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And it came to pass that when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the Mount, some of the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him: Up, make us elohima, which shall go before us;
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And as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
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And Aaron said unto them: Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters and bring them unto me.
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And the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron.
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And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf;
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And the people said: These be our elohima, which brought us up out of the land of Egypt.
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¶ And it came to pass that when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said: Tomorrow is a feast.
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And the people rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to worship the calf of gold.
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¶ And it came to pass that YHVHa said unto Moses and Zipporah: Go; get yourselves down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves;
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Behold, they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them;
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They have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said: These be our elohima which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
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And YHVH said unto Moses and Zipporah: I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiffnecked people;
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Now, therefore, let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nationa.
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And Moses and Zipporah besought YHVH, their Elohim, and Moses said: O YHVH, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
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Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say: For mischief did YHVH bring them out, to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth?
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Turn from thy fierce wrath; thy people will return from this evil; therefore, come thou not out against them.
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Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.
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And YHVH said unto Moses: If they will return from the evil which they have done, I will spare them and turn away my fierce wrath;
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But behold, thou shalt execute judgment upon all that will not repent of this evil this day;
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Therefore, see thou do this thing that I have commanded thee, or I will execute all that which I had thought to do unto my people.
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And it came to pass that Moses and Zipporah went down from the Mount, and the two sapphire tables of Testimony were in the hands of Moses; the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
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And the tables were the work of Elohima, and the writing was the writing of Elohim, graven upon the tables.
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¶ And it came to pass that when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses: There is a noise of war in the camp.
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And Zipporah said unto him: It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery; neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing that I do hear.
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And it came to pass that as soon as they came nigh unto the camp, that they saw the calf and the people dancing in their nakednessa;
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And anger of Moses waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands and broke them beneath the Mount.
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And Moses took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made Israel drink of it.
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And Moses said unto Aaron: What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
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And Aaron said: Let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
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For they said unto me: Make us elohima, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
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And I said unto them: Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off.
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So they gave it me; then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
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¶ And it came to pass that when Moses saw that the people were naked, then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on the side of YHVH? Let him come unto me.
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And it came to pass that all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
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And Moses said unto them: Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
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And Zipporah did say unto her husband: Why for didst thou bega for the lives of Israel, and this to come here and slay them thyself?
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And Moses repented and called off the men, but the children of Levi had already done according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
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¶ And it came to pass that after this, Moses did say: Consecrate yourselves today to YHVH, even everyone upon their child and upon their brother and their sister, that YHVH may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
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And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people: Ye have sinned a great sin; and now we will go up unto YHVH; peradventure we shall make an atonementa for your sin.
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¶ And it came to pass that Moses and Zipporah returned unto YHVH and Moses spoke unto YHVH, saying: O, this people have sinned a great sin and have made them idols of gold;
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Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sina; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
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And YHVH said unto Moses: Whosoever hath sinned against me, they will I blot out of my book;
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Therefore, now go, thou and thy wife, Zipporah; lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee;
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Behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.