| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.” | 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!" |
| 2And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” | 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." |
| 3So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. | 3So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. |
| 4And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” | 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." |
| 5So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” | 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." |
| 6Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. | 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. |
| 7And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. | 7The LORD spoke to Moses: "Go quickly, descend, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. |
| 8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” | 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.'" |
| 9And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! | 9Then the LORD said to Moses: "I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked people they are! |
| 10Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” | 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." |
| 11Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? | 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? |
| 12Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. | 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. |
| 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” | 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.'" |
| 14So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. | 14Then the LORD relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people. |
| 15And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. | 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. |
| 16Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. | 16Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. |
| 17And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” | 17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "It is the sound of war in the camp!" |
| 18But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.” | 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." |
| 19So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. | 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. |
| 20Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. | 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. |
| 21And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” | 21Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?" |
| 22So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. | 22Aaron said, "Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil. |
| 23For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ | 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.' |
| 24And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” | 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." |
| 25Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), | 25Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. |
| 26then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. | 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, |
| 27And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” | 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.'" |
| 28So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. | 28The Levites did what Moses ordered, and that day about three thousand men of the people died. |
| 29Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.” | 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." |
| 30Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” | 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." |
| 31Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! | 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. |
| 32Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” | 32But now, if you will forgive their sin. . ., but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written." |
| 33And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. | 33The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me--that person I will wipe out of my book. |
| 34Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” | 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." |
| 35So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made. | 35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf--the one Aaron made. |
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