Exodus 32:1-10

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Gold Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god^[a] who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!”^(A)

² Then Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings^(B) that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from their hands, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf.

Then they said, “Israel, this is your God,^[b] who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”^(C)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; then he made an announcement: “There will be a festival^(D) to the Lord tomorrow.” ⁶ Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, then got up to play.^(E)

⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.^{(F) 8} They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, this is your God,^[c] who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”^{(G) 9} The Lord also said to Moses: “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked^(H) people. ¹⁰ Now leave Me alone, so that My anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”^(I)