Chapter 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 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 , 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 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 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh ’s side, come to me !" All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him .
27 He said to them , " Yahweh , 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 Yahweh , 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 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 , 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 Yahweh struck the people , because of what they did with the calf , which Aaron made .