32 Meanwhile, the people had noticed that Mosheh had been up on the mountain for a long time, so they people gathered themselves around Aharon and told him, “Come on. Make some gods for us that can go ahead of us, because we don’t know what’s happened to that Mosheh—the man[fn] who brought us out of Egypt.”[ref]

2 Aharon replied, “Go and get the gold earrings off your wives and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So the people took off all their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon, 4 and he took them and smelted and crafted the gold into the form of a young bull. Then the people said, “These are your gods,[fn] Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.”[ref]

5 When Aharon saw that, he built an altar in front of the bull and announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to honour Yahweh.” 6 So they got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, then stood up to make merry.[ref]

7 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, “Go on down because your people that you brought out of Egypt have gone bad— 8 they’ve quickly deviated from what I instructed them. They’ve made a metal bull for themselves and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and they’ve said, ‘Israel, these are your gods that brought you out of Egypt.’ ” 9 Then Yahweh said to Mosheh, “I’ve seen this people, and look, they’re so stubborn. 10 So leave me alone now and let my anger rage against them. I will destroy them and make you into a great nation.” 11 But Mosheh pleaded with his God Yahweh and asked, “Yahweh, why are you angry at your people that you have brought out of Egypt with your incredible power and actions?[ref] 12 If you did that, the Egyptians would say, ‘Ha, he brought them out with evil plans to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from off the earth’? Turn from your anger and repent from any idea of doing evil to your people. 13 Remember Abraham and Yitshak and Yisra’el—your servants that you swore to them yourself and told them, ‘I will cause your descendants to increase like the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land which I told you about, and they will inherit it forever.’ ”[ref] 14 So Yahweh repented from the evil that he’d said he’d do to his people.

15 Then Mosheh turned and went down the mountain carrying the two tablets with the transcript. The tablets were engraved on both sides—front and back. 16 They were God’s work—it was his writing and he had inscribed it on the tablets. 17 As they descended, Yehoshua heard the sounds of people shouting and said to Mosheh, “It sounds like a war going on down there in the camp!” 18 But Mosheh responded, “It’s not a victory march, and it’s not moans of defeat—it’s singing that I can hear!” 19 Then as they approached the camp, they saw the bull and the dancing, and Mosheh got very angry and threw the tablets down at the bottom of the mountain and they shattered. 20 He took the bull they had made and burned it in the fire, then he ground it down until it was powder and sprinkled it on top of pots of water and made the Israelis drink it.

21 Then Mosheh demanded from Aharon, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such a terrible sin on them?” 22 Aharon responded, “Don’t be angry with me, my master. You know the people—they’re intent on evil. 23 They insisted, saying, ‘Make a god for us to lead us. As for that Mosheh—the man that brought us out of Egypt—we don’t know what’s happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Anyone who has gold jewelry, take it off yourself,’ and they gave it to me and I threw it into the fire, and this bull came out.”

25 Mosheh saw that the people were out of control because Aharon had let them go wild, and now they were subject to mockery from any group that stood up against them. 26 Then Mosheh stood at the camp entrance and asked, “Anyone who’s for Yahweh, come to me.” And all the men from the clan of Levi gathered around him. 27 Then he told them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man must strap his sword on his side. Pass through and return from gate to gate in the camp and kill the unfaithful men—even if it’s your brother, or friend, or neighbour.’ ” 28 The Levite men did what Mosheh ordered and they killed about three thousand Israeli men that day. 29 Then Mosheh told them, “Consecrate yourselves to Yahweh today, because any man who stood against his son or his brother today has placed a blessing on himself.”

30 The next day, Mosheh told the people, “You all have committed a terrible sin, but now I will go up to Yahweh—perhaps I can atone for your sin.” 31 So Mosheh returned to Yahweh and said, “Please, these people have committed a terrible sin and made gods for themselves out of gold. 32 But now, maybe you’ll forgive their sin, but if not, please blot me out of your book that you’ve written.”[ref] 33 But Yahweh said to Mosheh, “It’s anyone who sinned against me that I’ll blot out of my book. 34 So go now and lead the people to where I’ve spoken to you. See, my angel will go ahead of you, but on the day that I settle accounts, then I’ll punish them for their sin.”

35 Then Yahweh sent a plague on the people because they had got Aharon to make the gold bull.