Exodus 32

The Sin of the Golden Calf

1 s When the people saw that Moses delayedt in coming downt from the mountain, theyt gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up,t make us godst that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses,t the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know whatt has become of him!”
2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”s3 So allt the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

4 He accepted the goldt from them,t fashionedt it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf.s Then they said, “These are your gods,t O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 Whent Aaron saw this,t he built an altar before it,t and Aaron made a proclamationt and said, “Tomorrow will be a feasts to the Lord.”

6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink,t and they rose up to play.t
7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend,t because yours people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly.

8 They have quickly turned asidet from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people.s Lookt what a stiff-necked people they are!s

10 So now, leave me alonet so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favort of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?12 Whyt should the Egyptians say,t ‘For evilt he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroyt them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relentt of this evil against your people.13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendantst like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken aboutt I will give to your descendants,t and they will inherit it forever.’”

14 Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain witht the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides – they were written on the front and on the back.16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,s he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!”

18 Mosest said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory,t nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome,t but the sound of singingt I hear.”s
19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry.t He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.s

20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground itt to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.ts
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?”22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord;s you know these people, that they tend to evil.t23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave itt to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”s
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild,t for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies.t26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, comet to me.”t All the Levites gathered around him,

27 and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Each man fastent his sword on his side, and go back and fortht from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”t
28 The Levites did what Moses ordered,t and that day about three thousand men of the people died.t

29 Moses said, “You have been consecratedt today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.”t

30 The next day Moses said to the people,t “You have committed a very serious sin,t but now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can make atonementt on behalf of your sin.”
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin,t and they have made for themselves gods of gold.32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…,t but if not, wipe me outt from your book that you have written.”s33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book.

34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See,t my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin.”s

35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calft – the one Aaron made.s

Exodus 33

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go upt from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oatht to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’t2 I will send an angels before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.s

3 Go upt to a land flowing with milk and honey. Butt I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy yout on the way.”
4 When the people heard this troubling wordt they mourned;s no one put on his ornaments.5 Fort the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment,t I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments,t that I may knowt what I should do to you.’”t

6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The Presence of the Lord

7 s Moses tookt the tents and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distancet from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyonet seekingt the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
8 And when Moses went outt to the tent, all the people would get upt and stand at the entrance to their tentst and watcht Moses until he entered the tent.t9 Andt whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lordt would speak with Moses.t10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship.t

11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,t the way a person speakst to a friend. Then Mosest would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.s
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’t but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name,t and also you have found favor in my sight.’

13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show met your way, that I may know you,t that I may continue to findt favor in your sight. And seet that this nation is your people.”

14 And the Lordt said, “My presences will go with you,t and I will give you rest.”s
15 And Mosest said to him, “If your presence does not got with us,t do not take us up from here.t

16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”s

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I knowt you by name.”

18 And Mosest said, “Show me your glory.”s
19 And the Lordt said, “I will make all my goodnesss pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by namet before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”s20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one cant see me and live.”t21 The Lord said, “Heret is a place by me; you will station yourselft on a rock.22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will covers you with my handt while I pass by.t

23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back,t but my face must not be seen.”t

Exodus 34

The New Tablets of the Covenant

1 s The Lord said to Moses, “Cut outt two tablets of stone like the first, and I will writets on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed.2 Be preparedt in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourselfs for me there on the top of the mountain.3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.”

4 So Mosest cut out two tablets of stone like the first;s early in the morning he went upt to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name.t6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed:t “The Lord, the Lord,s the compassionate and gracioust God, slow to anger,s and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,s

7 keeping loyal love for thousands,t forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgressions of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”
8 Moses quickly bowedt to the ground and worshiped

9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lordt go among us, for wet are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

10 He said, “See, I am going to maket a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been donet in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you.s
11 “Obeyt what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive outt before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.12 Be careful not to maket a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snares among you.13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles.ts14 For you must not worshipt any other god,s for the Lord, whose names is Jealous, is a jealous God.15 Be carefult not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for whent they prostitute themselvest to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you,t you will eat from his sacrifice;16 and you then taket his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well.

17 You must not make yourselves molten gods.

18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven dayst you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do thist at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.
19 “Every firstborn of the wombt belongs to me, even every firstbornt of your cattle that is a male,t whether ox or sheep.

20 Now the firstlingt of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck.s You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons.
“No one will appear before me empty-handed.t

21 “On six dayst you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest;t even at the time of plowing and of harvests you are to rest.t
22 “You must observet the Feast of Weeks – the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat – and the Feast of Ingathering at the endt of the year.23 At three timest in the year all your ment must appear before the Lord God,ts the God of Israel.

24 For I will drive outt the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covets your land when you go upt to appear before the Lord your God three timest in the year.

25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning.s

26 “The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.
You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”s
27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write downt these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights;t he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.t

The Radiant Face of Moses

29 s Now when Moses came downt from Mount Sinai witht the two tablets of the testimony in his handt – when he came downt from the mountain, Mosest did not know that the skin of his face shonet while he talked with him.30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone;t and they were afraid to approach him.31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them.32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai.33 When Moses finishedt speakingt with them, he wouldt put a veil on his face.34 But when Moses went int before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out.t Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded.t

35 When the Israelites would seet the face of Moses, thatt the skin of Moses’ face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord.t