32
1 When
the people saw
that Moses delayed
coming down from
the mountain, the
people gathered
themselves together
to Aaron, and said
to him, “Come,
make us gods,
which shall go
before us; for
as for this
Moses, the man
who brought us
up out of
the land of
Egypt, we don’t
know what has
become of him.”
2 Aaron said to
them, “Take off
the golden rings,
which are in
the ears of
your wives, of
your sons, and
of your daughters,
and bring them
to me.”
3 All
the people took
off the golden
rings which were
in their ears,
and brought them to Aaron.
4 He
received what they
handed him,
fashioned it with
an engraving tool,
and made it
a molded calf.
Then they said, “These
are your gods,
Israel, which
brought you up
out of the land
of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron
saw this, he
built an altar
before it;
and Aaron made a
proclamation, and
said, “Tomorrow
shall be a
feast to the
LORD.”
6 They
rose up early
on the next
day, and offered
burnt offerings,
and brought peace
offerings; and the
people sat down
to eat and to
drink, and rose
up to play.
7 The
LORD spoke to
Moses, “Go, get
down; for your
people, whom you
brought up out
of the land of
Egypt, have
corrupted themselves!
8 They
have turned away
quickly out of
the way which
I commanded them.
They have made
themselves a molded
calf, and have
worshiped it, and
have sacrificed to
it, and said, ‘These
are your gods,
Israel, which
brought you up
out of the land
of Egypt.’ ”
9 The
LORD said to Moses,
“I have seen
these people, and
behold, they are
a stiff-necked people.
10 Now
therefore leave me
alone, that
my wrath may burn
hot against them,
and that I
may consume them;
and I will
make of you
a great nation.”
11 Moses begged
the LORD his
God, and said, “LORD, why does
your wrath burn
hot against your
people, that you
have brought out
of the land
of Egypt with
great power and
with a mighty
hand?
12 Why
should the
Egyptians talk, saying, ‘He
brought them out
for evil, to
kill them in
the mountains, and
to consume them
from the surface
of the earth’?
Turn from your
fierce wrath, and
turn away from
this evil 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
offspring
as the stars
of the sky,
and all this
land that I
have spoken of
I will give
to your offspring,
and they shall
inherit it
forever.’ ”
14 So
the LORD turned
away from the
evil which he
said he would
do to his
people.
15 Moses
turned, and went
down from the
mountain, with the
two tablets of
the covenant in
his hand; tablets
that were written
on both their
sides. They were
written on one
side and on
the other.
16 The
tablets were the
work of God, and
the writing was
the writing of God,
engraved on the
tablets.
17 When
Joshua heard the
noise of the
people as they
shouted, he said
to Moses, “There
is the noise
of war in
the camp.”
18 He said, “It
isn’t the voice of
those who shout
for victory. It is
not the voice
of those who cry
for being overcome;
but the noise
of those who sing
that I hear.”
19 As
soon as he
came near to
the camp, he
saw the calf
and the dancing.
Then Moses’ anger grew
hot, and he
threw the tablets
out of his
hands, and broke
them beneath the
mountain.
20 He
took the calf
which they had
made, and burned
it with fire,
ground it to
powder, and
scattered it on
the water, and
made the children
of Israel drink
it.
21 Moses said
to Aaron, “What
did these people
do to you,
that you have
brought a great
sin on them?”
22 Aaron said, “Don’t let
the anger of
my lord grow hot.
You know the
people, that they
are set on evil.
23 For
they said to me,
‘Make us gods,
which shall go
before us. As
for this Moses,
the man who
brought us up
out of the
land of Egypt,
we don’t know what
has become of
him.’
24 I
said to them, ‘Whoever
has any gold,
let them take
it off.’ So
they gave it
to me; and
I threw it
into the fire, and
out came this
calf.”
25 When
Moses saw that
the people were
out of control, (for
Aaron had let
them lose control, causing
derision among
their enemies),
26 then
Moses stood in
the gate of
the camp, and said,
“Whoever is on
the LORD’s side, come
to me!”
All the sons
of Levi gathered themselves together
to him.
27 He said
to them, “The
LORD, the God
of Israel, says,
‘Every man put
his sword on
his thigh, and
go back and
forth from gate
to gate throughout
the camp, and
every man kill
his brother, and
every man his
companion, and
every man his
neighbor.’ ”
28 The
sons of Levi
did according to
the word of
Moses. About
three thousand men
fell of the
people that day.
29 Moses said,
“Consecrate yourselves
today to the
LORD, for every
man was against
his son and
against his brother,
that he may
give you a
blessing today.”
30 On
the next day,
Moses said to the
people, “You have
sinned a great
sin. Now I
will go up
to the LORD.
Perhaps I shall
make atonement for
your sin.”
31 Moses
returned to the
LORD, and said, “Oh,
this people have
sinned a great
sin, and have
made themselves gods
of gold.
32 Yet
now, if you will,
forgive their
sin—and if not,
please blot me
out of your
book which you
have written.”
33 The
LORD said to Moses,
“Whoever has
sinned against me,
I will blot
him out of
my book.
34 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 punish, I
will punish them
for their sin.”
35 The
LORD struck the
people, because of
what they did
with the calf,
which Aaron made.