Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!"

1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of 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 wot not what is become of him.

2Aaron replied to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me."

2And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

3And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, "Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!"

4And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: "There will be a festival to the LORD tomorrow."

5And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

6Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

6And 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.

7The LORD spoke to Moses: "Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.

7And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, 'Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.'"

8They 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 thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9The LORD also said to Moses: "I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.

9And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

10Now 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.

11But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God: "LORD, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people.

12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, 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.

13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel--you swore to them by yourself and declared, 'I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.'"

13Remember 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.

14So the LORD relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.

14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides--inscribed front and back.

15And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God's writing, engraved on the tablets.

16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

17When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war in the camp."

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

18But Moses replied: It's not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!

18And 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.

19As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain.

19And 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.

20He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.

20And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21Then Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?"

21And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22"Don't be enraged, my lord," Aaron replied. "You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.

22And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23They said to me, 'Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!'

23For 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 wot not what is become of him.

24So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off,' and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!"

24And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies.

25And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

26And Moses stood at the camp's entrance and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites gathered around him.

26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27He told them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.'"

27And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by 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 neighbour.

28The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people.

28And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

29Afterward Moses said, "Today you have been dedicated to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today."

29For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

30The following day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin."

30And 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 the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for themselves.

31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written."

32Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin?; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

33The LORD replied to Moses: "Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book.

33And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin."

34Therefore 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.

35And the LORD inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

35And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.