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. When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, "Up, 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."

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 to them, "Take off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."

3. The people all stripped off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.

3. So all the people took off the rings of gold which were in their ears, and brought them to 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 the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made a molten calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you 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. When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be 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 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 to Moses, "Go down; for your people, whom you brought up 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 for themselves a molten 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!'"

9. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'I know these people; I know how obstinate they are!

9. And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked 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 burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make 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. But Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does thy wrath burn hot against thy people, whom 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. Why should the Egyptians say, `With evil intent 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 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 didst swear by thine own self, and didst say to them, `I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, 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 to 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 mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, tables that were written on both 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. When 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 replied: No song of victory is this sound, no lament for defeat this sound; but answering choruses I hear!

18. But he said, "It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that 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 as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tables out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

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 with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water, and made the people of Israel drink 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 to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought a great 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 burn hot; you know the people, that they are set on evil.

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 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. 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 to them, `Let any who have gold take it off'; so they gave it to me, and I threw 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 had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to 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? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to 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 to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, `Put every man his sword on his side, 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. The Levites did as Moses said, and of the people about three thousand men perished that day.

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. '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. And Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, that he may bestow a blessing upon you 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. On the morrow Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make 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. So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves 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. But 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. But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has 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. But now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. 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 sent a plague upon the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.