²⁰He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.

²¹Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?”

²²“Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.^g ²³They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ ²⁴So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

²⁵Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies.^A ²⁶And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. ²⁷He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ”^h ²⁸The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. ²⁹Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated^B to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”ⁱ

³⁰The following day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.”^j

³¹So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for themselves.^k ³²Now if you would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have written.”^l

³³The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will erase from my book.^m ³⁴Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.”ⁿ

Read in Logos

Exodus 32:33: But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

Footnotes

A obscure
BText emended; reads “Today dedicate yourselves; , read “Today you have dedicated yourselves

Cross references

g Gn 20:9; 26:10; Ex 14:11; Dt 9:16–17,21
h Nm 25:5; Dt 33:9
i Nm 25:11–13; Zch 13:3
j 1Sm 12:20; 2Sm 16:12
k Ex 20:23; Dt 9:18
l Ps 69:28; Dn 12:1; Rm 9:3; Php 4:3; Rv 3:5; 21:27
m Dt 29:20; Ps 9:5
n Dt 32:35; Rm 2:5–6