The Golden Calf

32 Now when the people saw that Moses (A)delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Come, (B)make us [a]a god who will go before us; for (C)this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.” 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.” So all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then he took the gold from their [b]hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a (E)cast metal calf; and they said, “[c]This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” So the next day they got up early and (F)offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and (G)the people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up (H)to engage in lewd behavior.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go [d]down at once, for your people, whom (I)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have (J)behaved corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. (K)They have made for themselves a cast metal calf, and have worshiped it and (L)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘[e](M)This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” (N)Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are [f](O)an obstinate people. 10 So now (P)leave Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and (Q)I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses’ Plea

11 Then (R)Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should (S)the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You (T)swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will (U)multiply your [g]descendants as the stars of the heavens, and (V)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your [h]descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 (W)So the Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 (X)Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, (Y)tablets which were written on both [i]sides; they were written on one side and the other. 16 The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets. 17 Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people [j]as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18 But he said,

“It is not the sound of the cry of victory,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But I hear the sound of singing.”

Moses’ Anger

19 And it came about, as soon as [k]Moses approached the camp, that (Z)he saw the calf and the people dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and (AA)he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them to pieces [l]at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then (AB)he took the calf which they had made and completely burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, (AC)that they are [m]prone to evil. 23 For (AD)they said to me, ‘Make [n]a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ Then they gave it to me, and (AE)I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 Now when Moses saw that the people were [o]out of control—for Aaron had (AF)let them [p]get out of control to the point of being an object of ridicule among [q]their enemies— 26 Moses then stood at the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27 And he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Every man of you put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his [r]neighbor.’” 28 So (AG)the sons of Levi did [s]as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, “[t]Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30 And on the next day Moses said to the people, “(AH)You yourselves have [u]committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord; perhaps I can (AI)make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, this people has [v]committed a great sin, and they have made a (AJ)god of gold for themselves! 32 But now, if You will forgive their sin, very well; but if not, please wipe me out from Your (AK)book which You have written!” 33 However, the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, (AL)I will wipe him out of My book. 34 But go now, lead the people (AM)where I told you. Behold, (AN)My angel shall go before you; nevertheless (AO)on the day when I [w]punish, (AP)I will [x]punish them for their sin.” 35 (AQ)Then the Lord struck the people with a plague, because of (AR)what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

The Journey Resumed

33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which (AS)I swore to Abraham, (AT)Isaac, and (AU)Jacob, saying, ‘(AV)To your [y]descendants I will give it.’ And I will send (AW)an angel before you and (AX)I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Go up to a land (AY)flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are [z](AZ)an obstinate people, and (BA)I might destroy you on the way.”

When the people heard this [aa]sad word, (BB)they went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are [ab](BC)an obstinate people; if I [ac]were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your [ad]jewelry that I may know what I shall do to you.’” So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.

Now Moses used to take (BD)the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And (BE)everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, (BF)the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; (BG)and [ae]the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would stand and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 So (BH)the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When [af]Moses returned to the camp, (BI)his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses Intercedes

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘(BJ)Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know (BK)whom You will send with me. (BL)Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please (BM)let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight. (BN)Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “(BO)My presence shall go with you, and (BP)I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “(BQ)If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that (BR)we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the [ag]earth?”

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; (BS)for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 (BT)Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “(BU)I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and (BV)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, (BW)for mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place [ah]by Me, and (BX)you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and (BY)cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but (BZ)My face shall not be seen.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or gods
  2. Exodus 32:4 Lit hand
  3. Exodus 32:4 Or These are your gods
  4. Exodus 32:7 Lit go down
  5. Exodus 32:8 Or These are your gods
  6. Exodus 32:9 Or a stiff-necked
  7. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  8. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  9. Exodus 32:15 Lit their sides
  10. Exodus 32:17 Lit in its shouting
  11. Exodus 32:19 Lit he
  12. Exodus 32:19 Lit beneath
  13. Exodus 32:22 Lit in evil
  14. Exodus 32:23 Or gods
  15. Exodus 32:25 Lit let loose
  16. Exodus 32:25 Lit go loose
  17. Exodus 32:25 Lit those who rise against them
  18. Exodus 32:27 Or kin
  19. Exodus 32:28 Lit according to Moses’ word
  20. Exodus 32:29 Lit Fill your hand
  21. Exodus 32:30 Lit sinned
  22. Exodus 32:31 Lit sinned
  23. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit
  24. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit their sin upon them
  25. Exodus 33:1 Lit seed
  26. Exodus 33:3 Or a stiff-necked
  27. Exodus 33:4 Lit evil
  28. Exodus 33:5 Or a stiff-necked
  29. Exodus 33:5 Or go up...I will destroy
  30. Exodus 33:5 Lit jewelry from you, that
  31. Exodus 33:9 Lit He
  32. Exodus 33:11 Lit he
  33. Exodus 33:16 Lit ground
  34. Exodus 33:21 Lit with

The Gold Calf

32 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.

The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”

11 But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[a] You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’”

14 So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.

15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.[b] They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself.

17 When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!”

18 But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.”

19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.

21 Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?”

22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”

25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.[c] 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

27 Moses told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” 28 The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.

29 Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves[d] for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”

Moses Intercedes for Israel

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness[e] for your sin.”

31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. 32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!”

33 But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.”

35 Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.

33 The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”

When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.” So from the time they left Mount Sinai,[f] the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.

It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting[g] and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. 11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

Moses Sees the Lord’s Glory

12 One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ 13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

17 The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”

19 The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh,[h] before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 22 As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

Footnotes

  1. 32:13 Hebrew Israel. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
  2. 32:15 Hebrew the two tablets of the Testimony; see note on 25:16.
  3. 32:25 Or out of control, and they mocked anyone who opposed them. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  4. 32:29 As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads Today ordain yourselves.
  5. 32:30 Or to make atonement.
  6. 33:6 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
  7. 33:7 This “Tent of Meeting” is different from the Tabernacle described in chapters 26 and 36.
  8. 33:19 Yahweh is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered “Jehovah”; in this translation it is usually rendered “the Lord” (note the use of small capitals).