Exodus 32
1 When the people realized how long Moses was taking before he came back down the mountain, they went together to see Aaron. They told him, “Get up! Make some gods for us who can lead us because this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt—we don't know what's happened to him!”
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people collected together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us a god, who will go before us; for this Moses, the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt, — we do not know what is become of him!
2 “Bring to me the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing,” Aaron replied.
And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden rings that are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] to me.
3 So everyone took off the gold earrings they were wearing and brought them to Aaron.
Then all the people broke off the golden rings that were in their ears, and brought [them] to Aaron.
4 He took what they gave him and using a molding tool cast an idol in the shape of a bull calf. They shouted out, “Israel, these are the gods that brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
And he took [them] out of their hand, and fashioned it with a chisel and made of it a molten calf: and they said, This is thy god, Israel, who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the golden calf and shouted out, “Tomorrow will be a festival to honor the Lord!”
And Aaron saw [it], and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to Jehovah!
6 Early the next day they sacrificed burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Then they sat down to celebrate with eating and drinking. Then they got up to dance, and it became like an orgy.
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered up burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to sport.
7 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get back down, because your people that you brought out of Egypt are acting immorally.
Then Jehovah said to Moses, Away, go down! for thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, is acting corruptly.
8 They have been so quick to abandon the way I ordered them to follow. They have made a metal bull calf idol for themselves, bowing before it in worship and offering sacrifices to it. They're saying, ‘These are the gods that brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them: they have made themselves a molten calf, and have bowed down to it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, This is thy god, Israel, who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!
9 “I know what these people are like,” the Lord continued saying to Moses. “They are so rebellious!
And Jehovah said to Moses, I see this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.
10 Now leave me! I am angry with them—let me finish them off! I will make you into a great nation.”
And now let me alone, that my anger may burn against them, and I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, saying, “Why are you angry with the people you brought out of the land of Egypt with tremendous power and great strength?
And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Why, Jehovah, doth thy wrath burn against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians be able to say, ‘He brought them out with the evil purpose of killing them in the mountains, wiping them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger. Please change your mind over the threat against your people.
Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For misfortune he has brought them out, to slay them on the mountains, and to annihilate them from the face of the earth? Turn from the heat of thine anger, and repent of this evil against thy people!
13 Remember you swore a promise your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, telling them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven, and give you all the land I promised to them, and they shall own it forever.’”
Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thyself, and saidst to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall possess [it] for ever!
14 The Lord changed his mind over the disaster he threatened to cause his people.
And Jehovah repented of the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
15 Moses turned and went down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets of the Law written on both sides.
And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, [with] the two tables of the testimony in his hand — tables written on both their sides: on this side and on that were they written.
16 God had made the tablets, and God had engraved the writing himself.
And the tables [were] God's work, and the writing was God's writing, engraven on the tables.
17 When Joshua heard all the shouting from the camp, he said to Moses, “It sounds like fighting in the camp!”
And Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, and said to Moses, There is a shout of war in the camp.
18 But Moses replied, “These are not the shouts of victory or of defeat. What I'm hearing is people partying!”
And he said, It is not the sound of a shout of victory, neither is it the sound of a shout of defeat: it is the noise of alternate singing I hear.
19 As he approached the camp he saw the bull calf idol and the dancing. He got so angry that he threw down the stone tablets and smashed them there at the foot of the mountain.
And it came to pass, when he came near the camp, and saw the calf and the dancing, that Moses' anger burned, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and shattered them beneath the mountain.
20 He took the bull calf and burned it, and ground it into powder. Then he mixed this with water and made the Israelites drink it.
And he took the calf that they had made, and burned [it] with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed [it] on the water, and made the children of Israel drink [it].
21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you made them sin so badly?”
And Moses said to Aaron, What has this people done to thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin on them?
22 “Please don't get angry with me, my lord,” Aaron replied, “You yourself know how liable these people are to do evil.
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord burn! thou knowest the people, that they are [set] on mischief.
23 They told me, ‘Make some gods for us who can lead us because this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt—we don't know what's happened to him!’
And they said to me, Make us a god, who will go before us; for this Moses, the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what is become of him!
24 So I said to them, ‘Anybody who has gold jewelry, take it off and give it to me.’ I threw the gold into the furnace and out came this bull calf.”
And I said to them, Who has gold? They broke [it] off, and gave [it] me, and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
25 Moses saw the people going completely wild because Aaron had let them, and that this had brought ridicule on them from their enemies.
And Moses saw the people how they were stripped; for Aaron had stripped them to [their] shame before their adversaries.
26 So he went and stood at the entrance to the camp, and shouted out, “Whoever is on the Lord's side, come and join me!” All the Levites gathered around him.
And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, He that is for Jehovah, [let him come] to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered to him.
27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Each of you strap on a sword. Then go all through the camp from one end to the other and kill your brothers, friends, and neighbors.”
And he said to them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his hip; go and return from gate to gate through the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbour.
28 The Levites did what Moses had told them, and that day around 3,000 men were killed.
And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
29 Moses told the Levites, “Today you have dedicated yourselves to the Lord because you took action against your sons and brothers. Today you have gained a blessing for yourselves.”
And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man with his son, and with his brother, and bring on yourselves a blessing to-day.
30 The following day Moses spoke to the people, saying, “You have sinned very badly. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can get him to forgive your sin.”
And it came to pass the next day, that Moses said to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to Jehovah: perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.
31 So Moses went back to the Lord. He said, “Please—the people have sinned very badly by making gods of gold for themselves.
And Moses returned to Jehovah, and said, Alas, this people has sinned a great sin, and they have made themselves a god of gold!
32 But now, if you will, forgive their sin. Otherwise just blot me out of the scroll in which you keep your records.”
And now, if thou wilt forgive their sin...but if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book that thou hast written.
33 But the Lord replied to Moses, “It's those who sinned against me who will be blotted out of my scroll.
And Jehovah said to Moses, Whoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about. Look, my angel will go before you, but at the time I decide to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
And now go, lead the people whither I have told thee: behold, my Angel shall go before thee; but in the day of my visiting I will visit their sin upon them.
35 The Lord brought a plague on the people because they made Aaron make the bull calf.
And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron had made.
