1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from 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 know not what is become of him . 2And Aaron said unto them , Break off the golden rings , which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons , and of your daughters , and bring them unto me . 3And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4And he received it at their hand , and fashioned it with a graving tool , and made it a molten calf : and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel , which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt . 5And when Aaron saw this , he built an altar before it ; and Aaron made proclamation , and said , To-morrow shall be a feast to Jehovah . 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 .
Moses Intercedes for the People
7And Jehovah spake unto Moses , Go , get thee down ; for thy people , that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt , have corrupted themselves : 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 unto it , and said, These are thy gods, O Israel , which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt . 9And Jehovah said unto Moses , I have seen this people , and , behold , it is a stiffnecked people : 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 . 11And Moses besought Jehovah his God , and said , Jehovah , why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people , that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand ? 12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth , 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 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 . 14And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people .
The Consequences of Sin
15And Moses turned , and went down from the mount , with the two tables of the testimony in his hand ; tables that were written on both their sides ; on the one side and on the other were they written . 16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables . 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 . 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 . 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 . 20And he took the calf which they had made , and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder , and strewed it upon the water , and made the children of Israel drink of it . 21And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee , that thou hast brought a great sin upon them ? 22And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot : thou knowest the people , that they are set on evil . 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 know not what is become of him . 24And I said unto them , Whosoever hath any gold , let them break it off : so they gave it me ; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf . 25And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose , ( for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies ,) 26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp , and said, Whoso is on Jehovah ’s side, let him come unto me . And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him . 27And he said unto them , Thus saith Jehovah , the God of Israel , Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh , and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp , and slay every man his brother , and every man his companion , and every man his neighbor . 28And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses : and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men . 29And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah , yea , every man against his son , and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day .
Moses' Second Plea and God's Response
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 Jehovah ; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin . 31And Moses returned unto Jehovah , and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin , and have made them gods of gold . 32Yet now , if thou wilt forgive their sin —; and if not , blot me , I pray thee , out of thy book which thou hast written . 33And Jehovah said unto Moses , Whosoever hath sinned against me , him will I blot out of my book . 34And 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 Jehovah smote the people , because they made the calf , which Aaron made .