The People Make a Golden Calf
Study note
Moses had been on the mountain for forty days, and the people grew restless. They did not know if he was alive or dead. They went to Aaron, Moses' brother and the high priest, and demanded he make them a god they could see. Aaron told them to bring their gold earrings, and he melted them down and shaped the gold into the form of a calf. This was a terrible sin because God had just told them not to make any idol or worship any other god. The people offered sacrifices to the calf and held a wild celebration.
1 Meanwhile, down below, the people noticed Moses had been gone on the mountain for a very long time. They crowded around Aaron and demanded, "Make us a god we can see — one that will lead us! This Moses who brought us out of Egypt — who knows what has become of him?" And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 Aaron told them, "Take the gold earrings off your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them all to me." And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 Everyone removed their gold earrings and handed them over to Aaron. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 Aaron took all the gold, melted it down, and used a tool to shape it into a statue of a calf. The people looked at it and shouted, "Israel, here is the god that brought you out of Egypt!" And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 When Aaron saw how the people were reacting, he built an altar in front of the golden calf. He then made an announcement: "Tomorrow we will hold a festival to the Lord!" And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
6 The people woke up early the next morning and brought burnt offerings and peace offerings. They sat down for a feast of eating and drinking, and then they got up and threw themselves into wild partying. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
God Tells Moses What Has Happened
Study note
Up on the mountain, God told Moses that the people had already broken the covenant. God called them a stubborn people and said He wanted to destroy them and start over with Moses. But Moses boldly pleaded with God. He reminded God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He argued that the Egyptians would say God brought Israel out only to kill them. This is one of the most powerful prayers in the Bible, and God listened.
7 Up on the mountain, the Lord said to Moses, "Get down there immediately! Your people — the ones you led out of Egypt — have completely corrupted themselves." And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 "They have already abandoned the way of life I laid out for them. They melted gold and shaped it into a calf idol. They are bowing down to it and offering sacrifices, declaring, 'Israel, here is the god that brought you out of Egypt!'" They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 The Lord continued, "I have been watching these people, and they are impossibly stubborn." And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
10 "Get out of my way so I can unleash my anger and consume them. Then I will start over and build a great nation from you instead." Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 But Moses pleaded urgently with the Lord his God: "Lord, why let your fury loose on your own people? You brought them out of Egypt using your awesome power and your strong hand." And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 "Think about what the Egyptians will say! 'He brought them out only to slaughter them in the mountains and erase them from the earth.' Please, turn away from this burning anger. Change your plan — do not bring this disaster on your people." Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel — your servants. You swore to them by your own name, saying, 'I will make your descendants as countless as the stars. I will give them this entire land I promised, and it will belong to them permanently.'" Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 So the Lord reconsidered. He did not carry out the destruction he had spoken of against his people. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Moses Smashes the Tablets and Destroys the Calf
Study note
Moses came down the mountain carrying the two stone tablets written by God. When he saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it, his anger burned so hot that he threw the tablets on the ground and broke them. Then he took the golden calf, burned it in the fire, ground it into powder, scattered the powder on the water, and made the people drink it. When Moses confronted Aaron, Aaron gave a weak excuse, blaming the people and claiming the calf just came out of the fire on its own.
15 Moses headed back down the mountain carrying the two stone tablets of the Testimony. Both sides of each tablet were covered with writing — front and back. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
16 God himself had crafted these tablets. God himself had engraved the writing into the stone. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. He said to Moses, "It sounds like a battle in the camp!" And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
18 Moses shook his head: "That is not the sound of a victorious army. That is not the sound of a defeated army either. What I hear is people singing." And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
19 As Moses got close enough to see the camp, he spotted the golden calf and people dancing wildly around it. Rage exploded inside him. He hurled the stone tablets from his hands, and they shattered on the rocks at the base of the mountain. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
20 He grabbed the golden calf, threw it into the fire, and burned it. Then he crushed what remained into powder, scattered the powder across the water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
21 Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to you that made you lead them into such a great sin?" And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22 Aaron defended himself: "Please do not be furious with me. You know what these people are like — they are always ready to do the wrong thing." And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23 "They came to me and said, 'Make us a god to lead us. This Moses who brought us out of Egypt — we have no idea what happened to him.'" For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
24 "So I said, 'Anyone with gold jewelry, take it off.' They handed it to me, I tossed it into the fire, and out popped this calf!" And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
The Levites Carry Out Judgment
Study note
Moses saw that the people were completely out of control. Aaron had let them run wild, and they had shamed themselves before their enemies. Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and called out, 'Whoever is on the Lord's side, come to me!' The men from the tribe of Levi gathered around him. Moses told them to take their swords and go through the camp carrying out God's judgment. About three thousand people died that day. The Levites were set apart for special service to God because of their loyalty.
25 Moses could see that the people were completely out of control. Aaron had let them run wild, making a spectacle of themselves in front of anyone watching. And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
26 Moses planted himself at the camp entrance and called out, "Everyone who stands with the Lord — come stand with me!" Every man from the tribe of Levi immediately rallied to his side. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
27 Moses gave them these orders: "The Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Strap on your swords. Go through the entire camp, end to end. Strike down those who participated in this sin — even if they are your own brothers, friends, or neighbors.'" And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
28 The Levites carried out Moses' command. Roughly three thousand people died that day. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
29 Moses told the Levites, "Today you have dedicated yourselves to the Lord's service. You did not hold back, even when it meant standing against your own sons and brothers. Because of your faithfulness, the Lord is giving you a special blessing today." For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
Moses Pleads for the People
Study note
The next day, Moses told the people they had committed a terrible sin. He went back up the mountain to beg God to forgive them. Moses even offered to be blotted out of God's book if God would not forgive the people. God answered that whoever had sinned would be held responsible. He sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the golden calf.
30 The following day, Moses addressed the people: "You have committed a horrific sin. But I am going back up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe — just maybe — I can make things right for what you have done." And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Lord, these people have committed a terrible sin. They created a god made of gold." And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32 "Even so — please, forgive their sin. But if you will not forgive them, then erase my own name from the book you have written." Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 The Lord answered Moses, "The ones I will erase from my book are those who sinned against me." And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34 "For now, go lead the people to the destination I told you about. My angel will travel ahead of you. But the day will come when I settle accounts — and I will hold them responsible for their sin." Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
35 The Lord sent a devastating plague on the people because of what they did with the golden calf that Aaron built. And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.