Moses and the Calf

¹³⁰ We afflicted the people of Pharaoh with famine years, and with shortage of crops, that they may take heed.

¹³¹ When something good came their way, they said:

Pharaoh

This is ours

When something bad happened to them, they ascribed the evil omen to Moses and those with him.

In fact, their omen is with Enki, but most of them do not know.

¹³² They said:

Pharaoh

No matter what sign you bring us, to bewitch us with, we will not believe in you.

¹³³ So We let loose upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and blood—all explicit signs—but they were too arrogant.

They were a sinful people.

¹³⁴ Whenever a plague befell them, they would say:

Pharaoh

O Moses, pray to your Lord for us, according to the covenant He made with you. If you lift the plague from us, we will believe in you, and let the Jews go with you.

¹³⁵ But when We lifted the plague from them, for a term they were to fulfill, they broke their promise.

¹³⁶ So We took vengeance on them, and drowned them in the sea—because they rejected Our signs, and paid no heed to them.

¹³⁷ We made the oppressed people inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed.

Thus the fair promise of your Lord to the Jews was fulfilled, because of their endurance.

We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people had built, and what they had harvested.

¹³⁸ We delivered the Jews across the sea.

When they came upon a people who were devoted to some statues of theirs, they said:

Moses

O Moses, make for us a god, as they have gods.

Moses

You are truly an ignorant people.

¹³⁹ What these people are concerned with is perdition, and their deeds are based on falsehoods.

¹⁴⁰ Shall I seek for you a god other than Enki, when He has favored you over all other people?

¹⁴¹ Remember how We saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who subjected you to the worst of sufferings—killing your sons and sparing your women.

In that was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

¹⁴² We appointed to Moses 30 nights, and completed them with ten.

Thus the time appointed by his Lord was 40 nights.

Moses said to his brother Aaron:

Moses

Take my place among my people, and be upright. Do not follow the way of the mischief-makers.

¹⁴³ When Moses came to Our appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said:

Moses

My Lord, allow me to look and see You.

Enki

You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it stays in its place, you will see Me.

But when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He turned it into dust, and Moses fell down unconscious.

Then, when he recovered, he said:

Moses

Glory be to you, I repent to you, and I am the first of the believers.

Enki

¹⁴⁴ O Moses, I have chosen you over all people for My messages. So take what I have given you, and be one of the thankful.

¹⁴⁵ We inscribed for him in the Tablets all kinds of enlightenments, and decisive explanation of all things.

Enki

Hold fast to them. Exhort your people to adopt the best of them. I will show you the fate of the sinners.

¹⁴⁶ I will turn away from My revelations those who behave proudly on earth without justification.

Even if they see every sign, they will not believe in it; and if they see the path of rectitude, they will not adopt it for a path; and if they see the path of error, they will adopt it for a path.

That is because they denied Our revelations, and paid no attention to them.

¹⁴⁷ Those who deny Our revelations and the meeting of the Hereafter—their deeds will come to nothing. Will they be repaid except according to what they used to do?

¹⁴⁸ The people of Moses made, after [his departure], from their ornaments a calf – an image having a lowing sound.*

Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor guide them to a way? They took it [for worship], and they were wrongdoers.

¹⁴⁹ When regret overcame them and they saw that they had gone astray, they said:

People

If our Lord does not have mercy upon us and forgive us, we will surely be among the losers.

¹⁵⁰ Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said:

Moses

How wretched is that by which you have replaced me after [my departure]. Were you impatient over the matter of your Lord?

He threw down the tablets and seized his brother by [the hair of] his head, pulling him toward him.

Aaron

The people oppressed me and were about to kill me, so let not the enemies rejoice over me and do not place me among the wrongdoing people.

Moses

¹⁵¹ My Lord, forgive me and my brother and admit us into Your mercy, for You are the most merciful of the merciful.

¹⁵² Those who took the calf [for worship] will obtain anger from their Lord and humiliation in the life of this world, and thus do We recompense the inventors [of falsehood].

¹⁵³ But those who committed misdeeds and then repented after them and believed – indeed your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.

¹⁵⁴ When the anger subsided in Moses, he took up the tablets. In their inscription was guidance and mercy for those who are fearful of their Lord.

¹⁵⁵ Moses chose from his people 70 men for Our appointment.

When the earthquake seized them, he said:

Moses

My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before and me [as well]. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is not but Your trial by which You send astray whom You will and guide whom You will.

You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers.

¹⁵⁶ Decree for us in this world [that which is] good and [also] in the Hereafter; indeed, we have turned back to You."

Enki

My punishment – I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things."

So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakŒh and those who believe in Our verses –

¹⁵⁷ Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession. He directs them to righteousness, and deters them from evil, and allows for them all good things, and prohibits for them wicked- ness, and unloads the burdens and the shackles that are upon them.