Exodus 32

The People Make a Golden Calf

1 The people saw Moses was taking too long up on that mountain, so they went to Aaron and said, ‘Listen, make us a god to lead us! We do not know what happened to Moses, the dude who brought us out of Egypt.’

2 Aaron said, ‘Alright, take off your gold earrings, your wives, sons, and daughters too, and bring them to me.’

3 So they took off their gold earrings and handed them over to Aaron.

4 Aaron melted the gold, shaped it with a tool, and made a golden calf. Then the people said, ‘This is the god that brought us out of Egypt!’

5 When Aaron saw how hype they were, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, ‘Tomorrow we are throwing a festival for the Lord!’

6 The next morning, they got up early, sacrificed burnt offerings, and threw a wild party. They ate, drank, and turned up hard.

God Gets Angry with Israel

7 The Lord told Moses, ‘Go down there, your people, the ones you brought out of Egypt, are acting a fool.’

8 ‘They already turned away from Me. They made a golden calf, bowed down to it, and said, This is our god that brought us out of Egypt.’

9 ‘I see these people, they are stubborn as a mule.’

10 ‘Now step aside, let My anger burn, and I will wipe them out. I will make a great nation from you instead.’

Moses Pleads for the People

11 Moses begged the Lord, ‘Lord, why You so mad at Your people, the ones You brought out of Egypt with power and miracles,’

12 ‘If You destroy them, the Egyptians will say You only brought them out to kill them in the mountains. Do not do it! Turn away from this anger!’

13 ‘Remember Your promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, You said You would make their descendants as countless as the stars and give them this land forever.’

14 So the Lord changed His mind and did not destroy the people.

Moses Breaks the Tablets

15 Moses went down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets, written on both sides by the finger of God.

16 These tablets were the real deal, God’s own handiwork.

17 When Joshua heard the people shouting, he said, ‘Sounds like war in the camp!’

18 Moses said, ‘Nah, this is not victory or defeat, this sounds like a straight-up party.’

19 When Moses saw the golden calf and the wild party, he got heated! He threw the stone tablets on the ground and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

20 Then he took the calf, burned it, ground it to dust, scattered it on the water, and made the people drink it.

Moses Confronts Aaron

21 Moses said to Aaron, ‘Listen, what did these people do to you to make you lead them into this sin,’

22 Aaron said, ‘Chill, bro. You know these people are wild.’

23 ‘They told me, Make us a god to lead us because we do not know what happened to Moses.’

24 ‘So I told them to bring me gold, I threw it in the fire, and, boom, a calf came out!’

Moses Calls for Loyalty to the Lord

25 Moses saw the people were out of control, Aaron had let them go buck wild, making them a joke to their enemies.

26 So Moses stood at the camp entrance and said, ‘Who is on the Lord’s side, Come to me!’ All the Levites came to him.

27 Moses told them, ‘The Lord says: Strap up with your swords, go through the camp, and kill, even if it is your brother, friend, or neighbor.’

28 The Levites did what Moses said, and about 3,000 people were killed that day.

29 Moses said, ‘Today, you all proved your loyalty to the Lord, even if it meant killing your own people. Because of that, He is blessing you.’

Moses Asks God for Mercy

30 The next day, Moses told the people, ‘You all messed up bad. I am going back up the mountain to see if I can get God to forgive this mess.’

31 Moses went back to the Lord and said, ‘These people committed a huge sin, they made a gold god for themselves!’

32 ‘But Lord, if You can forgive them, do it. If not, erase my name from Your book instead.’

33 The Lord said, ‘I erase the names of those who sin against Me. Not you.’

34 ‘Now go, lead the people where I told you. My angel will go ahead of you. But when the time comes, I am bringing judgment on them.’

God Sends a Plague

35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the golden calf, the one Aaron put together.