1 And the people saw that Moses was delayed {boshesh: hesitant pause} in coming down from the mountain, and they assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Arise, make for us gods who will go before us, for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt {Mitsrayim: house of bondage}, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 And Aaron said to them, “Remove the gold rings {nizmei: metal ornaments} that are in the ears {be’oznei: ear hollows} of your wives, sons, and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 So all the people removed {vayitparku: deliberately took off} the gold earrings {nizmei: cultic offerings} that were in their ears, and they brought them to Aaron.
4 And he took from their hands and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and then he made it into a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods {elohekha: Misdirected Devotion}, Israel, who brought you up {heelukha: led you forth} from the land of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw it, he built an altar in front of it and then he proclaimed, “A festival to the LORD {YHWH, Recipient of Vain Worship} will occur tomorrow {machar: following day}.”
6 And they rose early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings {olot: ascended sacrifice} and brought near peace offerings {shelamim: shared communion}. Afterwards the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to revel.
7 Then the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Judge} spoke to Moses, “Go, go down, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted {shichet: morally ruined} themselves.”
8 They have quickly turned aside {saru: deviated} from the path which I {YHWH, Sovereign Lawgiver} commanded them; they have made for themselves a calf, a molten image {massekha: cast idol}, bowed down to it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
9 And the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Judge} said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people {qesheh-oref: obstinate nature}.”
10 And now, let Me{YHWH, Holy Judge} alone, so that My anger{appi: fierce wrath} may blaze against them and I may consume them; then I will make you into a great nation.
11 But Moses implored the LORD his God {YHWH Elohav, Covenant Advocate}, and he said, “Why should Your anger burn against Your people whom You delivered from Egypt with great strength and a mighty hand {yad: sustaining authority}?”
12 Why should the Egyptians say, “With evil {ra’ah: moral calamity} He {YHWH, Liberating Judge} brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to annihilate them from upon the face of the earth”? Turn back from the burning of Your anger and relent concerning the evil against Your people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom You {attah: Promise Keeper} swore by Yourself and spoke, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens {shamayim: celestial expanse}, and all this land about which I spoke I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.”
14 So the LORD {YHWH, Merciful Judge} held back from the calamity {hara'ah: severe judgment} He had spoken of bringing upon His people.
15 And Moses {Moshe: chosen leader} turned back and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of testimony {edut: witness inscription} in his hand—tablets inscribed on both sides, written on the front and on the back.
16 And the tablets themselves were the handiwork of God {Elohim, Divine Artisan}, and the inscription was God’s own script, engraved {charut: permanently inscribed} on the tablets.
17 And Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting {be-re’oh: loud commotion}, and he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war {milchamah: armed conflict} in the camp.”
18 And he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory {gevurah: mighty triumph}, nor is it the sound of shouting for defeat; it is the sound of singing {anot: communal song} that I hear.”
19 And it happened that when he approached the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and Moses’ anger{af: center of wrath} burned, and he threw the tablets{luchot: covenant records} from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
20 And he took the calf{egel: young bull} they had fashioned and burned it in the fire{esh: purifying judgment}. Then he pounded it until it was finely ground and spread it across the surface of the water. Finally, he forced the sons of Israel to drink the mixture.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What have these people {ha-am: defiant community} done to you that you have brought upon them a great sin {chataah: serious offense}?”
22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger {’ap: burning wrath} of my lord be kindled; you know this people, for they are bent on evil {be-ra: moral corruption}.”
23 And they said to me, “Make for us gods {elohim: Objects of Worship} who will go before us, for this Moses {Moshe: National Leader}, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
24 I said to them, “Who has any gold {zahav: precious metal}? Take it off {hitparaku: strip off ornaments}!” They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.
25 And Moses saw that the people were unrestrained {paru’a: lacking restraint}, for Aaron had let them become unrestrained, provoking public disgrace {le-shimtsa: communal shame} among those rising against them.
26 And Moses took his stand at the camp entrance, and said, “Who is for the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Defender}? Come to me.” All the sons of Levi {Levi: priestly tribe} gathered to him.
27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel {YHWH Elohei Yisrael, Judicial Sovereign}: Let each man put his sword on his thigh {yarekh: upper thigh}. Move through the camp, from gate to gate and back again, and let each man kill his brother, his companion, and his relative.”
28 And the sons of Levi {levi: Priestly Ancestor} did according to the word of Moses, and from among the people on that day about three thousand men {ish: Distinct Individuals} fell.
29 And Moses said, “Dedicate your hands today to the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Judge} because each man was against his son and against his brother, in order to bestow upon you today a blessing {berakhah: divine favor}.”
30 And it happened on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin {hataa: weighty offense}, and now I will go up to the LORD {YHWH, Intercessor’s Audience}; perhaps I may make atonement for your sin.”
31 Then Moses returned to the LORD {YHWH, Intercessor's Audience} and said, "Please, this people has committed a great sin {chataah: serious transgression}, and they have made for themselves gods of gold."
32 And now, if You {YHWH, Forgiver of Sin} will forgive their sin, but if not, please blot me from Your book {sefer: heavenly record} which You have written.
33 And the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned {chata: moral failure} against Me, I will blot him out from My book.”
34 And now, go, lead the people to the place which I {anoki, Sovereign Speaker} have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. But on the day that I account {poqed: call to account}, I will punish them for their sin.
35 And the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} struck the people with a plague because of what they had done with the calf {egel: idol image} that Aaron had made.