The Golden Calf (Deuteronomy 9:7–29; Acts 7:39–43)
1 UDB Moses stayed on top of the mountain a long time. When the people saw that he was not returning, they went to Aaron and said to him, "Make us gods who will lead us on our journey. We do not know what happened to that man Moses, who brought us here out of Egypt." 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 UDB Aaron said to them, "All right, I will do that. Tell your wives and your children to take off all their gold earrings 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 UDB So the people took off all their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. BSB BSB: Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
4 UDB He melted the gold in a fire. He poured the gold into a mold and made a statue that looked like a young bull. The people saw it and said, "This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who rescued us from 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 UDB When Aaron saw how the people reacted, he built an altar in front of the bull. Then he announced, "Tomorrow we will have a festival to honor Yahweh!" BSB BSB: When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
6 UDB So the people got up early the next morning and brought animals to kill and burn as sacrifices on the altar. They also brought sacrifices to restore fellowship with others. Then they sat down to eat and to drink wine. After a while, they got up and had a wild party. 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 UDB Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Go down from the mountain because your people, the ones that you brought up here from Egypt, have become bad. 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 UDB They have already left the road that I showed them and have stopped obeying me! They have made a statue of a young bull from melted gold. They have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying, 'This is the god of the Israelite people! This is the one who brought us up from 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 UDB I know that these people are very stubborn. BSB BSB: The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
10 UDB I am very angry with them, so I am going to get rid of them. Do not try to stop me! Then I will cause you and your descendants to become 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 UDB But Moses pleaded with his God, Yahweh, and said, "Yahweh, you should not be angry with your people! These are the people whom you saved from Egypt with very great power! 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 UDB Do not do anything that would allow the people of Egypt to say, 'Their god led them out from our country, but he did that only because he wanted to kill them in the mountains and get rid of them completely! Do not do to your people this terrible thing that you have just said that you will do! Stop being so angry! Change your mind! 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 UDB Think about your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You solemnly promised them, saying, 'I will enable you to have as many descendants as the stars that are in the sky.' You said to them, 'I will give to your descendants all the land that I am promising to give them. It will be their land forever.'" 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 UDB So Yahweh changed his mind. He did not do to his people the terrible thing that he said he would do. BSB BSB: So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
15 UDB Then Moses left from where God was; he went down the mountain, carrying in his hands the two stone slabs on which Yahweh had engraved his commandments. He had written on both sides of the slabs. 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 UDB God himself had made the slabs, and he was the one who had engraved the commandments on them. BSB BSB: The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 UDB Joshua heard the people shouting very loudly. So when Moses got near the camp, Joshua met him and said, "There is a noise in the camp that sounds like the noise of a battle!" BSB BSB: When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”
18 UDB But Moses said, "No, that does not sound as though the people have won a victory; it does not sound as though they have been defeated in a battle! It sounds as though they are singing!" BSB BSB: But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”
19 UDB As soon as Moses came close to the camp and saw the statue of the bull and the people dancing, he became very angry. He threw the stone tablets down onto the ground at the base of the mountain, and they broke. 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 UDB Then he took the statue of the bull that they had made and melted it in the fire. When it cooled, he ground it into fine powder. Then he mixed the powder with water and forced the Israelite people to 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 UDB Then Moses said to Aaron, "Did these people do something to you that led you to make them sin in this way?" BSB BSB: “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
22 UDB Aaron replied, "Please do not be angry with me, my lord. You know that these people are likely to do wicked things. BSB BSB: “Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
23 UDB They said to me, 'Make for us an idol who will lead us on our journey! As for that man Moses, the one who brought us up here from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to 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 UDB So I said to them, 'Everyone who is wearing gold earrings should take them off.' So they took them off and gave them to me. I threw them into the fire, and out came this statue of a young bull!" 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 UDB Moses saw that Aaron had allowed the people to get out of control and to do things that would make their enemies think the Israelite people were foolish. 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 UDB So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "Everyone who is loyal to Yahweh should come close to me!" So all the men in the tribe of Levi gathered around 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 UDB Then he said to them, "Yahweh, the God of the Israelite people, commands that every one of you should fasten your sword to your side, and then go through the camp from this gate to the other one. Each one of you must kill the other men, whether they are your brother, your friend, or your neighbor." 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 UDB The men in the tribe of Levi did what Moses told them to do, and they killed three thousand men on that day. BSB BSB: The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.
29 UDB Moses said to the men in the tribe of Levi, "Today you have become special servants of Yahweh by killing even your own sons and your brothers. As a result Yahweh has blessed you." 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 UDB The next day, Moses said to the people, "You have sinned very greatly. But I will now climb up the mountain again to talk with Yahweh. Perhaps I can persuade him to forgive you for sinning like this." 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 UDB So Moses went up the mountain and said to Yahweh, "I am sorry to admit that these people sinned very greatly when they made for themselves a gold idol and worshiped it. 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 UDB But now I ask you to forgive them for their sin. If you will not forgive them, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people." 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 UDB But Yahweh said to Moses, "It is only those who have sinned against me whose names I will erase from that book. BSB BSB: The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.
34 UDB Now go back down and lead the Israelite people to the place about which I told you. Keep in mind that my angel will go in front of you. But, at the time that I decide, I will punish them for their sin." 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 UDB Later Yahweh caused the people to become sick because they had told Aaron to make the statue of a young bull. BSB BSB: And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.