Exodus 32:1-8 ▼

1 When the people saw that Moses took a long time to come down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, |Come here and make us a god who will go before us, because, as for this fellow Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him.|

2 Aaron told them, |Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.|

3 All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him.

4 He took them from them and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf. The people said, |This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.|

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it, and then he proclaimed, |Tomorrow is to be a festival to the LORD.|

6 They got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up to play.

7 The LORD told Moses, |Go down immediately, because your people whom you led out of Egypt have behaved corruptly.

8 They have been quick to turn aside from the way I commanded them, and they have made for themselves a molten calf. They have bowed down to it in worship, they have offered sacrifices to it, and they have said, 'This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.'|