1When the people saw that Moses [Drawn out] delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron [Light-bringer], and said to him, “Come, make us deities, which shall lead us; for this Moses [Drawn out], the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], we don’t know what has become of him.” ¹⁹⁰

2Aaron [Light-bringer] said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron [Light-bringer].

4He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, “These are your deities, Israel [God prevails], which brought you up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery].”

5When Aaron [Light-bringer] saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron [Light-bringer] made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Adonai.”

6They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to pray. ¹⁹¹

7Adonai spoke to Moses [Drawn out], “Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], have corrupted themselves!

8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I enjoined them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your deities, Israel [God prevails], which brought you up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery].’”

9Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁹²

10Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

11Moses [Drawn out] begged Adonai his God, and said, “Adonai, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery] with great power and with a mighty hand?

12Why should the Egyptians [people from Abode of slavery] speak, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and teshuvah ·turn repent· of this evil against your people.

13Remember Abraham [Father of a multitude], Isaac [Laughter], and Israel [God prevails], your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, ¹⁹³and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

14Adonai changed his mind concerning the disaster which he planned for his people.

15Moses [Drawn out] turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.

16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tables.

17When Joshua [Yah Salvation] sh'ma ·heard obeyed· the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses [Drawn out], “There is the noise of war in the camp.”

18He said, “It is not the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I sh'ma ·hear obey·.”

19As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses [Drawn out]’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain.

20He took the calf which they had made, and burned it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made the children of Israel [God prevails] drink of it.

21Moses [Drawn out] said to Aaron [Light-bringer], “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great cause for sacrifice for sin ·missing the goal· on them?”

22Aaron [Light-bringer] said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.

23For they said to me, ‘Make us deities to lead us; for this Moses [Drawn out], the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], we don’t know what has become of him.’ ¹⁹⁴

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

25When Moses [Drawn out] saw that the people had broken loose, (for Aaron [Light-bringer] had let them loose for a derision among their enemies),

26then Moses [Drawn out] stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on Adonai’s side, come to me!” All the sons of Levi [United with] gathered themselves together to him.

27He said to them, “Adonai says, the God of Israel [God prevails], ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’”

28The sons of Levi [United with] did according to the word of Moses [Drawn out]: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

29Moses [Drawn out] said, “Consecrate yourselves today to Adonai, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may give you a blessing today.”

30On the next day, Moses [Drawn out] said to the people, “You have sinned ·deviated (from the standard goal)· a great cause for sacrifice for sin ·missing the goal·. Now I will go up to Adonai. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your habitual sin ·missing the mark·.”

31Moses [Drawn out] teshuvah ·completely returned· to Adonai, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great cause for sacrifice for sin ·missing the goal·, and have made themselves deities of gold.

32Yet now, if you will, forgive their habitual sin ·missing the mark·— and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

33Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Whoever has sinned ·deviated (from the standard goal)· against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their habitual sin ·missing the mark·.”

35Adonai struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron [Light-bringer] made.