³⁰The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to the Lord. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”

³¹So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “These people have committed such a serious sin! They made gods out of gold for themselves. ³²But will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.”

³³The Lord answered Moses, “I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me. ³⁴Now, go! Lead the people to the place I told you about. My Messenger will go ahead of you. But when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵So the Lord killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.

33RD CHAPTER

The Lord Assures Moses That He Will Have Mercy on Israel

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ²I will send a Messenger ahead of you, and I will force out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³Go to that land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not be with you, because you are impossible to deal with, and I would destroy you on the way.”

⁴When the people heard this bad news, they acted as if someone had died. No one wore any jewelry. ⁵The Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are impossible to deal with. If I were with you, I might destroy you at any time. Now take off your jewelry, and I’ll decide what to do with you.’ ” ⁶After they left Mount Horeb, the Israelites no longer wore their jewelry.

Read in Logos

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