Exodus 32
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us elohim, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
4 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 be thy elohim, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up 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 YHWH.
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to 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.
So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 And YHWH said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
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 thy elohim, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 And YHWH said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
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 thee a great nation.
Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 And Moses besought YHWH his Elohim, and said, YHWH, 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?
But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
12 Wherefore 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 thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
13 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.
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”
14 And YHWH repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on 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.
Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
16 And the tables were the work of Elohim, and the writing was the writing of Elohim, graven upon the tables.
The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 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.
When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is 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: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”
19 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.
As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base 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 strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my master wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
23 For they said unto me, Make us elohim, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath 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, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies: )
Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies.
26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on YHWH 's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
27 And he said unto them, Thus saith YHWH Elohim 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 neighbour.
He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”
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 as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.
29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to YHWH, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”
30 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 YHWH; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 And Moses returned unto YHWH, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them elohim of gold.
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”
33 And YHWH said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.
34 Therefore 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.
Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And YHWH plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.
