1
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come 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, and fashioned it with an engraving tool , and made it a molten calf ; and 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 Yahweh ."
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
Yahweh spoke to Moses , "Go , get down ; for your people, who 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 themselves a molten 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
Yahweh 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 Yahweh his God , and said , "Yahweh , why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand ?
12
Why should the Egyptians speak , saying, 'He brought them forth for evil , to kill them in the mountains , and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath , and repent of 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 seed as the stars of the sky , and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed , and they shall inherit it forever .'"
14
Yahweh repented of 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 testimony in his hand ; tablets that were written on both their sides ; on the one side and on the other they were written .
16
The tablets were the work of God , and the writing was the writing of God , engraved on the tables.
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, neither is it the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear ."
19
It happened, as soon as he came near to the camp , that he saw the calf and the dancing : and 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 burnt it with fire , ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water , and made the children of Israel drink of 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 ; 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.'
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 had broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies),
26
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp , and said , "Whoever is on Yahweh 's side , come to me!" All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
27
He said to them, "Thus says Yahweh , the God of Israel , '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 : and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men .
29
Moses said , "Consecrate yourselves today to Yahweh , yes, every man against his son , and against his brother ; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day ."
30
It happened on the next day, that Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin . Now I will go up to Yahweh . Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin ."
31
Moses returned to Yahweh , 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
Yahweh said to Moses , "Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot 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
Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf , which Aaron made.