Exodus 32

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.

As the people anxiously waited for Moses to descend from the mountain, their patience wore thin. They huddled around Aaron, pleading, "Create new gods for us, ones that will lead us. We're unsure of Moses' fate, the man who freed us from Egypt."

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.

Aaron pleaded with them, "Please, remove the golden earrings from your wives, sons, and daughters, and bring them to me."

And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Everyone eagerly removed their golden earrings, presenting them to Aaron with reverence and anticipation.

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.

He accepted their offerings and skillfully crafted a golden calf. They proclaimed, "Behold, your gods, O Israel, who led you from Egypt."

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.

Upon seeing it, Aaron was moved to construct an altar in its honor. With a heart full of anticipation, he announced, "Tomorrow, we shall celebrate a feast for the LORD."

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.

As dawn broke the next day, they eagerly presented their sacrifices and offerings of peace. Then, the people gathered to share a meal and celebrate, their hearts filled with joy and merriment.

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:

The LORD told Moses, "Hurry back down. Your people, whom you led out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves."

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.

They've swiftly strayed from the path I set for them. They've crafted a golden calf, idolizing and offering sacrifices to it. They claim, "These are your gods, Israel, who led you out of Egypt."

And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

And God spoke to Moses, "I've observed these people closely, and I see that they are stubborn."

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.

Please step back, let my anger flare up against them, and let me destroy them. Then I will make a great nation out of you.

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?

Moses pleaded with God, asking, "Why are you so angry with your people, whom you powerfully freed from Egypt?"

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.

Why let the Egyptians believe that you led your people out only to destroy them in the mountains, wiping them off the earth? Please, calm your intense anger and reconsider the harm planned for your people.

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.

Remember your promises to your faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You vowed to them, promising to make their descendants as numerous as the stars and to give them this land to own forever.

And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

The LORD relented and decided not to bring on his people the harm he had threatened.

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.

With a heavy heart, Moses descended from the mountain, clutching the two stone tablets inscribed with God's commandments. Each side of the tablets bore the divine words, a testament of faith and law.

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

The tablets were God's masterpiece, His words etched into them, a divine inscription.

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.

When Joshua heard the uproarious shouts of the people, he turned to Moses, fear in his voice, "It sounds like war in the camp."

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.

He clarified, it's not the shouts of victors or the cries of the defeated that reach my ears, but the melodious voices of those who sing.

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.

As he approached the camp, he saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it. A surge of anger welled up in Moses. In his fury, he threw down the stone tablets, shattering them at the foot of the mountain.

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.

He seized the false idol they'd crafted, a calf of gold, and cast it into the flames. It was reduced to ashes, scattered upon the water. He then compelled the children of Israel to drink, a bitter reminder of their transgression.

And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

Moses, filled with disbelief, asked Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into such a great sin?"

And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

Aaron pleaded, "Please, don't let your anger flare up, my lord. You know these people, how set they are on evil."

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.

They pleaded with me, "Create gods to lead us. Moses, who freed us from Egypt, is nowhere to be found."

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.

I asked everyone who had gold to give it to me. They did, and I threw it into the fire. To our surprise, a golden calf emerged.

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them loose, to their shame in front of their enemies.

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.

Moses, standing at the camp's entrance, passionately called out, "Who stands with the LORD? Join me!" In response, all the sons of Levi rallied to his side.

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.

He told them, "God commands, arm yourselves. Move from one end of the camp to the other. But sadly, you must confront and end the lives of your brothers, friends, and neighbors."

And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

The Levi clan, following Moses' command, acted decisively. Tragically, that day saw the loss of around three thousand lives.

For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Moses had urged, "Dedicate yourselves to the Lord today, each of you even against your own son and your own brother, so that He may give you His blessing this day."

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.

The next day, Moses told the people, "You've committed a grave sin. Now, I'll approach God, hoping to seek forgiveness for your wrongdoings."

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

Moses came back to God, heart heavy, and confessed, "Lord, these people have committed a terrible sin. They've created golden idols to worship."

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

Please, if you can, forgive their sin. But if not, erase me from the book you have written.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

In a heartfelt conversation, God told Moses, "Anyone who sins against me will be erased from my book."

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.

Now, guide the people to the place I've told you about. My angel will lead the way. But remember, when the day comes for me to judge, I will hold them accountable for their sins.

And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

God, deeply hurt and angered, punished the people for worshipping the golden calf that Aaron had created.