32:1 When the people saw that Moses delayed¹ in coming down² from the mountain, they³ gathered together around Aaron, and they said to him, “Get up,⁴ make us gods⁵ that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses,⁶ the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what⁷ has become of him.”

32:2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”⁸ 32:3 And all⁹ the people broke off the golden earrings that were on their ears, and they brought them to Aaron. 32:4 And he received them¹⁰ from their hand and he fashioned¹¹ it with an engraving tool, and he made a molten calf.¹² Then they said, “These are your gods,¹³ O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”¹⁴

32:5 When¹⁵ Aaron saw this,¹⁶ he built an altar before it,¹⁷ and Aaron made a proclamation¹⁸ and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast¹⁹ to Yahweh.” 32:6 So they rose up early on the next day, and they offered up burnt offerings, and they brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink,²⁰ and they rose up to play.²¹

32:7 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, descend,²² because your²³ people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. 32:8 They have turned aside quickly²⁴ from the way which I commanded them, they have made for themselves a molten calf, and they have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt’.”

32:9 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people,²⁵ that²⁶ they are a stiff-necked people.²⁷ 32:10 So now, leave me alone²⁸ so that my anger can burn against them and that I may consume them; and I will make from you a great nation.”

32:11 But Moses sought the favor²⁹ of Yahweh his God. And he said, “O Yahweh, why does your anger burn against Your people, whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 32:12 Why³⁰ should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘For evil³¹ he led them out to kill them in the mountains, and to destroy³² them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent³³ of this evil against your people. 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, and spoke to them, ‘I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I have spoken about³⁴ I will give it to your descendants³⁵ and they will inherit it forever’.” 32:14 Then Yahweh relented over the evil which he had that he was going to do³⁶ to his people.

32:15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain with³⁷ the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides—on the one side and on the other they were written. 32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 32:17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,³⁸ he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp.” 32:18 And Moses³⁹ said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory,⁴⁰ neither is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome,⁴¹ but the sound of singing⁴² do I hear.”⁴³

32:19 And when he drew near the camp he saw the calf and the dancing; and the anger of Moses burned hot, and he cast the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.⁴⁴ 32:20 And then he took the calf which they had made, and he burned it in the fire, and ground it⁴⁵ to powder, and poured it out on the water and made the Israelites drink it.⁴⁶

32:21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?” 32:22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my Lord burn hot; you know the people, that on evil it is. 32:23 And they said to me, ‘Make us gods which will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it⁴⁷ to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”⁴⁸

32:25 And Moses saw that the people were running wild,⁴⁹ for Aaron had let them get out of control, to the derision from their enemies.⁵⁰ 32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come⁵¹ to me.”⁵² And all the Levites gathered themselves to him. 32:27 And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘Each man fasten⁵³ his sword on his side, and go in and out⁵⁴ from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and kill each one his brother, his friend and neighbor.’”⁵⁵

32:28 And the Levites did according to the word of Moses; and that day about three thousand men of the people died.⁵⁶ 32:29 And Moses said, “Your hand was filled ⁵⁷ today to Yahweh, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.⁵⁸

32:30 And on the next day Moses said to the people,⁵⁹ “You have committed a very serious sin;⁶⁰ but now I will go up to Yahweh—perhaps I can make atonement⁶¹ on behalf of your sin.”

32:31 So Moses returned to Yahweh, and he said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin,⁶² and they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin . . .⁶³ but if not, blot me out⁶⁴ from your book that you have written.”⁶⁵ 32:33 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me—him will I blot out of my book.” 32:34 So now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Indeed,⁶⁶ my Angel will go before you. But on the day that I visit , then I will visit their sin on them.⁶⁷

32:35 And Yahweh plagued the people, because they had made the calf,⁶⁸ which Aaron made.⁶⁹