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 mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not 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 unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 So everyone took off the gold earrings they were wearing and brought them to Aaron.
And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto 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 received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which 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 when Aaron saw [this], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.
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 burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 Then the Lord told Moses, “Get back down, because your people that you brought out of Egypt are acting immorally.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
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 which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which 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 the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
10 Now leave me! I am angry with them—let me finish them off! I will make you into a great nation.”
now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that 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 the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty 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.
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, 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 swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 The Lord changed his mind over the disaster he threatened to cause his people.
And the LORD repented of the evil which he said he would do unto 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 mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
16 God had made the tablets, and God had engraved the writing himself.
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 When Joshua heard all the shouting from the camp, he said to Moses, “It sounds like fighting in the camp!”
And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise 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 voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do 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, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
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 which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you made them sin so badly?”
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon 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 wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are [set] on evil.
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!’
For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not 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 unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off; so they 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 when Moses saw that the people were broken loose; for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies:
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.
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on the LORD’S side, [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto 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 unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, 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 today to the LORD, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this 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 on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure 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 unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods 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.”
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which 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 the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever 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 unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit, 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 the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
