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 assembled themselves to Aaron, and said to him, Arise, make us gods which shall go before us: for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us 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 to them, Break off the golden ear-rings which [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.
And all the people broke off the golden ear-rings which [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 received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee 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 [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow [is] 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 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 said to Moses, Go, go down; for thy people, which thou broughtest 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 from the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee 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 to Moses, I have seen 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.”
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, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth from 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.
Why should the Egyptians speak and say, For evil did he bring them out, 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 sworest by thine own self, 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 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 thought to 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 mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand: the tables [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 to 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 to the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses's anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables from his hands, and broke 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] in the 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 to Aaron, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought so great a 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 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!’
For they said to me, Make us gods which shall go before us: for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us 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 to them, Whoever hath any gold, let them break [it] off: So they gave [it] to me: then 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] naked (for Aaron had made them naked to [their] shame, 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, Who [is] on the LORD'S side? [let him come] to me. And all the sons of Levi assembled themselves 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 the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
28 The Levites did what Moses had told them, and that day around 3,000 men were killed.
And the children 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.”
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon 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 to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up to the LORD; it may be I shall make an 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 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 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.”
Therefore now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to thee: Behold, my 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 afflicted the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.
