| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!" | 1When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” |
| 2So Aaron said to them, "Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." | 2So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” |
| 3So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. | 3All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. |
| 4He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." | 4Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” |
| 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow will be a feast to the LORD." | 5Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!” |
| 6So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play. | 6The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. |
| 7The LORD spoke to Moses: "Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. | 7The LORD told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. |
| 8They have quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them--they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.'" | 8How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” |
| 9Then the LORD said to Moses: "I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked people they are! | 9Then the LORD said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. |
| 10So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation." | 10Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” |
| 11But Moses sought the favor of 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? | 11But Moses tried to pacify the LORD his God. “O LORD!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? |
| 12Why should the Egyptians say, 'For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people. | 12Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! |
| 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, 'I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.'" | 13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” |
| 14Then the LORD relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people. | 14So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. |
| 15Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides--they were written on the front and on the back. | 15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. |
| 16Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. | 16These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself. |
| 17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "It is the sound of war in the camp!" | 17When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!” |
| 18Moses said, "It is not the sound of those who shout for victory, nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome, but the sound of singing I hear." | 18But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.” |
| 19When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. | 19When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. |
| 20He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. | 20He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it. |
| 21Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?" | 21Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” |
| 22Aaron said, "Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil. | 22“Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. |
| 23They said to me, 'Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' | 23They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ |
| 24So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out." | 24So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” |
| 25Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. | 25Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. |
| 26So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." All the Levites gathered around him, | 26So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. |
| 27and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Each man fasten his sword on his side, and go back and forth from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.'" | 27Moses told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” |
| 28The Levites did what Moses ordered, and that day about three thousand men of the people died. | 28The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day. |
| 29Moses said, "You have been consecrated today for the LORD, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today." | 29Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” Moses Intercedes for Israel |
| 30The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a very serious sin, but now I will go up to the LORD--perhaps I can make atonement on behalf of your sin." | 30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the LORD on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.” |
| 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. | 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. |
| 32But now, if you will forgive their sin. . ., but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written." | 32But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” |
| 33The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me--that person I will wipe out of my book. | 33But the LORD replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. |
| 34So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin." | 34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.” |
| 35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf--the one Aaron made. | 35Then the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made. |
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