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 gods , 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.
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.
3
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto 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 gods , O Israel , which brought thee 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 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.
7
And the LORD said unto Moses , Go , get thee down ; for thy people, which thou broughtest 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 gods , O Israel , which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt .
9
And the LORD said unto Moses , I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked 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 .
11
And Moses besought the LORD his God , and said , LORD , 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 ?
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.
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 .
14
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto 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 .
16
And the tables were the work of God , and the writing was the writing of God , graven upon the tables.
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 .
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 .
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 .
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.
21
And Moses said unto Aaron , What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22
And Aaron said , Let not the anger of my lord wax hot : thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23
For they said unto 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 wot not what is become of 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 .
25
And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
26
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp , and said , Who is on the LORD 's side ? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
27
And he said unto 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 neighbour .
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 .
29
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
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 the LORD ; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin .
31
And Moses returned unto the LORD , and said , Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold .
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 .
33
And the LORD said unto Moses , Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I 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.
35
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf , which Aaron made.