32
1 But the people saw that Mosheh delayed to come down from the Mount; and the people gathered together unto Aharon, and said to him, Arise, make us gods (dachalan, pl. objects to be venerated) that may proceed before us; for this Mosheh, the man who brought us up from the land of Mizraim, we know not what hath been to him. 2 And Aharon said to them, Take off the golden ear-rings 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 rings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aharon. 4 And he took them from their hands, and formed it with a graver, and made it a molten calf. And they said, These are thy gods, Israel, which brought thee up from the land of Mizraim. 5 And Aharon saw, and builded an altar before it; and Aharon proclaimed and said, A feast shall be held before the Lord tomorrow. 6 And they arose next day, and sacrificed burnt offerings and offered oblations; and the people sat around to eat and drink, and rose up to disport.
7 And the Lord spake with Mosheh, Go, descend, for thy people whom thou broughtest up from the land of Mizraim have corrupted themselves; 8 They have quickly warped from the way which I had taught them; they have made a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and sacrificed unto it and have said, These are thy gods, Israel, which have brought thee up from the land of Mizraim. 9 And the Lord said to Mosheh, It is seen before Me that this people are hard-necked. 10 And now refrain from thy prayer before Me, and My anger shall prevail against them, and I will destroy them, and will make thee to a great people.
11 But Mosheh prayed before the Lord his God, and said, Why, Lord, is Thy anger strong against Thy people, whom Thou didst bring up from the land of Mizraim with great power and with might hand? 12 Wherefore should the Mizraee speak to say, With evil (purpose) He led them out to kill them among the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from the strength of Thine anger, and revert from the evil which Thou hast threatened to do unto Thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Izhak, and Israel, Thy servants to whom Thou hast sworn by Thy Word, and to whom Thou hast said, I will multiply your sons as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give unto your sons, and they shall own it forever. 14 And the Lord did turn from the evil which He had threatened to do unto the people.
15 And Mosheh returned and went down from the Mount, and the two tablets of testimony were in his hand: the tablets were inscribed on their two sides, here and there were they inscribed. 16 And the tablets were the work of the Lord, and the writing was the writing of the Lord set forth distinctly upon the tablets. 17 And Jehoshua heard the voice of the people as they made outcry, and he said to Mosheh, The voice of war is in the camp. 18 But he said, It is not the voice of men who are victorious, nor is it the voice of the weak who are beaten, but it is the voice of revelers that I hear. 19 And it was that as he drew nigh the camp, and saw the calf and the dancing, that the anger of Mosheh grew strong, and he cast from his hands the tablets, and brake them at the declivity of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in fire, and ground it until it was powder, and spread it on the face of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it.
21 And Mosheh said to Aharon, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought upon them so great a sin? 22 And Aharon said, Let not my lord’s anger be violent: thou knowest the people, that it is prone to evil. 23 And they said to me, Make us gods that shall go before us: for this Mosheh, the man who brought us up form the land of Mizraim, we know not what hath been done to him. 24 And I said to them, Whoever hath gold let him deliver, and give it to me; and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came forth.
25 And Mosheh saw that the people were undone (or, made empty); for Aharon had undone them, to defile them with an evil name in their generations; 26 And Mosheh stood at the gate of the camp, and said, Let those who fear the Lord come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27 And he said to them. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, Let every man put his sword upon his thigh, pass through, and return, from gate to gate in the camp, and slay, a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbour. 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word for Mosheh, and there fell of the people in that day as three thousand men. 29 And Mosheh said, Present your hands this day an offering before the Lord, every man with (or, on account of) his son and his brother, that you may bring blessings upon you this day.
30 And it was on the day following that Mosheh said to the people, You have sinned a great sin; but now I will go up before the Lord, if haply I may propitiate for your sin. 31 And Mosheh returned before the Lord, and said in his prayer, This people have sinned a great sin, for they have made to them gods of gold. 32 But now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin! But if not, blot me now out of the Book, which Thou hast written. 33 And the Lord said to Mosheh, Him who hath sinned before Me, will I blot from My book. 34 But now, go, lead the people to the place that I have told thee of: behold, My Angel shall proceed before thee; and in the day that I visit, I will visit upon them their sin.
35 And the Lord smote the people because they had worshipped (or served) the calf which Aharon had made.