Moses, and said, Go thou, and go down now, for thy people, whom thou leddest out of the land of Egypt, have sinned.)

⁸ They have gone away soon from the way that thou showedest them, and they have made to them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and they have offered sacrifices to it, and said, Israel, these be thy gods, that led thee out of the land of Egypt. (So soon, or so quickly, they have gone away from the way that thou showedest them, and they have made for themselves a calf out of melted gold, and have worshipped it, and they have offered sacrifices to it, and have said, These be thy gods, Israel, that led thee out of the land of Egypt.)

⁹ And again the Lord said to Moses, I see [well], that this people is of hard noll; (And the Lord said to Moses, now I clearly see, that this is a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people;)

¹⁰ suffer thou me, that my strong vengeance be wroth against them, and that I do away them; and I shall make thee into a great folk. (allow me, that my strong anger come forth in vengeance against them, and that I do them away; and then I shall make a great nation to come forth from thee.)

¹¹ Forsooth Moses prayed the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why is thy vengeance wroth against thy people, whom thou hast led out of the land of Egypt in great strength, and in a strong hand? (But Moses prayed to the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why be thou so angry for vengeance against thy people, whom thou hast led out of the land of Egypt with great strength, and with a strong hand?)

¹² I beseech (thee), that [the] Egyptians say not, He led them out fellily (He led them out with an evil intent), to slay (them) in the hills, and to do them away from [the] earth; (let) thine ire cease, and be thou quemeful on the wickedness of thy people.

¹³ Have thou mind of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, thy servants, to which thou hast sworn by thyself, and saidest, I shall multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and I shall give to your seed all the land of which I spake, and ye shall wield it ever[more]. (Remember Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, thy servants, to whom thou hast sworn by thy own self, and saidest, I shall multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens, and I shall give to your descendants all the land of which I spoke, and ye shall possess it forevermore.)

¹⁴ And the Lord was pleased (with Moses’ words), (so) that he did not (do) the evil which he spake against his people.

¹⁵ And Moses turned again from the hill, and bare in his hand(s) (the) two tables of witnessing, written in either side, (And then Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, and carried in his hands the two tablets of the Witnessing, written on both sides,)

¹⁶ and made by the work of God; and the writing of God was graven in the tables. (and made by God’s work; and God’s writing was engraved on the tablets.)

¹⁷ Forsooth Joshua heard the noise of the people crying [out], and he said to Moses, (The) Yelling of fighting is heard in the tents.

¹⁸ To whom Moses answered, It is not a cry of men exciting to battle, neither the cry of men compelled to fleeing, but I hear the voice(s) of singers.

¹⁹ And when Moses had nighed to the tents, he saw the calf, and (the) dances; and he was wroth greatly, and he threw out of his hand(s) the tables, and he brake them at the roots of the hill. (And when Moses came close to the tents, he saw the calf, and the people dancing; and he was greatly angered, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and he broke them at the foot of the mountain.)

²⁰ And he took the calf, which they had made, and he burnt it, and brake it till (in)to powder, which he sprinkled into the water, and gave thereof (to) drink to the sons of Israel (and then he made the Israelites to drink it).

²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought in on them the greatest sin? (And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to thee, so that thou hast brought in on them this very great sin?)

²² To whom he answered, My lord, be not thou wroth (My lord, do not thou be angry), for thou knowest this people, that it is inclined, either ready, to evil;

²³ they said to me, Make thou gods to us, that shall go before us, for we wot not, what hath befallen to this Moses, that led us out of the land of Egypt. (they said to me, Make thou gods for us, that shall go before us, for we know not, what hath befallen this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt.)

²⁴ To whom I said, Who of you hath gold? They took (And so they brought what they had), and gave (it) to me, and I casted it forth into the fire, and this calf went out.

²⁵ Therefore Moses saw the people, that it was made bare; for Aaron had spoiled it for the shame of the filth(hood) of making of the idol, and he had made the people naked among (their) enemies. (And so Moses saw that the people were made bare; for Aaron had plundered them for the shame of the filthhood of the making of the idol, and he had made the people look foolish before their enemies.)

²⁶ And Moses stood in the gate of the tents (And Moses stood at the gate of the tents, or of the camp), and said, If any man is of the Lord, be he joined to me; and all the sons of Levi were gathered to him.

²⁷ To which he said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, A man put his sword upon his hip, go ye, and turn ye again from gate unto gate by the middle of the tents, and each man slay his brother, his friend, and [his] neighbour, which consented to this idolatry. (To whom he said, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Each man put his sword on his hip, and then go ye through the midst of the camp, from one gate to the other, and back again, and each man kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbour, yea, all who consented to this idolatry.)

²⁸ And the sons of Levi did by the word of Moses, and as three thousand of men felled down in that day. (And the Levites obeyed Moses, and three thousand men fell down dead that day.)

²⁹ And Moses said, Ye have hallowed your hands today to the Lord, each man in his son, and [his] brother, that blessing be given to you. (And Moses said, Today ye have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, each man against his son, and against his brother, and so a blessing hath been given to you.)

³⁰ Soothly when the tother day was made, Moses spake to the people, (and said,) Ye have sinned the most sin (Ye have sinned this very great sin); I shall go up to the Lord, if in any manner I shall be able to beseech him for your felony.

³¹ And he turned again to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, this people hath sinned a great sin, and they have made golden gods to them; (And he returned to the Lord, and said, Lord, I beseech thee, this people hath sinned a very great sin, and they have made gods out of gold for themselves;)

³² either forgive thou this guilt to them, either if thou doest not, do away me from thy book, which thou hast written. (and so either forgive thou them this guilt, or if thou shalt not, then do me away from thy book, which thou hast written.)

³³ To whom the Lord answered, I shall do away from my book him that sinneth against me;

³⁴ forsooth go thou, and lead this people, whither I spake to thee; mine angel shall go before thee; forsooth in the day of vengeance I shall visit also this sin of them (but on the day of vengeance, I shall punish them for their sin).

³⁵ Therefore the Lord smote the people (And so the Lord struck the people with a plague), for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron (had) made.