Exodus 32:17-35 ▼

17 Then Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted. And he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

18 But he said, “It is not the sound of the cry of triumph, Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; But the sound of singing I hear.”

19 Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

20 Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?”

22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.

23 Indeed they said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

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

25 Now Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies—

26 so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.

27 And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Every man among you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother and every man his friend and every man his neighbor.’”

28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

29 Then Moses said, “Be ordained today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30 Now it happened on the next day, that Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; but now I am going up to Yahweh, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

31 Then Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made gods of gold for themselves.

32 But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

33 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

34 But now go, guide the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

35 Then Yahweh smote the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.