1 W hen the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

2 S o Aaron replied, Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons, and daughters, and bring them to me.

Aaron said to them, “ Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 S o all the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

4 A nd he received the gold at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!

He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “ This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

5 A nd when Aaron saw the molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.

Now 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 A nd they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 T he Lord said to Moses, Go down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves;

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

8 T hey have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt!

They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘ This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”

9 A nd the Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people;

The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.

10 N ow therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and that I may destroy them; but I will make of you a great nation.

Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” Moses’ Entreaty

11 B ut Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why does Your wrath blaze hot against Your people, whom You have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

12 W hy should the Egyptians say, For evil He brought them forth, to slay them in the mountains and consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and change Your mind concerning this evil against Your people.

Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.

13 r emember 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 heavens, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14 T hen the Lord turned from the evil which He had thought to do to His people.

So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 A nd Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, tables or tablets that were written on both sides.

Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other.

16 T he tables were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets.

17 A nd when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

18 B ut Moses said, It is not the sound of shouting for victory, neither is it the sound of the cry of the defeated, but the sound of singing that I hear.

But he said, “It is not the sound of the cry of triumph, Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; But the sound of singing I hear.” Moses’ Anger

19 A nd as soon as he came near to the camp he saw the calf and the dancing. And Moses’ anger blazed hot and he cast the tables out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

20 A nd he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

21 A nd Moses said to Aaron, What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin upon them?

Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?”

22 A nd Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord blaze hot; you know the people, that they are set on evil.

Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.

23 F or 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 do not know what has become of him.

For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

24 I said to them, Those who have any gold, let them take it off. So they gave it to me; then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 A nd when Moses saw that the people were unruly and unrestrained (for Aaron had let them get out of control, so that they were a derision and object of shame among their enemies),

Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies—

26 T hen Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me. And all the Levites gathered together to him.

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.

27 A nd he said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Every man put his sword on 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 neighbor.

He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’”

28 A nd the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about 3000 men.

So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

29 A nd Moses said you have consecrated yourselves today to the Lord, each man against his own son and his own brother, that the Lord may restore and bestow His blessing upon you this day.

Then Moses said, “ Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord —for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30 T he next day Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.

On the next day Moses said to the people, “ You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31 S o Moses returned to the Lord, and said, Oh, these people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold!

Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.

32 Y et now, if You will forgive their sin—and if not, blot me, I pray You, out of Your book which You have written!

But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

33 B ut the Lord said to Moses, Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

34 B ut now go, lead the people to the place of which I have told you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I punish I will visit their sin upon them!

But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

35 A nd the Lord sent a plague upon the people because they made the calf which Aaron fashioned for them.

Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.