| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” | 1Now 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!” |
| 2And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” | 2So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” |
| 3So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. | 3Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. |
| 4And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” | 4He 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!” |
| 5So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” | 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” |
| 6Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. | 6So 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. |
| 7And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. | 7Then 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. |
| 8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” | 8How 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.’ ” |
| 9And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! | 9The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. |
| 10Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” | 10Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” |
| 11Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? | 11But 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? |
| 12Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. | 12Why 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. |
| 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” | 13Remember 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.’ ” |
| 14So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. | 14So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people. |
| 15And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. | 15Then 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. |
| 16Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. | 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. |
| 17And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” | 17When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.” |
| 18But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.” | 18But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!” |
| 19So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. | 19As 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. |
| 20Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. | 20Then 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. |
| 21And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” | 21“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?” |
| 22So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. | 22“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. |
| 23For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ | 23They 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!’ |
| 24And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” | 24So 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!” |
| 25Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), | 25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies. |
| 26then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. | 26So 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. |
| 27And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” | 27He 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.’ ” |
| 28So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. | 28The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead. |
| 29Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.” | 29Afterward, 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.” |
| 30Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” | 30The 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.” |
| 31Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! | 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. |
| 32Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” | 32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.” |
| 33And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. | 33The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. |
| 34Now therefore, 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 visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” | 34Now 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.” |
| 35So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made. | 35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made. |
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