Exodus 32:30–33:6

³⁰The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.^q But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement^r for your sin.”

³¹So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!^s They have made themselves gods of gold.^{t 32}But now, please forgive their sin^u—but if not, then blot me^v out of the book^w you have written.”

³³The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out^x of my book. ³⁴Now go, lead^y the people to the place^z I spoke of, and my angel^a will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,^b I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf^c Aaron had made.

33Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath^d to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’^{e 2}I will send an angel^f before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.^{g 3}Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.^h But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-neckedⁱ people and I might destroy^j you on the way.”

⁴When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn^k and no one put on any ornaments. ⁵For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.^l If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy^m you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” ⁶So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.ⁿ