The Sabbath

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths.^(A) This will be a sign^(B) between me and you for the generations to come,^(C) so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.^(D)

¹⁴ “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death;^(E) those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵ For six days work^(F) is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,^(G) holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath,^(H) celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ It will be a sign^(I) between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.^(J)’”^(K)

¹⁸ When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,^(L) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone^(M) inscribed by the finger of God.^(N)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,^(O) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods^[a] who will go before^(P) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”^(Q)

² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings^(R) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol^(S) cast in the shape of a calf,^(T) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[b](U) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^(V)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival^(W) to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.^(X) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink^(Y) and got up to indulge in revelry.^(Z)

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,^(AA) have become corrupt.^{(AB) 8} They have been quick to turn away^(AC) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol^(AD) cast in the shape of a calf.^(AE) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed^(AF) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’^(AG)

⁹ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked^(AH) people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone^(AI) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy^(AJ) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”^(AK)

¹¹ But Moses sought the favor^(AL) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?^{(AM) 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?^(AN) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster^(AO) on your people. ¹³ Remember^(AP) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:^(AQ) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars^(AR) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land^(AS) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the Lord relented^(AT) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Psalm 22^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.