Exodus 32

When the people saw that Moses was long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Get up, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

KJV And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto 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.

Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."

KJV And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

KJV And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

He received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten calf. They said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!"

KJV 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 thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD."

KJV And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.

KJV 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.

The LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

They have turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.'"

KJV 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 thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make you into a great nation."

KJV 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.

But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn hot against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

KJV And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and relent from this disaster against Your people.

KJV Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, 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.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

KJV 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.

The LORD relented from the disaster He had spoken of bringing on His people.

KJV And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand — tablets written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.

KJV 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.

The tablets were God's own craftsmanship, and the writing engraved on the tablets was God's own writing.

KJV And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war in the camp."

KJV 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.

But Moses said, "It is not the sound of the cry of victory, nor the sound of the cry of defeat. It is the sound of singing that I hear."

KJV 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.

As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses's anger burned hot. He threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

KJV 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.

He took the calf they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

KJV 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.

Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?"

KJV And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot. You know this people, that they are set on evil.

KJV And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'

KJV 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 wot not what is become of him.

So I said to them, 'Whoever has gold, take it off.' They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

KJV And I said unto them, Whosoever hath 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.

Moses saw that the people had broken loose, for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies.

KJV And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" All the sons of Levi gathered around him.

KJV Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

He said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Each of you put his sword on his side. Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother, his companion, and his neighbor."

KJV And he said unto them, Thus saith 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 slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

KJV And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the LORD, each at the cost of his son and his brother, so that He might bestow a blessing on you this day."

KJV 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.

The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."

KJV 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 the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people has committed a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.

KJV And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

But now, if You will forgive their sin — but if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written."

KJV Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. My angel will go before you. But on the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them."

KJV Therefore 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.

The LORD struck the people because they made the calf — the one Aaron had made.

KJV And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.