Shemoth (Exodus) 32

¹And when the people saw that Mosheh was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aharon, and said to him, “Arise, make us mighty ones who go before us. For this Mosheh, the man who brought us up out of the land of Mitsrayim, we do not know what has become of him.”

²And Aharon said to them, “Take off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

³“And all the people took off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aharon.

⁴“And he took this from their hand, and he formed it with an engraving tool, and made a moulded calf. And they said, “This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, that brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim!”

⁵And Aharon saw and built a slaughter-place before it. And Aharon called out and said, “Tomorrow is a festival to יהוה.”

⁶And they rose early on the next day, and offered ascending offerings, and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

⁷And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Mitsrayim have corrupted themselves.

⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a moulded calf, and have bowed themselves to it and slaughtered to it, and said, ‘This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim!’

⁹And יהוה said to Mosheh, “I have seen this people, and see, it is a stiff-necked people!

¹⁰And now, let Me alone, that My wrath might burn against them and I consume them and I make of you a great nation.

¹¹But Mosheh pleaded with יהוה his Elohim, and said, “יהוה, why does Your wrath burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Mitsrayim with great power and with a strong hand?

¹²“Why should the Mitsrites speak, and say, ‘For evil He brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from the heat of Your wrath, and relent from this evil to Your people.

¹³“Remember Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yisra’ĕl, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I increase your seed like the stars of the heavens. And all this land that I have spoken of I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”

¹⁴And יהוה relented from the evil which He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵And Mosheh turned and went down from the mountain, and in his hand were the two tablets of the Witness, tablets written on both their sides, written on the one and on the other.

¹⁶And the tablets were the work of Elohim, and the writing was the writing of Elohim engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷And Yehoshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted and he said to Mosheh, “A noise of battle in the camp!”

¹⁸But he said, “It is not the sound of those who shout of might, nor is it the sound of those who cry out in weakness, but the sound of singing that I hear.”

¹⁹And it came to be, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. And Mosheh’s displeasure burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

²⁰And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it into powder, and scattered it on the face of the water and made the children of Yisra’ĕl drink it.

²¹And Mosheh said to Aharon, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

²²And Aharon said, “Do not let the displeasure of my master burn. You know the people, that it is in evil.

²³“And they said to me, ‘Make us mighty ones who go before us. For this Mosheh, the man who brought us out of the land of Mitsrayim, we do not know what has become of him.’

²⁴“And I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let them take it off.’ And they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

²⁵And Mosheh saw that the people were let loose, for Aharon had let them loose, to their shame among their enemies.

²⁶And Mosheh stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Who is for יהוה? Come to me.” And all the sons of Lĕwi gathered themselves to him.

²⁷And he said to them, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl: ‘Each one put his sword on his side, pass over to and fro from gate to gate in the camp, and each one kill his brother, and each one his friend, and each one his relative.’ ”

²⁸And the sons of Lĕwi did according to the word of Mosheh. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

²⁹And Mosheh said, “You are ordained for יהוה today – since each one has been against his son and his brother – so as to bring upon you a blessing today.”

³⁰And it came to be on the next day that Mosheh said to the people, “You, you have sinned a great sin. And now I am going up to יהוה – if I might atone for your sin.”

³¹And Mosheh returned to יהוה and said, “Oh, these people have sinned a great sin, and have made for themselves a mighty one of gold!

³²And now, if You would forgive their sin, but if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written.

³³And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I blot him out of My book.

³⁴And now, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. See, My Messenger goes before you. And in the day of My visitation I shall visit their sin upon them.

³⁵And יהוה plagued the people because they made the calf, which Aharon made.