1 W hen the people saw that Moses was staying a long time before coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron, and said, “Come, make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.”

When 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.

2 A aron said to them, “Take the objects of gold from the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

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

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

So all the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.

4 H e took the gold from their hands, worked on it with a sharp tool, and by melting it, made it into a calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

And 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!

5 W hen Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it. Aaron said to all the people, “Tomorrow will be a special supper to the Lord.”

And 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.

6 S o the next day they got up early and gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play.

And 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.

7 T hen the Lord said to Moses, “Go down. For your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have turned to sin.

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

8 T hey have been quick to turn aside from the way I have told them. They have melted gold and made a calf for themselves. They have worshiped it, have given gifts to it, and have said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of 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 worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, These are your gods, O Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt!

9 T he Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and see, they are a strong-willed people.

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

10 N ow let Me alone, so My anger may be against them and I may destroy them. But I will make you into a great nation.”

Now 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.

11 T hen Moses begged the Lord his God, saying, “O Lord, why are you very angry against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

But 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?

12 W hy should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth’? Turn from Your anger and change Your mind about destroying Your people.

Why 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.

13 R emember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who were your servants. You promised them by Yourself, saying, ‘I will make your children become as many as the stars of the heavens. And I will give all this land I have spoken about to your children. It will be theirs forever.’”

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

14 S o the Lord changed His mind about the things He said He would do to His people.

Then the Lord turned from the evil which He had thought to do to His people.

15 T hen Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two stone writings of the Law in his hand. The stones were written on both sides, on one side and the other.

And 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.

16 T he stone writings were God’s work. The writing was God’s writing cut into the stones.

The tables were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

17 W hen Joshua heard the sound of the people as they made noise, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war at the tents.”

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

18 B ut Moses said, “It is not the sound of winning, or the sound of losing. It is the sound of singing I hear.”

But 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.

19 A s soon as Moses came near the tents, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moses became very angry. He threw the stone writings from his hands and broke them at the base of the mountain.

And 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.

20 A nd he took the calf they had made and burned it with fire, ground it to dust, spread it over the top of the water, and made the people of Israel drink it.

And 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.

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

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

22 A aron said, “Do not let my lord be angry. You know the people yourself and how sinful they are.

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

23 T hey said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.’

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 do not know what has become of him.

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

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.

25 M oses saw that Aaron had let the people go wild and become a shame to those who hated them.

And 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),

26 S o Moses stood in the gate of the place where they had set up their tents and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi came together around him.

Then 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.

27 H e said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh. And go from one end of the tents to the other, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

And 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.

28 S o the sons of Levi did as Moses said. About 3, 000 men fell that day.

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

29 T hen Moses said, “Today you have set yourselves apart for the Lord. For each man has been against his son and against his brother, so the Lord may bring good to you today.”

And 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.

30 T he next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned. Now I am going up to the Lord. It might be that I can have your sin forgiven.”

The 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.

31 T hen Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O, this people have sinned. They have made a god of gold for themselves.

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

32 B ut now, if You will, forgive their sin. If not, then take my name out of Your book which You have written.”

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

33 T he Lord said to Moses, “I will put out of My book whoever has sinned against Me.

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

34 B ut go now. Lead the people where I told you. See, My angel will go before you. But in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

But 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!

35 T hen the Lord sent trouble upon the people, because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

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