The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 32 -

(Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Acts 7:39–43)

Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”(a)

So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”

So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.(b)

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

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

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

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.

Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”

So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.

Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.

The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”

But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”

As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.

Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”

“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.

They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’

So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock (c) to their enemies.

So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.

He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.

Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained

(d)

for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you 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.”

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.

Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”

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

Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”

And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.

Footnotes

(a)32:1 Cited in Acts 7:40

(b)32:6 Or to play; cited in 1 Corinthians 10:7

(d)32:29 Or have ordained yourselves

(Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Acts 7:39–43)

When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”

Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

He received what they handed him, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molded calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

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

They rose up early on the next day, 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 spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves!

They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people.

Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses begged the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against your people.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring

(a)

as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

So The LORD turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.

Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides. They were written on one side and on the other.

The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of war in the camp.”

He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.”

As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain.

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

Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”

Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.

For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’

I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off.’ So they gave it to me; and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

When Moses saw that the people were out of control, (for Aaron had let them lose control, causing derision among their enemies),

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side, come to me!” All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

He said to them, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’”

The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men fell of the people that day.

Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, for every man was against his son and against his brother, that he may give you a blessing today.”

On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.”

Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold.

Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book.

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 punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

The LORD struck the people, because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.

Footnotes

(a)32:13 or, seed