Exodus, 32
1. When the people saw that Moses was a long time before coming down the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said to him, 'Get to work, make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man who brought us here from Egypt -- we do not know what has become of him.'
1. 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.
2. Aaron replied, 'Strip off the gold rings in the ears of your wives and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.'
2. 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.
3. The people all stripped off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.
3. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron.
4. He received what they gave him, melted it down in a mould and with it made the statue of a calf. 'Israel,' the people shouted, 'here is your God who brought you here from Egypt!'
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] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5. Observing this, Aaron built an altar before the statue and made this proclamation, 'Tomorrow will be a feast in Yahweh's honour.'
5. 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.
6. Early next morning they sacrificed burnt offerings and brought communion sacrifices. The people then sat down to eat and drink, and afterwards got up to amuse themselves.
6. 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.
7. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go down at once, for your people whom you brought here from Egypt have become corrupt.
7. 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]:
8. They have quickly left the way which I ordered them to follow. They have cast themselves a metal calf, worshipped it and offered sacrifice to it, shouting, "Israel, here is your God who brought you here from Egypt!" '
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] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'I know these people; I know how obstinate they are!
9. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people:
10. So leave me now, so that my anger can blaze at them and I can put an end to them! I shall make a great nation out of you instead.'
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. Moses tried to pacify Yahweh his God. 'Yahweh,' he said, 'why should your anger blaze at your people, whom you have brought out of Egypt by your great power and mighty hand?
11. 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?
12. Why should the Egyptians say, "He brought them out with evil intention, to slaughter them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth?" Give up your burning wrath; relent over this disaster intended for your people.
12. 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.
13. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom you swore by your very self and made this promise: "I shall make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and this whole country of which I have spoken, I shall give to your descendants, and it will be their heritage for ever."
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. Yahweh then relented over the disaster which he had intended to inflict on his people.
14. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
15. Moses turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, tablets inscribed on both sides, inscribed on the front and on the back.
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.
16. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing on them was God's writing, engraved on the tablets.
16. And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, 'There is the sound of battle in the camp!'
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. But he replied: No song of victory is this sound, no lament for defeat this sound; but answering choruses I hear!
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 there, as he approached the camp, he saw the calf and the groups dancing. Moses blazed with anger. He threw down the tablets he was holding, shattering them at the foot of the mountain.
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. He seized the calf they had made and burned it, grinding it into powder which he scattered on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
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].
21. Moses then said to Aaron, 'What have these people done to you for you to have brought so great a sin on them?'
21. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22. Aaron replied, 'My lord should not be so angry. You yourself know what a bad state these people are in!
22. And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they [are set] on mischief.
23. They said to me, "Make us a god to go at our head; for that Moses, the man who brought us here from Egypt -- we do not know what has become of him."
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 wot not what is become of him.
24. I then said to them, "Anyone with gold, strip it off!" They gave it to me. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!'
24. 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.
25. When Moses saw that the people were out of hand -- for Aaron had let them get out of hand to the derision of their enemies all round them-
25. And when Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:)
26. Moses then stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, 'Who is for Yahweh? To me!' And all the Levites rallied round him.
26. 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.
27. He said to them, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "Buckle on your sword, each of you, and go up and down the camp from gate to gate, every man of you slaughtering brother, friend and neighbour." '
27. 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.
28. The Levites did as Moses said, and of the people about three thousand men perished that day.
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.
29. 'Today', Moses said, 'you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh, one at the cost of his son, another of his brother; and so he bestows a blessing on you today.'
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.
30. On the following day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin. But now I shall go up to Yahweh: perhaps I can secure expiation for your sin.'
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 the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31. Moses then went back to Yahweh and said, 'Oh, this people has committed a great sin by making themselves a god of gold.
31. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32. And yet, if it pleased you to forgive their sin. . .! If not, please blot me out of the book you have written!'
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. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Those who have sinned against me are the ones I shall blot out of my book.
33. And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34. So now go and lead the people to the place I promised to you. My angel will indeed go at your head but, on the day of punishment, I shall punish them for their sin.'
34. 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.
35. And Yahweh punished the people for having made the calf, the one Aaron had made.
35. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
