Exodus 31:12-32:6

New International Version

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)