Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. After that they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.

Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.

They have done scandalous and disgraceful things in Israel. They committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and spoke lies in my name. I did not command them to do this. 'I know what they have done. I am a witness, says Jehovah.'

Your people tell lies about others in order to have them put to death. They eat sacrifices offered to idols. They always satisfy their lusts. Some of them sleep with their father's wife. Some force women to have intercourse with them during their period. Some commit adultery, and others seduce their daughters-in-law or their half sisters.

You rely on your swords (military power). You do disgusting things. You dishonor your neighbor's wife. Should the land be given to you?'

They all commit adultery. They are like a heated oven, an oven so hot that a baker does not have to fan its flames when he makes bread.


Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. After that they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.

Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.


Moses replied: That does not sound like a shout of victory or a cry of defeat; it is the sound of singing. Moses came close enough to the camp at the foot of the mountain to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing. He became furious! He threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.




Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies. Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. All the sons of Levi came to him. He said to them, Jehovah, the God of Israel says: 'Each man put his sword by his side. Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp. Kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.' read more.
The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men died that day. Moses said: Today you are ordained as Jehovah's. God gave you a blessing today. Each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.


The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right according to Jehovah their God. They built high places for themselves in all their towns, from the watchtower to the walled towns.

While Israel remained at Shittim, the people indulged in sexual immorality with the Moabite women. The Moabites invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined itself to Baal of Peor. Jehovah was angry against Israel.

Is your portion among the smooth stones of the stream? They indeed are your lot! Even to them you have poured a drink offering. You have offered a grain offering. Should this give me comfort?

You ordained your memorial behind the doors and their posts. You revealed (uncovered) yourself to those other than me. You went to them. You enlarged your bed and made a covenant with them. You have loved their bed, where you saw their naked manhood. You went to the king with ointment and much perfume. You sent your messengers far off, and descended even to the grave.


Moses came close enough to the camp at the foot of the mountain to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing. He became furious! He threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them. He took the bull-calf that they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it. Moses asked Aaron: What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way? read more.
Aaron said, Do not be angry with me. You know the people as well as I do. They are determined to do evil. They said to me: 'That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we do not know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us.' Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull. Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies. Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. All the sons of Levi came to him. He said to them, Jehovah, the God of Israel says: 'Each man put his sword by his side. Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp. Kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.' The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men died that day. Moses said: Today you are ordained as Jehovah's. God gave you a blessing today. Each of you fought with your own sons and brothers. The next day Moses said to the people: You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to Jehovah. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make atonement with Jehovah for your sin. So Moses went back to Jehovah and said: These people have committed such a serious sin! They made a god out of gold for themselves. Will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written. Jehovah answered Moses: I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me. Now, go and lead the people to the place I told you about. My angel will go ahead of you. But on the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin. Jehovah killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.


He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept His testimonies and the commandment that he gave them.

Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies. Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. All the sons of Levi came to him. He said to them, Jehovah, the God of Israel says: 'Each man put his sword by his side. Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp. Kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.' read more.
The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men died that day. Moses said: Today you are ordained as Jehovah's. God gave you a blessing today. Each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.

Then the sons of Israel did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Who said of his father and mother: 'I have not seen them; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons. They observed your word and kept your covenant.'

The people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works Jehovah did for Israel.

The Israelites did all the work according to Jehovah's instructions to Moses. Moses inspected all the work. He saw that they had followed Jehovah's instructions. So Moses blessed them.

The same thing happened when the smoke stayed only a few days over the tent: At Jehovah's command they would set up camp, and at his command they would break camp. Sometimes the column of smoke stayed only from evening until morning. They broke camp when the smoke moved in the morning. Day or night, when the smoke moved, they broke camp.


You are just like your parents! You are a bunch of sinners trying to make Jehovah angry at Israel again.

Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock and said to them: Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?

How can I alone bear your encumbrance, your burden, and your strife?

Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: This evening you will know that it was Jehovah who brought you out of Egypt. In the morning you will see the glory of Jehovah's presence. He hears your complaints against him. But what are we that you complain against us?

Moses came close enough to the camp at the foot of the mountain to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing. He became furious! He threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them. He took the bull-calf that they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it. Moses asked Aaron: What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way? read more.
Aaron said, Do not be angry with me. You know the people as well as I do. They are determined to do evil. They said to me: 'That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we do not know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us.' Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull. Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies. Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: Who is on Jehovah's side? Come to me. All the sons of Levi came to him. He said to them, Jehovah, the God of Israel says: 'Each man put his sword by his side. Go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp. Kill each one his brother, and each one his neighbor, and each one his kindred.' The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men died that day. Moses said: Today you are ordained as Jehovah's. God gave you a blessing today. Each of you fought with your own sons and brothers. The next day Moses said to the people: You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to Jehovah. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make atonement with Jehovah for your sin.

Moses asked: Why are you disobeying Jehovah's command? Your plan will not work!

Even so they were not willing to go. They rebelled against the command of Jehovah your God: You complained in your tents, and said: Jehovah hates us so he brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brothers caused us to lose heart. They said: The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large and the walls go up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.' read more.
I said to you: 'Do not be afraid of them. Jehovah your God leads you. He will fight for you just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes! You saw how Jehovah your God carried you like a father carries his son all the way until you reached this place.' Yet in all this you did not trust Jehovah your God. He went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He offered fire by night and cloud by day to show you the way you should go. Jehovah heard what you said. He was angry and solemnly swore: Not one man of this evil generation will see that good land, which I swore to give your fathers, Except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it. I will give him and his descendants the land he walks on. This is because he followed Jehovah wholeheartedly. Jehovah was angry with me because of you. He said to me: 'You will also not go there. Your assistant Joshua son of Nun will go there. He will lead the people into the land. Encourage him to go there. The little ones that you said would be taken captive will enter the land. Your children who do not know good from bad will go in. I will give it to them and they will possess it. But you must turn around and go back through the desert toward the Red Sea.' You answered: 'We have sinned against Jehovah. We will fight just as Jehovah our God commanded us.' When every man puts on his armor and weapons of war they will be ready to go to the mountain. But Jehovah said to me: 'Tell them, do not go and fight! I am not with you. Your enemies will defeat you.' I told you, but you would not listen. You disobeyed Jehovah's command and proudly invaded the mountainous region.

I saw that you had indeed sinned against Jehovah your God. You made yourselves an idol, cast in the shape of a calf. You turned aside quickly from the way Jehovah had commanded you. I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my hands and smashed them before your eyes. I fell down before Jehovah. Like the first, forty days and nights I did not eat or drink. This was because of all your sin you committed in doing what was evil in the sight of Jehovah to provoke Him to anger. read more.
I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure from Jehovah. For he was wrathful against you to the point of destroying you! But Jehovah listened to me that time also. Jehovah was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him! So I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. I took your sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it. I ground it very small until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that flowed down the mountain. Again at Taberah and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked Jehovah to anger. Jehovah sent you from Kadesh-barnea. He said: 'Go up and possess the land I have given you.' Then you rebelled against the command of Jehovah your God. You did not believe him. You did not listen to his voice! You have rebelled against Jehovah from the day I knew you.

Moses called together all the people of Israel and said: You saw for yourselves what Jehovah did to the king of Egypt, to his officials, and to his entire country. You saw the terrible plagues, the miracles, and the great wonders that Jehovah performed. To this very day Jehovah has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

I know how rebellious you are. You are impossible to deal with. While I am alive and still with you, you are rebelling against Jehovah. How much more rebellious will you be after I die? Assemble all the elders of your tribes and your officers in front of me. As they listen, I will speak these words and call on heaven and earth to testify against them. I know that after I die you will become thoroughly corrupt and turn from the way I have commanded you to live. In the days to come disasters will happen to you because you will make Jehovah furious by doing what he considers evil.

Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and disrespectful. You got fat! You were stuffed! You over eat! He abandoned the God who made him and scornfully treated the rock of his salvation. They made God furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him (stirred up his zeal) because they worshiped worthless idols. They sacrificed to demons that are not God. They served gods they did not know. These were new gods who came from nearby, gods your ancestors never worshiped. read more.
You ignored the rock that fathered you and forgot the God who gave you life.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.

All day long my disgrace is in front of me. Shame covers my face.

I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face (praying) to you (being in your presence), my God: for our sins have increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven.



I will bring on you everlasting shame and disgrace that will never be forgotten.'

All the rulers from the north and all the people from Sidon are there. They also went down with the dead. They are disgraced because they terrified people with their power. They were godless people. Now they lie with those who were killed in battle. They suffer disgrace with those who went down to the pit.

Your enemies will be clothed in shame. The tents of the wicked will be no more.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.

All day long my disgrace is in front of me. Shame covers my face.

I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face (praying) to you (being in your presence), my God: for our sins have increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven.



I will bring on you everlasting shame and disgrace that will never be forgotten.'

All the rulers from the north and all the people from Sidon are there. They also went down with the dead. They are disgraced because they terrified people with their power. They were godless people. Now they lie with those who were killed in battle. They suffer disgrace with those who went down to the pit.

Your enemies will be clothed in shame. The tents of the wicked will be no more.


Moses saw that the people were naked. Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.

All day long my disgrace is in front of me. Shame covers my face.

I said, O my God, shame keeps me from lifting up my face (praying) to you (being in your presence), my God: for our sins have increased higher than our heads and our evil-doing has come up to heaven.



I will bring on you everlasting shame and disgrace that will never be forgotten.'

All the rulers from the north and all the people from Sidon are there. They also went down with the dead. They are disgraced because they terrified people with their power. They were godless people. Now they lie with those who were killed in battle. They suffer disgrace with those who went down to the pit.

Your enemies will be clothed in shame. The tents of the wicked will be no more.