Exodus 32

¹Then the people, seeing that Moses made a delay in descending from the mountain, gathered together against Aaron, and said: “Rise up, make us gods, who may go before us. But as for this man Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.”

²And Aaron said to them, “Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

³And the people did what he had commanded, carrying the earrings to Aaron.

⁴And when he had received them, he formed these by the work of a casting furnace, and he made from these a molten calf. And they said: “These are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt.”

⁵And when Aaron had seen it, he built an altar before it, and he cried out with a voice of proclamation, saying, “Tomorrow is the solemnity of the Lord.”

⁶And rising up in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they rose up to play.

⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Go, descend. Your people, whom you led away from the land of Egypt, have sinned.

⁸They have quickly withdrawn from the way which you revealed to them. And they have made for themselves a molten calf, and they have worshiped it. And immolating victims to it, they have said: ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt.’ ”

⁹And again, the Lord said to Moses: “I discern that this people is stiff-necked.

¹⁰Release me, so that my fury may be enraged against them, and I may destroy them, and then I will make of you a great nation.”

¹¹Then Moses prayed to the Lord his God, saying: “Why, O Lord, is your fury enraged against your people, whom you led away from the land of Egypt, with great strength and with a mighty hand?

¹²I beg you, let not the Egyptians say, ‘He cleverly led them away, so that he could put them to death in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.’ Let your anger be quieted and appeased concerning the wickedness of your people.

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self, saying: ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven. And this entire land, about which I have spoken, I will give to your offspring. And you shall possess it forever.’ ”

¹⁴And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

¹⁵And Moses returned from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

¹⁶and accomplished by the work of God. Also, the writing of God was engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷Then Joshua, hearing the tumult of the people shouting, said to Moses: “The outcry of battle is heard in the camp.”

¹⁸But he responded: “It is not the clamor of men being exhorted to battle, nor the shout of men being compelled to flee. But I hear the voice of singing.”

¹⁹And when he had approached to the camp, he saw the calf and the dances. And being very angry, he threw down the tablets from his hand, and he broke them at the base of the mountain.

²⁰And seizing the calf, which they had made, he burnt it and crushed it, even to dust, which he scattered into water. And he gave from it to the sons of Israel to drink.

²¹And he said to Aaron, “What has this people done to you, so that you would bring upon them the greatest sin?”

²²And he answered him: “Let not my lord be indignant. For you know this people, that they are prone to evil.

²³They said to me: ‘Make gods for us, who may go before us. For this Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.’

²⁴And I said to them, ‘Which of you has gold?’ And they took it and gave it to me. And I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

²⁵Therefore, Moses, seeing that the people were naked (for Aaron had stripped them because of the disgrace of their sordidness, and he had set them naked among their enemies),

²⁶and standing at the gate of the camp, said: “If anyone is for the Lord, let him join with me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

²⁷And he said to them: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let a man place his sword at his thigh. Go forth, and then return, from gate to gate, through the midst of the camp, and let each one kill his brother, and friend, and neighbor.”

²⁸And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there fell on that day about twenty-three thousand men.

²⁹And Moses said: “On this day, you have consecrated your hands to the Lord, each one in his son and in his brother, so that a blessing may be given to you.”

³⁰Then, when the next day arrived, Moses spoke to the people: “You have sinned the greatest sin. I will ascend to the Lord. Perhaps, in some way, I might be able to entreat him for your wickedness.”

³¹And returning to the Lord, he said: “I beg you, this people has sinned the greatest sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold. Either release them from this offense,

³²or, if you do not, then delete me from the book that you have written.”

³³And the Lord answered him: “Whoever has sinned against me, him I will delete from my book.

³⁴But as for you, go and lead this people where I have told you. My angel will go before you. Then, on the day of retribution, I will also visit this sin of theirs.”

³⁵Therefore, the Lord struck the people for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron had made.

Exodus 32

¹And the people seeing that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us: For as to this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has befallen him.

²And Aaron said to them: Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.

³And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron.

⁴And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders' work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

⁵And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation by a crier's voice, saying To morrow is the solemnity of the Lord.

⁶And rising in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.

⁷And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned.

⁸They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

⁹And again the Lord said to Moses: I see that this people is stiffnecked:

¹⁰Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.

¹¹But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation enkindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand?

¹²Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to your seed, and you shall possess it for ever:

¹⁴And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.

¹⁵And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

¹⁶And made by the work of God; the writing also of God was graven in the tables.

¹⁷And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp.

¹⁸But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.

¹⁹And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount:

²⁰And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strewed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.

²¹And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin?

²²And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended; for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil.

²³They said to me: make us gods, that may go before us; for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him.

²⁴And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me; and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.

²⁵And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies)

²⁶Then standing in the gate of the camp, he said: If any man be on the Lord's side, let him join with me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him:

²⁷And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and friend, and neighbour.

²⁸And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men.

²⁹And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.

³⁰And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime.

³¹And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass,

³²Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.

³³And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:

³⁴But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs.

³⁵The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt, on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.