The molten calf
32:1 AND when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, 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 wot not what is become of him.
32:2 And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] to me.
32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] to Aaron.
32:4 And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf and they said, These [be] your gods, O Israel, which brought ya’ll up out of the land of Egypt.
32:5 And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow [is] a feast to the LORD.
32:6 And they rose up early the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
32:7 And the LORD said to Moses, Go, get you down ; for your people, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]
32:8 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 thereunto, and said, These [be] your gods, O Israel, which have brought ya’ll up out of the land of Egypt.
32:9 And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiff-necked people
32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them and I will make of ya’ll a great nation.
32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why does your wrath wax hot against your people, which you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand ?
32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth ? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
Moses reminds God of his promise
32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you sware by your own self, and said to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit [it] for ever.
32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.
32:15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his hand the tables [were] written on both their sides ; on the one side and on the other [were] they written.
32:16 And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, [There is] a noise of war in the camp.
32:18 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.
Moses breaks the tables
32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came near to 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.
32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it].
32:21 And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to ya’ll , that you have brought so great a sin upon them?
32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot you know the people, that they [are set] on mischief.
32:23 For they said to 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.
32:24 And I said to them, Whosoever has any gold, let them break [it] off. So they gave [it] me then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
The idolaters slain
32:25 And when Moses saw that the people [were] loosed ; (for Aaron had made them loosed to [their] derision among their enemies)
32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD’S side? [let him come] to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
32:27 And he said to them, This says the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
32:29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother ; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
32:30 And it came to pass the next day, that Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin and now I will go up to the LORD ; perhaps I shall make an atonement for your sin.
32:31 And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32:32 Yet now, if you will forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray you, out of your book which you have written.
32:33 And the LORD said to Moses, Whosoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
32:34 Therefore now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to ya’ll behold, mine Angel shall go before ya’ll nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
32:35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made