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The Gold Calf

32 When the people saw that it took so long for Moses to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make a god[a] for us, who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has become of him.”

Aaron said to them, “Pull off the gold earrings from your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me.”

All the people pulled off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and shaped it with an engraving tool and made it into a bull calf cast out of metal. Then they said, “This is your god, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”[b]

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and Aaron made a proclamation. He said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.”

They got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and to drink and got up to celebrate wildly.

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Hurry down, because your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! They have quickly turned from the way which I commanded them. They have made a calf for themselves out of metal and have worshipped it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and they certainly are a stiff-necked people.[c] 10 So now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn hot against them, so that I may consume them and make you into a great nation.”

11 Moses begged the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out for an evil purpose, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn back from your fierce anger and change your mind about inflicting disaster on your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self. You said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed[d] like the stars of the sky, and I will give all this land that I have spoken about to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14 Then the Lord changed his mind about the disaster which he said he would inflict on his people.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain, with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand—tablets that were written on both sides, written on one side and on the other. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of war in the camp.”

18 Moses said, “It is not the sound of people who shout for victory; neither is it the sound of people who cry because of defeat. But I do hear the sound of people who are celebrating.”

19 As soon as Moses came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and Moses’ anger burned. So he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.

21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin on them?”

22 Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn. You know these people. They are set on evil, 23 so they said to me, ‘Make a god for us, who will go ahead of us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, pull it off.’ So they gave it to me. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf.”

25 When Moses saw that the people were out of control (for Aaron had let them get so out of control that they were disgraced among their enemies), 26 Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me!”

All the descendants of Levi gathered themselves together to Moses. 27 He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man is to strap his sword on his thigh and go back and forth throughout the camp, from one gate of the camp to the other, and every man is to kill his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did what Moses said, and that day about three thousand men from among the people fell. 29 Moses said, “Begin your service of the Lord today.[e] Yes, because every man among you took a stand against his son and against his brother, the Lord is bestowing a blessing on you today.”

30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a very serious sin. Now I will go up to the Lord. Perhaps I can gain atonement for your sin.”

31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Yes, this people has committed a very serious sin: They have made a god of gold for themselves. 32 Yet now, if you will, please forgive their sin—and if not, please erase me from your book, which you have written.”

33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me is the one I will erase from my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you. Look, my Angel shall go ahead of you. Nevertheless, when the right day comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 The Lord struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or gods. The form is plural, but only one idol was made.
  2. Exodus 32:4 The form is plural but only one idol was made. In the next verse Aaron treats this as if it were worship of the Lord.
  3. Exodus 32:9 Like a stubborn animal that refuses to be led
  4. Exodus 32:13 That is, your descendants. Retention of the literal term seed highlights the connection with the Messianic promises to Eve and to Abraham.
  5. Exodus 32:29 Literally fill your hands. This is the same term used for ordination.

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses (A)delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, (B)“Up, make us gods who shall (C)go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So Aaron said to them, “Take off the (D)rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. (E)And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden[a] calf. And they said, (F)“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron (G)made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And (H)the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up (I)to play.

And the Lord said to Moses, (J)“Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have (K)corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that (L)I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, (M)it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore (N)let me alone, that (O)my wrath may burn hot against them and (P)I may consume them, in order that (Q)I may make a great nation of you.”

11 But (R)Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 (S)Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and (T)relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you (U)swore by your own self, and said to them, (V)‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the Lord (W)relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

15 Then (X)Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the (Y)two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 16 (Z)The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When (AA)Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said, “It is not the sound of (AB)shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” 19 And as soon as he came near the camp and (AC)saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

21 And Moses said to Aaron, (AD)“What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. (AE)You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For (AF)they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So (AG)I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, (AH)to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you (AI)kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been (AJ)ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, (AK)“You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; (AL)perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, (AM)this people has sinned a great sin. They have (AN)made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if (AO)you will forgive their sin—but if not, please (AP)blot me out of (AQ)your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, (AR)“Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 (AS)But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; (AT)behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”

35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:4 Hebrew cast metal; also verse 8

32 Al ver el pueblo que Moisés tardaba en bajar del monte, fueron a ver a Aarón y le dijeron:

«Anda, haznos unos dioses que vayan delante de nosotros, porque a este Moisés, que nos sacó de Egipto, no sabemos qué pudo haberle sucedido.»(A)

Aarón les dijo:

«Aparten los zarcillos de oro que sus mujeres, sus hijos y sus hijas llevan en las orejas, y tráiganmelos.»

Todo el pueblo apartó los zarcillos de oro que llevaban en las orejas, y se los llevaron a Aarón. Éste los recibió de sus manos, y con un buril les dio forma, hasta hacer de ellos un becerro de oro fundido.(B) Y ellos dijeron entonces:

«Israel, ¡éstos son los dioses que te sacaron de Egipto!»

Cuando Aarón vio esto, levantó un altar delante del becerro y proclamó:

«¡Mañana celebraremos una fiesta en honor del Señor!»

Al día siguiente todos madrugaron, y ofrecieron holocaustos y presentaron ofrendas de paz, y el pueblo se sentó a comer y a beber, y comenzó a divertirse.(C)

Entonces el Señor le dijo a Moisés:

«Anda, baja del monte, porque el pueblo que sacaste de Egipto se ha corrompido. Muy pronto se han apartado del camino que yo les señalé. Se han hecho un becerro de oro fundido, y lo están adorando, y le ofrecen sacrificios, mientras dicen: “Israel, ¡éstos son los dioses que te sacaron de Egipto!”»

El Señor también le dijo a Moisés:

«Ya he podido ver que este pueblo es de dura cerviz. 10 Déjame, que mi ira contra ellos se va a encender y los voy a consumir. Pero de ti haré una gran nación.»

11 Entonces Moisés oró delante del Señor su Dios, y dijo:

«Señor, ¿por qué habría de encenderse tu furor contra tu pueblo, si tú lo sacaste de Egipto con gran poder y con mano fuerte? 12 Los egipcios van a decir: “¡Dios los sacó para su mal! ¡Los sacó para matarlos en los montes y para borrarlos de la faz de la tierra!” ¿Y por qué van a decirlo? ¡Calma el ardor de tu ira, y no cometas este mal contra tu pueblo! 13 Acuérdate de tus siervos Abrahán, Isaac e Israel, a quienes les juraste por ti mismo: “Yo multiplicaré la descendencia de ustedes como las estrellas del cielo,(D) y les daré toda esta tierra, de la cual les he hablado, para que sea su herencia para siempre.”»(E)

14 Entonces el Señor cambió de parecer y ya no le hizo daño a su pueblo.(F) 15 Moisés, por su parte, bajó del monte trayendo en su mano las dos tablas del testimonio, las cuales estaban escritas por ambos lados. 16 Las tablas eran obra de Dios, lo mismo que la escritura que estaba grabada sobre las tablas.

17 Josué oyó que el pueblo gritaba, así que le dijo a Moisés:

«Hay en el campamento alaridos de guerra.»

18 Pero él respondió:

«No son voces de vencedores. Ni son voces de gente derrotada. Lo que oigo son cantos de alegría.»

19 Y cuando Moisés llegó al campamento y vio el becerro y las danzas, se encendió su enojo y, arrojando lejos de sí las tablas, las quebró al pie del monte. 20 Luego tomó el becerro que habían hecho y lo quemó en el fuego, moliéndolo hasta reducirlo a polvo, y ese polvo lo esparció sobre las aguas y se las dio a beber a los hijos de Israel. 21 Luego, le dijo a Aarón:

«¿Qué te ha hecho este pueblo, que lo has hecho cometer tan gran pecado?»

22 Aarón respondió:

«Mi señor, no te enojes. Tú sabes que este pueblo se inclina a hacer lo malo. 23 Ellos me dijeron: “Haz unos dioses que nos vayan abriendo el paso. La verdad, no sabemos qué pudo haberle pasado a este Moisés que nos sacó de Egipto.” 24 Yo les respondí: “El que tenga oro, que lo aparte.” Entonces ellos me lo dieron, yo lo eché en el fuego, ¡y salió este becerro!»

25 Al ver Moisés que el pueblo estaba desenfrenado, porque, para vergüenza de ellos ante sus enemigos, Aarón se lo había permitido, 26 se puso a la entrada del campamento y dijo:

«¿Quién está de parte del Señor? ¡Únase a mí!»

Y todos los hijos de Leví se le unieron. 27 Entonces él les dijo:

«Así ha dicho el Señor, el Dios de Israel: “Fájese cada uno de ustedes la espada al cinto, y vaya de puerta en puerta por el campamento, y mate cada uno a su hermano, a su amigo, o a su pariente.”»

28 Y los hijos de Leví hicieron lo que Moisés les ordenó, y ese día cayeron a filo de espada como tres mil hombres del pueblo. 29 Entonces Moisés dijo:

«Hoy ustedes se han consagrado al Señor. Hoy el Señor les ha dado su bendición, pues cada uno de ustedes se ha consagrado en su hijo y en su hermano.»

30 Al día siguiente, Moisés le dijo al pueblo:

«Ustedes han cometido un gran pecado. Pero voy ahora a subir al monte, y hablaré con el Señor; tal vez pueda apaciguarlo acerca del pecado de ustedes.»

31 Y volvió Moisés para hablar con el Señor, y le dijo:

«Este pueblo ha cometido un gran pecado, pues se hicieron dioses de oro. Te ruego 32 que les perdones su pecado. De lo contrario, ¡bórrame ya del libro que has escrito!»(G)

33 Y el Señor le respondió:

«Borraré de mi libro al que peque contra mí. 34 Tú ve y lleva ya a este pueblo al lugar que te he dicho. Mi ángel irá delante de ti. Pero cuando tenga que castigarlos por su pecado, los castigaré.»

35 Y el Señor hirió al pueblo por el becerro que Aarón había hecho para ellos.

32 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us [a]gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, [b]These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to Jehovah. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And Jehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11 And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14 And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people.

15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear. 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off: so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25 And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose (for Aaron had let them loose for a [c]derision among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on Jehovah’s side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 And Moses said, [d]Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, [e]yea, every man [f]against his son, and [g]against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin. 31 And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. 35 And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or, a god
  2. Exodus 32:4 Or, This is thy God
  3. Exodus 32:25 Hebrew whispering.
  4. Exodus 32:29 Hebrew Fill your hand.
  5. Exodus 32:29 Or, for every man hath been against his son and against his brother
  6. Exodus 32:29 Or, upon
  7. Exodus 32:29 Or, upon

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,(A) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before(B) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”(C)

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings(D) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol(E) cast in the shape of a calf,(F) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b](G) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(H)

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival(I) to the Lord.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.(J) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink(K) and got up to indulge in revelry.(L)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,(M) have become corrupt.(N) They have been quick to turn away(O) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol(P) cast in the shape of a calf.(Q) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed(R) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’(S)

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked(T) people. 10 Now leave me alone(U) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy(V) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”(W)

11 But Moses sought the favor(X) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?(Y) 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?(Z) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster(AA) on your people. 13 Remember(AB) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:(AC) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars(AD) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land(AE) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented(AF) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law(AG) in his hands.(AH) They were inscribed(AI) on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.(AJ)

17 When Joshua(AK) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

18 Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
    it is not the sound of defeat;
    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf(AL) and the dancing,(AM) his anger burned(AN) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces(AO) at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned(AP) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,(AQ) scattered it on the water(AR) and made the Israelites drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

22 “Do not be angry,(AS) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.(AT) 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’(AU) 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”(AV)

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock(AW) to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”(AX) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.(AY) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement(AZ) for your sin.”

31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!(BA) They have made themselves gods of gold.(BB) 32 But now, please forgive their sin(BC)—but if not, then blot me(BD) out of the book(BE) you have written.”

33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out(BF) of my book. 34 Now go, lead(BG) the people to the place(BH) I spoke of, and my angel(BI) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,(BJ) I will punish them for their sin.”

35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf(BK) Aaron had made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
  2. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8