The Golden Calf
(Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Acts 7:39–43)

1And the people will see that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, and the people will assemble to Aaron, and will say to him, Arise, make to us gods who shall go before us: for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we shall not know what was to him. 2And Aaron will say to them, Break off the gold ear-rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring to me. 3And all the people will break off the gold ear-rings which are in their ears, and they will bring to Aaron. 4And he will take from their hand, and will form it with a graver, and he will make it a molten calf: and they will say, These thy gods, Israel, who brought thee up from the land of Egypt. 5And Aaron will see, and he will build an altar before it; and Aaron will call and say, A festival to Jehovah tomorrow. 6And they will rise early early on the morrow, and they will raise up a burnt-offering, and they will bring near peace; and the people will sit down to eat and drink, and they will rise up to play.

7And Jehovah will speak to Moses, Go, descend: for thy people were corrupted whom thou didst bring up out of the land of Egypt. 8For they turned aside quickly from the way which I commanded them: they made for them a molten calf, and worship to it, and will sacrifice to it, and will say, These thy gods, Israel, which raised thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9And Jehovah will say to Moses, I saw this people, and behold, it a people of a hard neck. 10And thou be at rest to me, and my wrath shall kindle against them, and I will consume them: and I will make thee into a great nation.

11And Moses will supplicate the face of Jehovah, his God, and will say, For what will thy wrath kindle against thy people which thou didst bring forth out of the land of Egypt by thy great power and with a strong hand? 12Lest the Egyptians shall speak, saying, With evil he brought them forth to kill them in the mountains, and to finish them from the face of the earth. Turn back from the heat of thy wrath, and repent concerning evil towards thy people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaak, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst swear to them by thyself, and thou wilt speak to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and all this land which I said, I will give to your seed and they inherited forever. 14And Jehovah repented concerning the evil which he spake to do to his people.

15And Moses will turn and will go down from the mount, and the two tables of testimony in his hand: the tables were written from the two opposite sides; from hence and from thence they were written. 16And the tables they the work of God, and the writing the writing of God, it being cut in the tables. 17And Joshua will hear the voice of the people in making a loud noise, and he will say to Moses, A voice of war in the camp.

18And he will say, Not the voice of the shouting of victory, and not the voice of the shouting of defeat: the voice of shouting I heard.

19And it will be when he drew near to the camp, and he will see the calf and the lute: and the wrath of Moses will kindle, and he will cast the tables out of his hand, and he will break them under the mount. 20And he will take the calf which they made, and will burn it in fire, and which he will crush even to small dust, and will scatter upon the face of the water, and will give the sons of Israel to drink.

21And Moses will say to Aaron, What did this people to thee that thou didst bring upon it a great sin? 22And Aaron will say, The wrath of my lord shall not kindle: thou knowest the people that it is in sin. 23And they will say to me; Make to us gods which shall go before us: for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we knew not what was to him. 24And I said to them, To whom is gold, he shall break it off. And they will give it to me, and I shall cast it into the fire and this calf will come out.

25And Moses will see the people that it was uncovered (for Aaron uncovered it for overthrow among their enemies). 26And Moses will stand in the gate of the camp, and will say, Who for Jehovah? to me. And all the sons of Levi will assemble together to him. 27And he will say to them, Thus said Jehovah the God of Israel, Put ye each his sword upon his thigh, and pass ye through and turn ye back from gate to gate in the camp, and slay ye each his brother, and each his friend, and each his near one. 28And the sons of Levi will do according to the word of Moses: and there will fall from the people in that day about three thousand men. 29And Moses will say, Fill your hand this day to Jehovah, for each upon his son and upon his brother, to give to you a blessing this day.

30And it shall be from the morrow, and Moses will say to the people, Ye sinned a great sin: and now I will go up to Jehovah; perhaps I shall expiate for your sin. 31And Moses will turn back to Jehovah, and say, Ah, now, this people sinned a great sin, and they will make to them golden gods. 32And now if thou wilt, lift up their sin; and if not, wipe me off from thy book which thou didst write. 33And Jehovah will say to Moses, whoever that sinned against me I will wipe him off from my book. 34And now go, lead the people to where I spake to thee: behold, my messenger shall go before thee: and in the day of my reviewing, and I reviewed upon them their sin. 35And Jehovah will smite the people for their making the calf which Aaron made.