Exodus 32:1-9

Legacy Standard Bible

The Golden Calf

32 Then the people saw that Moses ^(A)delayed to come down from the mountain. So the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Arise, ^(B)make us ^[a]gods who will go before us; as for ^(C)this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² And Aaron said to them, “^(D)Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he took this from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a ^(E)molten calf; and they said, “^[b]These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ⁵ And Aaron looked and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” ⁶ So the next day they rose early and ^(F)offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and ^(G)the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up ^(H)to play.

⁷ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go! Go down at once, for your people, whom ^(I)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have ^(J)corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. ^(K)They have made for themselves a molten calf and have worshiped it and ^(L)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘^[c](M)These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” ^9 (N)And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are ^(O)a stiff-necked people.