Self-interpreting Bible

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Exodus 32

1The people in the absence of Moses cause Aaron to make a calf. 7God is angered thereby. 11At the entreaty of Moses he is appeased. 15Moses cometh down with the tables: 19he breaketh them: 20he destroyeth the calf. 21Aaron's excuse for himself. 25Moses causeth the idolaters to be slain. 30He prayeth for the people. 33God's answer.


1 AND when the apeople saw that Moses bdelayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, cUp, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we *wot not what is become of him.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off dthe golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3 And eall the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 And fhe received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a *graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, ghe built an altar before it; and Aaron made hproclamation, and said, iTo morrow is a feast to the LORD.

6 And jthey rose up early on the *morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 ¶And the LORD said unto Moses, kGo, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, lhave corrupted themselves:

8 They mhave turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9 And the LORD said unto Moses, nI have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10 Now therefore olet me alone, that pmy wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

11 And qMoses besought 1the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 rWherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and srepent of this evil against thy people.

13 Remember tAbraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou uswarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, vand all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14 And the LORD wrepented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

15 ¶And Moses turned, and xwent down from the mount, and the two tables of ythe testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

16 And the ztables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

17 And when aJoshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for 2being overcome: but the bnoise of them that sing do I hear.

19 ¶And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that che saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' danger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

20 And ehe took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and *strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, fWhat did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: gthou knowest the people, that they hare set on mischief.

23 For ithey said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we *wot not what is become of him.

24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and jthere came out this calf.

25 ¶And when Moses saw that the people were knaked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto ltheir shame among their 3enemies:)

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, mWho is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And nall the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man ohis brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand pmen.

29 4For Moses had said, 5Consecrate qyourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

30 ¶And it came to pass on the *morrow, that Moses said unto the people, rYe have sinned a great sin: and now I will sgo up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall tmake an atonement for your sin.

31 And Moses ureturned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned va great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32 Yet wnow, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, xblot me, I pray thee, yout of thy book which thou hast written.

33 And the LORD said unto Moses, zWhosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

34 Therefore now ago, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: bbehold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will cvisit their sin upon them.

35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they dmade the calf, which Aaron made.