The Golden Calf

1Then the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Arise, make us [†]gods 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.” 2And 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.” 3Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4And he took this from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “[†]These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5And Aaron looked and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” 6So 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.

7Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8They 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, ‘[†]These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. 10Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may consume them; and I will make you a great nation.”

11Then Moses entreated [†]the favor of Yahweh his God and said, “O Yahweh, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? 12Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent concerning doing harm to Your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and You said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14So Yahweh relented concerning the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets which were written on both [†]sides; they were written on one side and the other. 16Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. 17Then Joshua heard the sound of the people [†]as they shouted. And he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18But 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.”

19Now it happened, 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. 20Then 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.

21Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” 22And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are [†]prone to evil. 23Indeed they said to me, ‘Make [†]gods 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.’ 24And 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.”

25Now 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— 26so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Every man among 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.’” 28So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29Then Moses said, “[†]Be ordained today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30Now it happened on the next day, that Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have [†]committed a great sin; but now I am going up to Yahweh, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Alas, this people has [†]committed a great sin, and they have made [†]gods of gold for themselves. 32But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” 33And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34But now go, guide 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.” 35Then Yahweh smote the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.