The people fall into idolatry. Moses prayeth for them. He breaketh the tables: destroyeth the idol: blameth Aaron, and causeth many of the idolaters to be slain.

 1 And the people seeing that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has befallen him.
Videns autem populus quod moram faceret descendendi de monte Moyses, congregatus adversus Aaron, dixit : Surge, fac nobis deos, qui nos praecedant : Moysi enim huic viro, qui nos eduxit de terra Aegypti, ignoramus quid acciderit.

 2 And Aaron said to them: Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.
Dixitque ad eos Aaron : Tollite inaures aureas de uxorum, filiorumque et filiarum vestrarum auribus, et afferte ad me.

 3 And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron.
Fecitque populus quae jusserat, deferens inaures ad Aaron.

 4 And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders' work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
Quas cum ille accepisset, formavit opere fusorio, et fecit ex eis vitulum conflatilem : dixeruntque : Hi sunt dii tui Israel, qui te eduxerunt de terra Aegypti.

 5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation by a crier's voice, saying: Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord.
Quod cum vidisset Aaron, aedificavit altare coram eo, et praeconis voce clamavit dicens : Cras solemnitas Domini est.

 6 And rising in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat, and drink, and they rose up to play.
Surgentesque mane, obtulerunt holocausta, et hostias pacificas, et sedit populus manducare, et bibere, et surrexerunt ludere.

 7 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.
Locutus est autem Dominus ad Moysen, dicens : Vade, descende : peccavit populus tuus, quem eduxisti de terra Aegypti.

 8 They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
Recesserunt cito de via, quam ostendisti eis : feceruntque sibi vitulum conflatilem, et adoraverunt, atque immolantes ei hostias, dixerunt : Isti sunt dii tui Israel, qui te eduxerunt de terra Aegypti.

 9 And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:
Rursumque ait Dominus ad Moysen : Cerno quod populus iste durae cervicis sit :

 10 Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.
dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus contra eos, et deleam eos, faciamque te in gentem magnam.

 11 But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation kindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Moyses autem orabat Dominum Deum suum, dicens : Cur, Domine, irascitur furor tuus contra populum tuum, quem eduxisti de terra Aegypti, in fortitudine magna, et in manu robusta?

 12 Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.
Ne quaeso dicant Aegyptii : Callide eduxit eos, ut interficeret in montibus, et deleret e terra : quiescat ira tua, et esto placabilis super nequitia populi tui.

 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to your seed, and you shall possess it for ever.
Recordare Abraham, Isaac, et Israel servorum tuorum, quibus jurasti per temetipsum, dicens : Multiplicabo semen vestrum sicut stellas caeli; et universam terram hanc, de qua locutus sum, dabo semini vestro, et possidebitis eam semper.

 14 And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.
Placatusque est Dominus ne faceret malum quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum.

 15 And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,
Et reversus est Moyses de monte, portans duas tabulas testimonii in manu sua, scriptas ex utraque parte,

 16 And made by the work of God: the writing also of God was graven in the tables.
et factas opere Dei : scriptura quoque Dei erat sculpta in tabulis.

 17 And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp.
Audiens autem Josue tumultum populi vociferantis, dixit ad Moysen : Ululatus pugnae auditur in castris.

 18 But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.
Qui respondit : Non est clamor adhortantium ad pugnam, neque vociferatio compellentium ad fugam : sed vocem cantantium ego audio.

 19 And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount:
Cumque appropinquasset ad castra, vidit vitulum, et choros : iratusque valde, projecit de manu tabulas, et confregit eas ad radicem montis :

 20 And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strowed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.
arripiensque vitulum quem fecerant, combussit, et contrivit usque ad pulverem, quem sparsit in aquam, et dedit ex eo potum filiis Israel.

 21 And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?
Dixitque ad Aaron : Quid tibi fecit hic populus, ut induceres super eum peccatum maximum?

 22 And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended: for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.
Cui ille respondit : Ne indignetur dominus meus : tu enim nosti populum istum, quod pronus sit ad malum :

 23 They said to me: Make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him.
dixerunt mihi : Fac nobis deos, qui nos praecedant : huic enim Moysi, qui nos eduxit de terra Aegypti, nescimus quid acciderit.

 24 And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me: and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.
Quibus ego dixi : Quis vestrum habet aurum? Tulerunt, et dederunt mihi : et projeci illud in ignem, egressusque est hic vitulus.

 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies,)
Videns ergo Moyses populum quod esset nudatus ( spoliaverat enim eum Aaron propter ignominiam sordis, et inter hostes nudum constituerat),

 26 Then standing in the gate of the camp, he said: If any man be on the Lord's side let him join with me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him:
et stans in porta castrorum, ait : Si quis est Domini, jungatur mihi. Congregatique sunt ad eum omnes filii Levi :

 27 And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and friend, and neighbour.
quibus ait : Haec dicit Dominus Deus Israel : Ponat vir gladium super femur suum : ite, et redite de porta usque ad portam per medium castrorum, et occidat unusquisque fratrem, et amicum, et proximum suum.

 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men.
Feceruntque filii juxta sermonem Moysi, cecideruntque in die illa quasi viginti tria millia hominum.

 29 And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.
Et ait Moyses : Consecrastis manus vestras hodie Domino, unusquisque in filio, et in fratre suo, ut detur vobis benedictio.

 30 And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime.
Facto autem altero die, locutus est Moyses ad populum : Peccastis peccatum maximum : ascendam ad Dominum, si quomodo quivero eum deprecari pro scelere vestro.

 31 And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass,
Reversusque ad Dominum, ait : Obsecro, peccavit populus iste peccatum maximum, feceruntque sibi deos aureos : aut dimitte eis hanc noxam,

 32 Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.
aut si non facis, dele me de libro tuo quem scripsisti.

 33 And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:
Cui respondit Dominus : Qui peccaverit mihi, delebo eum de libro meo :

 34 But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs.
tu autem vade, et duc populum istum quo locutus sum tibi : angelus meus praecedet te. Ego autem in die ultionis visitabo et hoc peccatum eorum.

 35 The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.
Percussit ergo Dominus populum pro reatu vituli, quem fecerat Aaron.