Exodus 32
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to 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.
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!”
2 And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.
“Bring to me the gold earrings that your wives, sons, and daughters are wearing,” Aaron replied.
3 And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
So everyone took off the gold earrings they were wearing and brought them to Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a engraving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
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.”
5 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.
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!”
6 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.
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.
7 And the LORD said to Moses, Go, get you down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Then the Lord told Moses, “Get back down, because your people that you brought out of Egypt are acting immorally.
8 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 thereunto, and said, These be your gods, O Israel, which have brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
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.’”
9 And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff necked people:
“I know what these people are like,” the Lord continued saying to Moses. “They are so rebellious!
10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of you a great nation.
Now leave me! I am angry with them—let me finish them off! I will make you into a great nation.”
11 And Moses sought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why does your wrath wax hot against your people, which you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
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?
12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
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.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said 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.
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.’”
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.
The Lord changed his mind over the disaster he threatened to cause his people.
15 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.
Moses turned and went down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets of the Law written on both sides.
16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven on the tables.
God had made the tablets, and God had engraved the writing himself.
17 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.
When Joshua heard all the shouting from the camp, he said to Moses, “It sounds like fighting in the camp!”
18 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.
But Moses replied, “These are not the shouts of victory or of defeat. What I'm hearing is people partying!”
19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came near to 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 broke them beneath the mount.
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.
20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
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.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them?
Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you made them sin so badly?”
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: you know the people, that they are set on mischief.
“Please don't get angry with me, my lord,” Aaron replied, “You yourself know how liable these people are to do evil.
23 For they said to 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.
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!’
24 And I said to them, Whoever has any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
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.”
25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies: )
Moses saw the people going completely wild because Aaron had let them, and that this had brought ridicule on them from their enemies.
26 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 gathered themselves together to him.
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.
27 And he said to them, Thus says 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.
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.”
28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
The Levites did what Moses had told them, and that day around 3,000 men were killed.
29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man on his son, and on his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day.
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.”
30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up to the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
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.”
31 And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
So Moses went back to the Lord. He said, “Please—the people have sinned very badly by making gods of gold for themselves.
32 Yet now, if you will forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray you, out of your book which you have written.
But now, if you will, forgive their sin. Otherwise just blot me out of the scroll in which you keep your records.”
33 And the LORD said to Moses, Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
But the Lord replied to Moses, “It's those who sinned against me who will be blotted out of my scroll.
34 Therefore now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you: behold, my Angel shall go before you: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin on them.
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.”
35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
The Lord brought a plague on the people because they made Aaron make the bull calf.
