Aaron Makes the Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses took a long time to come down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, “Come here and make us a god^[a] who will go before us, because, as for this fellow Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”

² Aaron told them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”

³ All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him. ⁴ He took them from them^[b] and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf.^[c] The people^[d] said, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and then he proclaimed, “Tomorrow is to be a festival to the Lord.” ⁶ They got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up to play.^[e]

Moses Intercedes for Israel

⁷ The Lord told Moses, “Go down immediately,^[f] because your people whom you led out of Egypt have behaved corruptly. ⁸ They have been quick to turn aside from the way I commanded them, and they have made for themselves a molten calf. They have bowed down to it in worship, they have offered sacrifices to it, and they have said, ‘This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

⁹ Then the Lord told Moses, “I’ve seen these people and indeed they’re obstinate.^{[g] 10} Now let me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may consume them, but I’ll make a great nation of you.”

¹¹ But Moses implored the Lord his God: “Lord, why are you angry with your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a show of force?^{[h] 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intention to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your anger and change your mind about the calamity against your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself as you told them, ‘I’ll increase the number of your descendants like the stars of the heavens, I’ll give your descendants all of this land about which I have spoken, and they are to possess^[i] it forever.’”

¹⁴ So the Lord changed his mind about the calamity he had said he would bring on his people.

Moses Destroys the Golden Calf and the Tablets of the Law

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides. They were written on one side and the other. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God and the writing was God’s writing, inscribed on the tablets. ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he told Moses, “The sound of war is coming from^[j] the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses^[k] said,

¹⁹ As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the base of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, and ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water and made the Israelis drink it. ²¹ Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought such great sin upon them?”

²² Aaron said, “Sir,^[l] don’t be angry. You know the people—that they’re intent on evil. ²³ They told me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us because, as for this fellow Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold ornaments, tear them off.’ When they gave it to me, I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

The Descendants of Levi Punish the Guilty Israelis

²⁵ When Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control, something that incited ridicule from their enemies^[m]— ²⁶ he stood in the gate of the camp and called out: “Whoever is for the Lord come over^[n] to me,” and all the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and each of you kill his brother and friend and neighbor.’”

²⁸ The descendants of Levi did just as Moses told them,^[o] and about 3,000 people died that day. ²⁹ Moses said, “You have been ordained^[p] to serve the Lord^[q] today, and you have brought a blessing on yourselves today because every man opposed his son or brother.”^[r]

Moses Again Intercedes for the People

³⁰ The next day Moses told the people, “You committed a great sin, and now I’ll go up to the Lord, and perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Please, Lord, this people committed a great sin by making a god of gold for themselves. ³² Now, if you will, forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of your book which you have written.”

³³ The Lord told Moses, “Whoever sins against me, I’ll blot him out of my book. ³⁴ Now, go, and lead the people where I told you, and now my angel will go before you, but on the day when I do punish, I’ll punish them for their sin.” ³⁵ Then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the calf (the one Aaron made).