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.”

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, “Take the objects of gold from 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 S o all the people took the gold objects from 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 said to Moses, “Go down. For your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have turned to sin.

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 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 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 see, they are a strong-willed people.

And Jehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked 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 wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee 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?

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 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.

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, 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, 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 things 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 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 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 stone writings were God’s work. The writing was God’s writing cut into the stones.

And the tables were the work of God, and 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 unto 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.”

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 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 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 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 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 to make you bring 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 my lord be angry. You know the people yourself and how sinful they are.

And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest 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 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 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.”

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 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 broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision 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, 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, “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 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 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 three thousand 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, 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 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.”

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, “O, this people have sinned. 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. If not, then take my name out of 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, “I will put out of My book whoever has sinned against Me.

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. See, My angel will go before you. But 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 sent trouble upon the people, because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

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