The Golden Calf (Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Acts 7:39–43)
1 DBY And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people collected together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us a god, who will go before us; for this Moses, the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt, — we do not know what is become of him! BSB BSB: Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”
2 DBY And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden rings that are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me. BSB BSB: So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 DBY Then all the people broke off the golden rings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. BSB BSB: Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
4 DBY And he took them out of their hand, and fashioned it with a chisel and made of it a molten calf: and they said, This is thy god, Israel, who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt! BSB BSB: He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
5 DBY And Aaron saw it , and built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to Jehovah! BSB BSB: When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
6 DBY And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered up burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to sport. BSB BSB: So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 DBY Then Jehovah said to Moses, Away, go down! for thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, is acting corruptly. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8 DBY They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them: they have made themselves a molten calf, and have bowed down to it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, This is thy god, Israel, who has brought thee up out of the land of Egypt! BSB BSB: How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, I see this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
10 DBY And now let me alone, that my anger may burn against them, and I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation. BSB BSB: Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
11 DBY And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Why, Jehovah, doth thy wrath burn against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? BSB BSB: But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
12 DBY Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For misfortune he has brought them out, to slay them on the mountains, and to annihilate them from the face of the earth? Turn from the heat of thine anger, and repent of this evil against thy people! BSB BSB: Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
13 DBY Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thyself, and saidst to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall possess it for ever! BSB BSB: Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”
14 DBY And Jehovah repented of the evil that he had said he would do to his people. BSB BSB: So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
15 DBY And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand — tables written on both their sides: on this side and on that were they written. BSB BSB: Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
16 DBY And the tables were God's work, and the writing was God's writing, engraven on the tables. BSB BSB: The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 DBY And Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, and said to Moses, There is a shout of war in the camp. BSB BSB: When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”
18 DBY And he said, It is not the sound of a shout of victory, neither is it the sound of a shout of defeat: it is the noise of alternate singing I hear. BSB BSB: But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”
19 DBY And it came to pass, when he came near the camp, and saw the calf and the dancing, that Moses' anger burned, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and shattered them beneath the mountain. BSB BSB: As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.
20 DBY And he took the calf that they had made, and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it on the water, and made the children of Israel drink it . BSB BSB: Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.
21 DBY And Moses said to Aaron, What has this people done to thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin on them? BSB BSB: “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
22 DBY And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord burn! thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. BSB BSB: “Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
23 DBY And they said to me, Make us a god, who will go before us; for this Moses, the man that has brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what is become of him! BSB BSB: They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
24 DBY And I said to them, Who has gold? They broke it off, and gave it me, and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. BSB BSB: So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
25 DBY And Moses saw the people how they were stripped; for Aaron had stripped them to their shame before their adversaries. BSB BSB: Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies.
26 DBY And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, He that is for Jehovah, let him come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered to him. BSB BSB: So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
27 DBY And he said to them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his hip; go and return from gate to gate through the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbour. BSB BSB: He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”
28 DBY And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. BSB BSB: The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.
29 DBY And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man with his son, and with his brother, and bring on yourselves a blessing to-day. BSB BSB: Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”
30 DBY And it came to pass the next day, that Moses said to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to Jehovah: perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin. BSB BSB: The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 DBY And Moses returned to Jehovah, and said, Alas, this people has sinned a great sin, and they have made themselves a god of gold! BSB BSB: So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.
32 DBY And now, if thou wilt forgive their sin...but if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book that thou hast written. BSB BSB: Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”
33 DBY And Jehovah said to Moses, Whoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. BSB BSB: The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.
34 DBY And now go, lead the people whither I have told thee: behold, my Angel shall go before thee; but in the day of my visiting I will visit their sin upon them. BSB BSB: Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 DBY And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron had made. BSB BSB: And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.