Saints Joachim and Anne

15And Moses returned from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides, 16and accomplished by the work of God. Also, the writing of God was engraved on the tablets. 17Then Joshua, hearing the tumult of the people shouting, said to Moses: “The outcry of battle is heard in the camp.” 18But he responded: “It is not the clamor of men being exhorted to battle, nor the shout of men being compelled to flee. But I hear the voice of singing.” 19And when he had approached to the camp, he saw the calf and the dances. And being very angry, he threw down the tablets from his hand, and he broke them at the base of the mountain. 20And seizing the calf, which they had made, he burnt it and crushed it, even to dust, which he scattered into water. And he gave from it to the sons of Israel to drink. 21And he said to Aaron, “What has this people done to you, so that you would bring upon them the greatest sin?” 22And he answered him: “Let not my lord be indignant. For you know this people, that they are prone to evil. 23They said to me: ‘Make gods for us, who may go before us. For this Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.’ 24And I said to them, ‘Which of you has gold?’ And they took it and gave it to me. And I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

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30Then, when the next day arrived, Moses spoke to the people: “You have sinned the greatest sin. I will ascend to the Lord. Perhaps, in some way, I might be able to entreat him for your wickedness.” 31And returning to the Lord, he said: “I beg you, this people has sinned the greatest sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. Either release them from this offense, 32or, if you do not, then delete me from the book that you have written.” 33And the Lord answered him: “Whoever has sinned against me, him I will delete from my book. 34But as for you, go and lead this people where I have told you. My angel will go before you. Then, on the day of retribution, I will also visit this sin of theirs.”

19And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, and they adored a graven image.

20And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.

21They forgot God, who saved them, who did great things in Egypt:

22miracles in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

23And he said that he would destroy them, yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach, in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them.

31He proposed another parable to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. 32It is, indeed, the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is greater than all the plants, and it becomes a tree, so much so that the birds of the air come and dwell in its branches.” 33He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of fine wheat flour, until it was entirely leavened.” 34All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds. And he did not speak to them apart from parables, 35in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying: “I will open my mouth in parables. I will proclaim what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”