Exodus 31-33

Young's Literal Translation

31 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

² `See, I have called by name Bezaleel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,

³ and I fill him [with] the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all work,

⁴ to devise devices to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

⁵ and in graving of stone for settings, and in graving of wood to work in all work.

⁶ `And I, lo, I have given with him Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and in the heart of every wise-hearted one I have given wisdom, and they have made all that which I have commanded thee.

⁷ `The tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy-seat which [is] on it, and all the vessels of the tent,

⁸ and the table and its vessels, and the pure candlestick and all its vessels, and the altar of the perfume,

⁹ and the altar of the burnt-offering and all its vessels, and the laver and its base,

¹⁰ and the coloured garments, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for acting as priests in;

¹¹ and the anointing oil, and the perfume of the spices for the sanctuary; according to all that I have commanded thee -- they do.'

¹² And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

¹³ `And thou, speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, Only, My sabbaths ye do keep, for it [is] a sign between Me and you, to your generations, to know that I, Jehovah, am sanctifying you;

¹⁴ and ye have kept the sabbath, for it [is] holy to you, he who is polluting it is certainly put to death -- for any who doeth work in it -- that person hath even been cut off from the midst of his people.

¹⁵ `Six days is work done, and in the seventh day [is] a sabbath of holy rest to Jehovah; any who doeth work in the sabbath-day is certainly put to death,

¹⁶ and the sons of Israel have observed the sabbath; to keep the sabbath to their generations [is] a covenant age-during,

¹⁷ between Me and the sons of Israel it [is] a sign -- to the age; for six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, and in the seventh day He hath ceased, and is refreshed.'

¹⁸ And He giveth unto Moses, when He finisheth speaking with him in mount Sinai, two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written by the finger of God.

32 And the people see that Moses is delaying to come down from the mount, and the people assemble against Aaron, and say unto him, `Rise, make for us gods who go before us, for this Moses -- the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt -- we have not known what hath happened to him.'

² And Aaron saith unto them, `Break off the rings of gold which [are] in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring in unto me;'

³ and all the people themselves break off the rings of gold which [are] in their ears, and bring in unto Aaron,

⁴ and he receiveth from their hand, and doth fashion it with a graving tool, and doth make it a molten calf, and they say, `These thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'

⁵ And Aaron seeth, and buildeth an altar before it, and Aaron calleth, and saith, `A festival to Jehovah -- to-morrow;'

⁶ and they rise early on the morrow, and cause burnt-offerings to ascend, and bring nigh peace-offerings; and the people sit down to eat and to drink, and rise up to play.

⁷ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Go, descend, for thy people whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt hath done corruptly,

⁸ they have turned aside hastily from the way that I have commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and bow themselves to it, and sacrifice to it, and say, These thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'

⁹ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `I have seen this people, and lo, it [is] a stiff-necked people;

¹⁰ and now, let Me alone, and My anger doth burn against them, and I consume them, and I make thee become a great nation.'

¹¹ And Moses appeaseth the face of Jehovah his God, and saith, `Why, O Jehovah, doth Thine anger burn against Thy people, whom Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand?

¹² why do the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil He brought them out to slay them among mountains, and to consume them from off the face of the ground? turn back from the heat of Thine anger, and repent of the evil against Thy people.

¹³ `Be mindful of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou hast sworn by Thyself, and unto whom Thou speakest: I multiply your seed as stars of the heavens, and all this land, as I have said, I give to your seed, and they have inherited to the age;'

¹⁴ and Jehovah repenteth of the evil which He hath spoken of doing to His people.

¹⁵ And Moses turneth, and goeth down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony [are] in his hand, tables written on both their sides, on this and on that [are] they written;

¹⁶ and the tables are the work of God, and the writing is the writing of God, graven on the tables.

¹⁷ And Joshua heareth the voice of the people in their shouting, and saith unto Moses, `A noise of battle in the camp!'

¹⁸ and he saith, `It is not the voice of the crying of might, nor is it the voice of the crying of weakness -- a voice of singing I am hearing.'

¹⁹ And it cometh to pass, when he hath drawn near unto the camp, that he seeth the calf, and the dancing, and the anger of Moses burneth, and he casteth out of his hands the tables, and breaketh them under the mount;

²⁰ and he taketh the calf which they have made, and burneth [it] with fire, and grindeth until [it is] small, and scattereth on the face of the waters, and causeth the sons of Israel to drink.

²¹ And Moses saith unto Aaron, `What hath this people done to thee, that thou hast brought in upon it a great sin?'

²² and Aaron saith, `Let not the anger of my lord burn; thou -- thou hast known the people that it [is] in evil;

²³ and they say to me, Make for us gods, who go before us, for this Moses -- the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt -- we have not known what hath happened to him;

²⁴ and I say to them, Whoso hath gold, let them break [it] off, and they give to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf cometh out.'

²⁵ And Moses seeth the people that it [is] unbridled, for Aaron hath made it unbridled for contempt among its withstanders,

²⁶ and Moses standeth in the gate of the camp, and saith, `Who [is] for Jehovah? -- unto me!' and all the sons of Levi are gathered unto him;

²⁷ and he saith to them, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Put each his sword by his thigh, pass over and turn back from gate to gate through the camp, and slay each his brother, and each his friend, and each his relation.'

²⁸ And the sons of Levi do according to the word of Moses, and there fall of the people on that day about three thousand men,

²⁹ and Moses saith, `Consecrate your hand to-day to Jehovah, for a man [is] against his son, and against his brother, so as to bring on you to-day a blessing.'

³⁰ And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that Moses saith unto the people, `Ye -- ye have sinned a great sin, and now I go up unto Jehovah, if so be I atone for your sin.'

³¹ And Moses turneth back unto Jehovah, and saith, `Oh this people hath sinned a great sin, that they make to themselves a god of gold;

³² and now, if Thou takest away their sin -- and if not -- blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.'

³³ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Whoso hath sinned against Me -- I blot him out of My book;

³⁴ and now, go, lead the people whithersoever I have spoken to thee of; lo, My messenger goeth before thee, and in the day of my charging -- then I have charged upon them their sin.'

³⁵ And Jehovah plagueth the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.

33 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, `Go, ascend from this [place], thou and the people, whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed I give it,'

² (and I have sent before thee a messenger, and have cast out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite,)

³ unto a land flowing with milk and honey, for I do not go up in thy midst, for thou [art] a stiff-necked people -- lest I consume thee in the way.'

⁴ And the people hear this sad thing, and mourn; and none put his ornaments on him.

⁵ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye [are] a stiff-necked people; one moment -- I come up into thy midst, and have consumed thee; and now, put down thine ornaments from off thee, and I know what I do to thee;'

⁶ and the sons of Israel take off their ornaments at mount Horeb.

⁷ And Moses taketh the tent, and hath stretched it out at the outside of the camp, afar off from the camp, and hath called it, `Tent of Meeting;' and it hath come to pass, every one seeking Jehovah goeth out unto the tent of meeting, which [is] at the outside of the camp.

⁸ And it hath come to pass, at the going out of Moses unto the tent, all the people rise, and have stood, each at the opening of his tent, and have looked expectingly after Moses, until his going into the tent.

⁹ And it hath come to pass, at the going in of Moses to the tent, the pillar of the cloud cometh down, and hath stood at the opening of the tent, and He hath spoken with Moses;

¹⁰ and all the people have seen the pillar of the cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people have risen and bowed themselves, each at the opening of his tent.

¹¹ And Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses face unto face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and he hath turned back unto the camp, and his minister Joshua, son of Nun, a youth, departeth not out of the tent.

¹² And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `See, Thou art saying unto me, Bring up this people, and Thou hast not caused me to know whom Thou dost send with me; and Thou hast said, I have known thee by name, and also thou hast found grace in Mine eyes.

¹³ `And now, if, I pray Thee, I have found grace in Thine eyes, cause me to know, I pray Thee, Thy way, and I know Thee, so that I find grace in Thine eyes, and consider that this nation [is] Thy people;'

¹⁴ and He saith, `My presence doth go, and I have given rest to thee.'

¹⁵ And he saith unto Him, `If Thy presence is not going -- take us not up from this [place];

¹⁶ and in what is it known now, that I have found grace in Thine eyes -- I and Thy people -- is it not in Thy going with us? and we have been distinguished -- I and Thy people -- from all the people who [are] on the face of the ground.'

¹⁷ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Even this thing which thou hast spoken I do; for thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and I know thee by name.'

¹⁸ And he saith, `Shew me, I pray Thee, Thine honour;'

¹⁹ and He saith, `I cause all My goodness to pass before thy face, and have called concerning the Name of Jehovah before thee, and favoured him whom I favour, and loved him whom I love.'

²⁰ He saith also, `Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;'

²¹ Jehovah also saith, `Lo, a place [is] by Me, and thou hast stood on the rock,

²² and it hath come to pass, in the passing by of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over thee, until My passing by,

²³ and I have turned aside My hands, and thou hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.'