1When the people saw that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us gods who will lead us. As for Moses, the man who led us out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold earrings from the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3So all the people took off the gold earrings they were wearing and brought them to Aaron.
4He took the gold they handed him, melted it down, and chiseled it into the shape of a calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf. Then Aaron announced, “Tomorrow will be a feast to Yahweh!”
6The next day, they got up early and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, and afterward, they got up to celebrate wildly.
7Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have acted corruptly!
8They have quickly turned away from the path I commanded them. They have made themselves a melted calf idol, worshiped it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
9Yahweh also said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and indeed, they are a stubborn people.
10Now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can wipe them out. Then I will make you a great nation.”
11But Moses pleaded with Yahweh his God, saying, “Yahweh, why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He led them out with evil intentions, to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the face of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce anger and change your mind about bringing disaster on your people.
13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, because you swore an oath to them by yourself, saying, 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give all this land that I promised to your descendants, and they will own it forever.'
14Yahweh changed his mind about the disaster he said he would bring on his people.
15Moses turned and went down from the mountain, holding the two stone tablets of the covenant. The tablets were written on both sides, front and back.
16God himself made the tablets and God himself engraved the writing on them.
17When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, "There's the sound of war in the camp!"
18Moses replied, "That's not the sound of people shouting about victory, nor is it the sound of people crying because they've been defeated. What I hear is the sound of singing."
19As soon as Moses got close to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moses became very angry, and he threw the tablets down from his hands, breaking them at the foot of the mountain.
20He took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it into powder, scattered the powder on the water, and made the people of Israel drink it.
21Moses said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into committing such a terrible sin?"
22Aaron replied, "Please don't be angry, my lord. You know these people, how determined they are to do wrong.
23They said to me, 'Make gods for us to lead us, because we don't know what happened to this Moses, the man who led us out of Egypt.'
24So I told them, 'Anyone who has gold jewelry, take it off!' They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."
25When Moses saw that the people were out of control (because Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies),
26Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, "Anyone who is on Yahweh's side, come to me!" And all the Levites gathered around him.
27He told them, "This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'Each of you, strap on your sword and go throughout the camp from one entrance to the other. Kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.'"
28The Levites did what Moses commanded, and about three thousand people died that day.
29Moses said, "Today you have dedicated yourselves to Yahweh, even if it meant opposing your own son or brother, so today he will bless you."
30The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make amends for your sin."
31Moses returned to Yahweh and said, "Oh, this people has committed a terrible sin. They have made gods of gold for themselves.
32Now, please forgive their sin. But if you won't, then please erase my name from the book you have written."
33Yahweh told Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will remove their name from my book of life.
34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look, my angel will go ahead of you. But when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35Yahweh struck the people with a plague because they made the calf that Aaron had fashioned.