1 N ow 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.”

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from 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 know not what is become of him.

2 A aron 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.”

And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

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

And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 H e 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.”

And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 N ow 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.”

And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to Jehovah.

6 S o 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.

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

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8 T hey 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!’”

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 unto it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

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

And Jehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10 N ow 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

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 T hen 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?

And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

12 W hy 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.

Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, 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 R emember 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.’”

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

And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people.

15 T hen 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.

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16 T he tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets.

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

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

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 B ut 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

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 I t 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.

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 H e 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.

And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

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

And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?

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

And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil.

23 F or 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.’

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 know not what is become of him.

24 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.”

And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off: so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25 N ow 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—

And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies,)

26 t hen 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.

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on Jehovah's side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27 H e 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.’”

And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.

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

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 T hen 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.”

And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

30 O n 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.”

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 Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin.

31 T hen 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.

And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

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

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

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34 B ut 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.”

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

And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.