| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 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.” | 1Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!” |
| 2So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” | 2So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” |
| 3All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. | 3Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. |
| 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!” | 4He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” |
| 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!” | 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” |
| 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. | 6So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry. |
| 7The LORD told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. | 7Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. |
| 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.’” | 8How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’ ” |
| 9Then the LORD said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. | 9The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. |
| 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.” | 10Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” |
| 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? | 11But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? |
| 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! | 12Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. |
| 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.’” | 13Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’ ” |
| 14So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people. | 14So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people. |
| 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. | 15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. |
| 16These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself. | 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. |
| 17When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!” | 17When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.” |
| 18But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.” | 18But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!” |
| 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. | 19As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain. |
| 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. | 20Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it. |
| 21Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” | 21“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?” |
| 22“Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. | 22“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. |
| 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.’ | 23They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ |
| 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!” | 24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!” |
| 25Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies. | 25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies. |
| 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. | 26So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. |
| 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.” | 27He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ” |
| 28The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day. | 28The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead. |
| 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 | 29Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.” |
| 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.” | 30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” |
| 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. | 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. |
| 32But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” | 32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.” |
| 33But the LORD replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. | 33The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. |
| 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.” | 34Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.” |
| 35Then the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made. | 35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made. |
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