Kusahwa kwe Iziraela
(Kufuluka 32:1-35)1 “Ihwa iwe Iziraela, unowotjuluka Jorodani mu zhuba lino, kungina unotolela njudzi idzedzi hwulu kakale dzakasima kukupinda, mizi mikulu yakabakiligwa makuma malefu kunoti ku makole, 2 bathu bakulukulu kakale balefu, bakololo be Baanakimu baunoziba kakale bawakahwa kuyi nge kwabo, ‘Ndiyani ungama mbeli kwe bakololo ba Anaki?’ 3 Ndizo wali ziba muna lino zhuba kuti iye wakakutungamila se moto unoja, ndi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo, banowobalobesa bakabatshambila pasi mbeli kuko. Ndizo unowobatata ukathama kuti balobe belibilidza Yahwe sekwa bakakugadzabgwe.
4 “Shule kwa Yahwe Ndzimu uwo babadusila kutjena mbeli kuko usitongo zwidwa mu moyo uwo ukati, ‘Yahwe bandizhisa mu shango iyeyi nge ndulamo yangu kuti ndiithuwe,’ ngono dumbu Yahwe banodusa njudzi idzedzi mbeli kuko ngekwe mbipo yadzo. 5 Ate ili ndulamo iyo kene kutambunuka kwe moyo uwo kunothama kuti unothuwa shango yabo, koga mbipo ye njudzi idzedzi ndiyo yathama kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo badziduse mbeli kuko kuti bathumbidze dama la Yahwe labakatuna kuna bobatategulu babo, kuna Abhurahama ne kuna Isaki ne kuna Jakubo.”
6 “Ziba ngwenu kuti Yahwe Ndzimu uwo abatokupa shango iyeyi mbuya ngekwe ndulamo iyo ngoti imwi mu bathu bakawoma misholo. 7 Kumbula kakale usitongo kangang'wa sekwa wakatanga Yahwe Ndzimu uwo ukawugwadzisa moyo mu tjilambanyika, kudwa mu zhuba lawakabhuda mu shango ye Egipiti kuswikila uzha mu bugalo igogu wakabe upandukila Yahwe. 8 Neku Horebu wakatanga Yahwe kwabagwadza moyo ngono Yahwe bakagwadza moyo kwazo nge kuko kwakabe kwasala kuti bakulobese. 9 Ndakati ndatatha dombo kunoamutjila zwileiti zwe mabgwe, zwileiti zwe tjidumano Yahwe tjabakathama nawe, ndakagala pezhugwi kwe dombo mazhuba ali makumi manna (40) ne masiku ali makumi manna (40) ndisingaje zojiwa kene kung'wa vula. 10 Ngono Yahwe bakandipa zwileiti zwe mabgwe zwibili zwakakwagwa nge tjinyala tje Ndzimu, muali kwakabe kuna matama wose akalebgwa ndi Yahwe kumuli bali pezhugwi kwe dombo kudwa pakati kwe moto mu zhuba le nshangano. 11 Ngono kubupelo gwe mazhuba ali makumi manna (40) ne masiku ali makumi manna (40) Yahwe bakandipa zwileiti izwezwi zwe mabgwe zwibili, zwileiti zwe tjidumano. 12 Ipapo Yahwe bakabe beti kundili, ‘Milika deluka ulibilidza, ngoti bathu babo bawakadusa mu Egipiti bathama mbipo, bapambuka belibilidza, babhuda mu zila yandakabalonga muili, bakazwithamila ifano tjakabumbiwa.’
13 “Kakale Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, ‘Ndakabona bathu ibaba ngono bona, bana mitshibha, 14 letja ndibalobese ndibukushe zina labo pasi kwe kudzimu, ngono iwe ndowothama ndiwe ludzi bukulu gwakasima kubapinda.’ 15 Ndizo ndakashanduka adeluka dombo, dombo lakabe lithuta moto, ndakabe ndakasenga nge maboko angu mabili zwileiti zwibili zwe mabgwe zwe tjidumano. 16 Ngono alinga, ngono bonani makabe matjinyila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, makabe mazwithamigwa nkong'wana wakabumbiwa, mapambuka mulibilidza mu zila Yahwe yabakabe bamulonga muili. 17 Ndizo ndakatola zwileiti izwezo zwibili zwakabe zwili mu maboko angu mabili azwilashila pasi azwipkhwanya mbeli kwenyu makalinga. 18 Ipapo awila pasi mbeli kwa Yahwe se kutanga, mazhuba ali makumi manna (40) ne masiki ali makumi manna (40), andizotongoja zojiwa kene kuli kung'wa vula, kuyikhwa nge tjibi tjenyu tjamakathama, muthama tjakabipa mu mesho a Yahwe kubagwadzisa moyo. 19 Ngoti ndakabe nditja kugwadza moyo kwa Yahwe kukulu kwabakabe bamugwadzila moyo ndiko kwabakabe bazwimisila kumulobesa. Ngono Yahwe bakandihwa ne mu tjibaka itjetjo. 20 Ngono Yahwe bakabe bagwadzila moyo Aroni kwazo ngono bakazwimisila kunlobesa, ngono ndakatembezelela Aroni bo mu tjibaka itjetjije. 21 Ipapo atola kuthu ikoku kwe tjibi, nkong'wana wamakabe mathama aupisa nge moto, aupkhwanya aukwiya ukasala ili bgwisa gwakanathika se hwuluba ngono adila hwuluba yawo mu lukobana gwakabe guwunga gudeluka mu dombo.”
22 “Ku Tabera nayikobo neku Masa neku Kiberotihathava makatanga Yahwe mukabagwadzisa moyo. 23 Ngono kwakati Yahwe bemutuma kudwa mu Kadeshibhareneya beti, ‘Yendani munotola shango yandakamupa muithuwe,’ ipapo makapandukila nlayo wa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mukasibagale moyo kene kuli kuhwa hwi labo. 24 Makabe bapandukili ba Yahwe kudwila mu zhuba landakamuziba.”
25 “Ndizo ndakawila pasi mbeli kwa Yahwe mazhuba iyawo ali makumi manna (40) ne masiku ali makumi manna (40) ngekuti Yahwe bakabe bati banowomulobesa. 26 Ngono ndakatembezela Yahwe nditi, ‘She Yahwe, musilobese bathu benyu ibo thaka yenyu, ibo bamakadzutunula nge bukulu gwenyu, ibo bamakadusa mu Egipiti nge luboko gwakasima. 27 Kumbulani balanda benyu, bo Abhurahama na Isaki na Jakubo, musilinge bukomba gwe bathu ibaba kene mbipo yabo kene tjibi tjabo, 28 shango yamakatidusa muili idwa iti, “Ndingekuti Yahwe bakabe basingatubule kubayisa ku shango yabakabe babagadzabgwe nenge kuti bakabe bebabenga bakabadusa kubabulayila mu tjilambanyika.” 29 Kana bathu benyu bali thaka yenyu ibo bamakadusa nge simba lenyu gulu nenge luboko gwenyu gwakatambunuka.’
Why the Lord Will Help Israel
Moses said:
1 Israel, listen to me! You will soon cross the Jordan River and go into the land to force out the nations that live there. They are more powerful than you are, and the walls around their cities reach to the sky. 2 Some of these nations are descendants of the Anakim. You know how tall and strong they are, and you've heard that no one can defeat them in battle. 3 But the Lord your God has promised to go ahead of you, like a raging fire burning everything in its path. So when you attack your enemies, it will be easy for you to destroy them and take their land.
4-6 After the Lord helps you wipe out these nations and conquer their land, don't think he did it because you are such good people. You aren't good—you are stubborn! No, the Lord is going to help you, because the nations that live there are evil, and because he wants to keep the promise he made to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
When Israel Made an Idol
(Exodus 32)Moses said to Israel:
7 Don't ever forget how you kept rebelling and making the Lord angry the whole time you were in the desert. You rebelled from the day you left Egypt until the day you arrived here.
8 At Mount Sinai you made the Lord so angry that he was going to destroy you. 9-11 It happened during those 40 days and nights that I was on the mountain, without anything to eat or drink. He had told me to come up there so he could give me the agreement he made with us. And this agreement was actually the same Ten Commandments he had announced to you when he spoke from the fire on the mountain. The Lord had written them on two flat stones with his own hand. But after giving me the two stones, 12 he said:
Moses, hurry down the mountain to those people you led out of Egypt. They have already disobeyed me and committed the terrible sin of making an idol.
13 I've been watching the Israelites, and I've seen how stubborn and rebellious they are. 14 So don't try to stop me! I am going to wipe them out, and no one on earth will remember they ever lived. Then I will let your descendants become an even bigger and more powerful nation than Israel.
Moses said:
15 Fire was raging on the mountaintop as I went back down, carrying the two stones with the commandments on them. 16 I saw how quickly you had sinned and disobeyed the Lord your God. There you were, worshiping the metal idol you had made in the shape of a calf. 17 So I threw down the two stones and smashed them before your very eyes.
18-20 I bowed down at the place of worship and prayed to the Lord, without eating or drinking for 40 days and nights. You had committed a terrible sin by making that idol, and the Lord hated what you had done. He was angry enough to destroy all of you and Aaron as well. So I prayed for you and Aaron as I had done before, and this time the Lord answered my prayers.
21 It was a sin for you to make that idol, so I threw it into the fire to melt it down. Then I took the lump of gold, ground it into powder, and threw the powder into the stream flowing down the mountain.
22 You also made the Lord angry when you were staying at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-Hattaavah. 23 Then at Kadesh-Barnea the Lord said, “I am giving you the land, so go ahead and take it!” But since you didn't trust the Lord, you rebelled and disobeyed his command. 24 In fact, you've rebelled against the Lord for as long as he has known you.
25 After you had made the idol in the shape of a calf, the Lord said he was going to destroy you. So I lay face down in front of the Lord for 40 days and nights 26 and prayed:
Our Lord, please don't wipe out your people. You used your great power to rescue them from Egypt and to make them your very own. 27 Israel's ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob obeyed you faithfully. Think about them, and not about Israel's stubbornness, evil, and sin. 28 If you destroy your people, the Egyptians will say, “The Lord promised to give Israel land, but he wasn't powerful enough to keep his promise. In fact, he hated them so much that he took them into the desert and killed them.” 29 But you, our Lord, chose the people of Israel to be your own, and with your mighty power you rescued them from Egypt.