Exodus 32:1–9

The Gold Calf

32Now when the people saw that Moses ^adelayed coming down from the mountain, the people ^bgathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ^c“Come, make us ¹gods that shall ^dgo before us; for as for this Moses, the man who ^ebrought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

²And Aaron said to them, “Break off the ^fgolden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ^4gAnd he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that ^hbrought you out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a ⁱproclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” ⁶Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people ^jsat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

⁷And the Lord said to Moses, ^k“Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt ^lhave corrupted themselves. ⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way which ^mI commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ⁿ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” ⁹And the Lord said to Moses, ^o“I have seen this people, and indeed it is a ²stiff-necked people!