I-Eksodusi 32

32 ¹Kwathi abantu bebona ukuthi uMose wephuzile ukwehla entabeni, babuthana ku-Aroni, bathi kuye: “Vuka, usenzele onkulunkulu abazohamba phambi kwethu. Lo Mose, lo muntu owasikhuphula ezweni laseGibhithe—asazi ukuthi kwenzekeni ngaye.”

²U-Aroni wathi kubo: “Khumulani amacici egolide asezindlebeni zabafazi benu, zamadodana enu, nezamadodakazi enu, niwalethe kimi.”

³Bonke abantu bakhumula amacici egolide ezindlebeni zabo, bawaletha ku-Aroni. ⁴Wathatha igolide ezandleni zabo, walibumba ngethuluzi lokuqopha, walibumba laba yithole. Base bethi: “Laba ngonkulunkulu bakho, Israyeli, abakukhuphula ezweni laseGibhithe!”

⁵Ebona lokhu, u-Aroni wakha i-altare phambi kwalo, wamemezela wathi: “Kusasa kuyoba umkhosi kaBaba wethu.” ^a a v5 U-Aroni uzama ukwembesa ithole ngegama likaBaba wethu, ebiza umkhosi kuye—kodwa ukuhlanganisa ukukhonza izithombe nokukhulekela kweqiniso kuyiso kanye isono lesi sahluko esisidalulayo.

⁶Bavuka ekuseni kakhulu ngakusasa, banikela ngeminikelo yokushiswa, baletha neminikelo yokuthula. Abantu bahlala phansi ukuba badle baphuze, base bevuka ukuba badlale.

⁷Khona-ke uBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Yehla, ngokuba abantu bakho, owabakhuphula ezweni laseGibhithe, bazonakalisile. ⁸Baphanga ukuphambuka endleleni engabayala ngayo, bazenzele ithole elibunjiwe, bakhothama kulo, benzela kulo umhlatshelo, bathi: ‘Israyeli, laba ngonkulunkulu bakho abakukhuphula ezweni laseGibhithe.’”

⁹UBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Ngibabonile laba bantu, futhi bangabantu abanenkani. ¹⁰Manje ngiyeke ngedwa, ukuze ulaka lwami luvuthe kubo, ngibaqothule, bese ngikwenza wena isizwe esikhulu.”

¹¹UMose wancenga uBaba wethu, wathi: “Baba wethu, kungani ulaka lwakho luvuthela abantu bakho, owabakhipha ezweni laseGibhithe ngamandla amakhulu nangesandla esinamandla?

¹²Kungani abaseGibhithe bezothi, ‘Wabakhipha ngenhloso embi, ukuze ababulale ezintabeni, abaqede ebusweni bomhlaba’? Phenduka olakeni lwakho oluvuthayo; zisole ngale nhlekelele oyihlosele abantu bakho.

¹³Khumbula u-Abrahama, u-Isaka, no-Israyeli, izinceku zakho, owazifungela kuzo ngokwakho, wathi kuzo: ‘Ngiyakwandisa inzalo yakho njengezinkanyezi zezulu, nginike inzalo yakho lonke leli zwe engilithembisile, futhi liyakuba yifa layo kuze kube phakade.’”

¹⁴Ngakho uBaba wethu wazisola ngenhlekelele ayekhulume ngayo ukuyehlisela phezu kwabantu bakhe.

¹⁵UMose waphenduka, wehla entabeni, ephethe izibhebhe ezimbili zobufakazi ezandleni zakhe, izibhebhe ezazibhalwe nhlangothi zombili, ngaphambili nangasemuva. ¹⁶Izibhebhe zaziwumsebenzi kaBaba wethu; umbhalo wawungumbhalo kaBaba wethu, oqoshwe ezibhebheni.

¹⁷Kwathi uJoshuwa ezwa umsindo wabantu bememeza, wathi kuMose: “Lo ngumsindo wempi ekamu.”

¹⁸UMose waphendula: “Akuwona umsindo wokumemeza kokunqoba, noma umsindo wokukhala kokunqotshwa—ngizwa umsindo wokucula.” ¹⁹Kwathi uMose esondela ekamu, ebona ithole nokusina, ulaka lwakhe lwavutha; wawaphonsa phansi izibhebhe ezandleni zakhe, waziphihliza ezansi kwentaba. ²⁰Wathatha ithole ababelenzile, walishisa ngomlilo, walisila laba yimpuphu, wayihlakaza phezu kwamanzi, waphuzisa ngayo abantwana bakwa-Israyeli.

²¹UMose wathi ku-Aroni: “Benzeni kuwe laba bantu, uze wabehlisela isono esingaka esikhulu?”

²²U-Aroni wathi: “Ungathukutheli, nkosi yami; uyazi ukuthi laba bantu bathambekele ebubini. ²³Bathi kimi, ‘Senzele onkulunkulu abazohamba phambi kwethu. Lo Mose, lo muntu owasikhipha ezweni laseGibhithe—asikwazi ukusho ukuthi wehlelweni.’ ²⁴Ngathi kubo, ‘Noma ngubani onegolide, akalikhumule.’ Banginika lona; ngaliphonsa emlilweni, kwaphuma leli thole.”

²⁵UMose wabona ukuthi abantu babeziphethe budedengu, ngokuba u-Aroni wayebayekele baziphatha budedengu, baze baba yinhlekisa phambi kwezitha zabo. ²⁶UMose wema esangweni lekamu, wathi: “Noma ngubani ongokaBaba wethu, akeze kimi!” Wonke amaLevi abuthana kuye.

²⁷Wathi kuwo: “Usho kanje uBaba wethu, uthi: Yilowo nalowo kini akabophe inkemba yakhe okhalweni lwakhe. Nidabule ikamu niye le nale, nisuka esangweni niye kwelinye isango, nibulale umfowenu, umngane wenu, nomakhelwane wenu.”

²⁸AmaLevi enza njengokuyala kukaMose, ngalolo suku kwawa abantu abangaba zinkulungwane ezintathu. ²⁹UMose wathi: “Namuhla nizahlukanisele uBaba wethu, yilowo nalowo ngendodana yakhe nangomfowabo, ukuze anibusise namuhla.”

³⁰Ngakusasa uMose wathi kubantu: “Nonile kakhulu. Manje ngizokwenyukela kuBaba wethu—mhlawumbe ngingasihlawulela isono senu.”

³¹UMose wabuyela kuBaba wethu, wathi: “Awu, laba bantu bonile kakhulu, bazenzele onkulunkulu begolide. ³²Manje, uma ungasithethelela isono sabo—uma kungenjalo, ake ungesule encwadini oyibhalile.” ^b b v32 ‘Incwadi’ kaNkulunkulu iwumbhalo wakhe walabo abangabakhe—uMose unikela ngendawo yakhe kuyo ukuze asindise abantu.

³³Kodwa uBaba wethu wathi kuMose: “Lowo ongonile kimi nguye engiyakumesula encwadini yami. ³⁴Hamba, ukhokhele abantu uye lapho engakutshela khona; ingelosi yami iyakuhamba phambi kwakho. Kodwa ngosuku engiyakubahambela ngalo, ngiyakubabeka icala ngenxa yesono sabo.”

³⁵Khona-ke uBaba wethu wabashaya abantu ngesifo, ngenxa yalokho ababekwenze ngethole elenziwa ngu-Aroni.