1
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain , the people collected together to Aaron , and said to him, Up, make us a god , who will go before us ; for this Moses , the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt , -- we do not know what is become of him!
2
And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden rings that are in the ears of your wives , of your sons, and of your daughters , and bring [them] to me.
3
Then all the people broke off the golden rings that were in their ears, and brought [them] to Aaron .
4
And he took [them] out of their hand , and fashioned it with a chisel and made of it a molten calf : and they said , This is thy god , Israel , who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt !
5
And Aaron saw [it], and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said , To-morrow is a feast to Jehovah !
6
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered up burnt-offerings , and brought peace -offerings ; and the people sat down to eat and to drink , and rose up to sport.
7
Then Jehovah said to Moses , Away, go down ! for thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt , is acting corruptly.
8
They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them: they have made themselves a molten calf , and have bowed down to it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said , This is thy god , Israel , who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt !
9
And Jehovah said to Moses , I see this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.
10
And now let me alone, that my anger may burn against them, and I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation .
11
And Moses besought Jehovah his God , and said , Why, Jehovah , doth thy wrath burn against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand ?
12
Why should the Egyptians speak , and say , For misfortune he has brought them out, to slay them on the mountains , and to annihilate them from the face of the earth? Turn from the heat of thine anger , and repent of this evil against thy people!
13
Remember Abraham , Isaac and Israel , thy servants , to whom thou sworest by thyself, 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 possess [it] for ever !
14
And Jehovah repented of the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
15
And Moses turned and went down from the mountain , [with] the two tables of the testimony in his hand -- tables written on both their sides : on this side and on that were they written .
16
And the tables [were] God's work , and the writing was God's writing , engraven on the tables.
17
And Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, and said to Moses , There is a shout of war in the camp .
18
And he said , It is not the sound of a shout of victory, neither is it the sound of a shout of defeat: it is the noise of alternate singing I hear .
19
And it came to pass, when he came near the camp , and saw the calf and the dancing , that Moses ' anger burned, and he cast the tables out of his hands , and shattered them beneath the mountain .
20
And he took the calf that they had made, and burned [it] with fire , and ground it to powder, and strewed [it] on the water , and made the children of Israel drink [it].
21
And Moses said to Aaron , What has this people done to thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin on them?
22
And Aaron said , Let not the anger of my lord burn! thou knowest the people, that they are [set] on mischief.
23
And they said to me, Make us a god , who will go before us ; for this Moses , the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt , we do not know what is become of him!
24
And I said to them, Who has gold ? They broke [it] off, and gave [it] me, and I cast it into the fire , and there came out this calf .
25
And Moses saw the people how they were stripped; for Aaron had stripped them to [their] shame before their adversaries.
26
And Moses stood in the gate of the camp , and said , He that is for Jehovah , [let him come] to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered to him.
27
And he said to them, Thus saith Jehovah , the God of Israel : Put every man his sword upon his hip; go and return from gate to gate through the camp , and slay every man his brother , and every man his friend , and every man his neighbour .
28
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
And Moses said , Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah , yea, every man with his son , and with his brother , and bring on yourselves a blessing to-day .
30
And it came to pass the next day, that Moses said to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin . And now I will go up to Jehovah : perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin .
31
And Moses returned to Jehovah , and said , Alas, this people has sinned a great sin, and they have made themselves a god of gold !
32
And now, if thou wilt forgive their sin ... but if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book that thou hast written .
33
And Jehovah said to Moses , Whoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book .
34
And now go , lead the people whither I have told thee: behold, my Angel shall go before thee; but in the day of my visiting I will visit their sin upon them.
35
And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf , which Aaron had made.