The People Make an Idol To Worship
(Deuteronomy 9.6-29)1 After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, they went to Aaron and said, “Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron told them, “Bring me the gold earrings that your wives and sons and daughters are wearing.” 3 Everybody took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron, 4 then he melted them and made an idol in the shape of a young bull.
All the people said to one another, “This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!”
5 When Aaron saw what was happening, he built an altar in front of the idol and said, “Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the Lord.” 6 The people got up early the next morning and killed some animals to be used for sacrifices and others to be eaten. Then everyone ate and drank so much that they began to carry on like wild people.
7 The Lord said to Moses:
Hurry back down! Those people you led out of Egypt are acting like fools. 8 They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull. They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt. 9 Moses, I have seen how stubborn these people are, 10 and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me. But I will make your descendants into a great nation.
11 Moses tried to get the Lord God to change his mind:
Our Lord, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt. Now don't become angry and destroy them. 12 If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!
13 Remember the solemn promise you made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You promised that someday they would have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and that you would give them land.
14 So even though the Lord had threatened to destroy the people, he changed his mind and let them live.
15-16 Moses went back down the mountain with the two flat stones on which God had written all of his laws with his own hand, using both sides of the stones.
17 When Joshua heard the noisy shouts of the people, he said to Moses, “A battle must be going on down in the camp.”
18 But Moses replied, “It doesn't sound like they are shouting because they have won or lost a battle. It sounds more like a wild party!”
19 As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it. 21 Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?”
22 Aaron answered:
Don't be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil. 23 They even told me, “That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us.” 24 Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.
25 Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord's side come over here!”
Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, 27 and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors.”
28 The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about 3,000 men. 29 Moses said to them, “You obeyed the Lord and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the Lord has blessed you and made you his priests today.”
30 The next day Moses told the people, “This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.”
31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god. 32 But I beg you to forgive them. If you don't, please wipe my name out of your book.”
33 The Lord replied, “I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34 Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin.”
35 So the Lord punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.
1 Bvt when the people sawe, that Moses taryed long or he came downe from the mountaine, the people gathered themselues together against Aaron, and sayde vnto him, Vp, make vs gods to goe before vs: for of this Moses (the man that brought vs out of the land of Egypt) we knowe not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said vnto them, Plucke off the golden earings, which are in the eares of your wiues, of your sonnes, and of your daughters, and bring them vnto me. 3 Then all ye people pluckt from them selues the golden earings, which were in their eares, and they brought them vnto Aaron. 4 Who receiued them at their handes, and facioned it with the grauing toole, and made of it a molte calfe: then they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of ye lad of Egypt 5 When Aaron sawe that, he made an Altar before it: and Aaron proclaimed, saying, To morow shalbe the holy day of the Lord. 6 So they rose vp the next day in the morning, and offred burnt offerings, and brought peace offrings: also the people sate them downe to eate and drinke, and rose vp to play. 7 Then the Lord said vnto Moses, Go, get thee downe: for thy people which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath corrupted their wayes. 8 They are soone turned out of the way, which I commanded them: for they haue made them a molten calfe and haue worshipped it, and haue offered thereto, saying, These be thy gods, O Israel, which haue brought thee out of the lande of Egypt. 9 Againe the Lord said vnto Moses, I haue seene this people, and beholde, it is a stiffe necked people. 10 Nowe therefore let mee alone, that my wrath may waxe hote against them, for I wil consume the: but I wil make of thee a mighty people. 11 But Moses praied vnto the Lord his God, and said, O Lord, why doeth thy wrath waxe hote against thy people, which thou hast brought out of the lande of Egypt, with great power and with a mightie hand? 12 Wherefore shall the Egyptians speake, and say, He hath brought them out maliciously for to slay them in the mountaines, and to consume them from the earth? turne from thy fearce wrath, and change thy minde from this euill towarde thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Izhak, and Israel thy seruants, to whom thou swarest by thine owne selfe, and saydest vnto them, I wil multiply your seede, as the starres of the heauen, and all this land, that I haue spoken of, wil I giue vnto your seede, and they shall inherit it for euer. 14 Then the Lord changed his minde from the euil, which he threatned to do vnto his people. 15 So Moses returned and went downe from the mountaine with the two Tables of the Testimonie in his hande: the Tables were written on both their sides, euen on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And these Tables were the worke of God, and this writing was the writing of God grauen in the Tables. 17 And when Ioshua heard the noyse of the people, as they shouted, he said vnto Moses, There is a noyse of warre in the hoste. 18 Who answered, It is not the noyse of them that haue the victorie, nor the noyse of them that are ouercome: but I do heare ye noyse of singing. 19 Nowe, as soone as he came neere vnto the hoste, he sawe the calfe and the dancing: so Moses wrath waxed hote, and he cast the Tables out of his handes, and brake them in pieces beneath the mountaine. 20 After, he tooke the calfe, which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it vnto powder, and strowed it vpon the water, and made the children of Israel drinke of it. 21 Also Moses said vnto Aaron, What did this people vnto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sinne vpon them? 22 Then Aaron answered, Let not the wrath of my Lord waxe fearce: Thou knowest this people, that they are euen set on mischiefe. 23 And they sayde vnto me, Make vs gods to go before vs: for we knowe not what is become of this Moses (the man that brought vs out of the land of Egypt.) 24 Then I sayde to them, Ye that haue golde, plucke it off: and they brought it me, and I did cast it into the fire, and thereof came this calfe. 25 Moses therefore sawe that the people were naked (for Aaron had made them naked vnto their shame among their enemies) 26 And Moses stoode in ye gate of the campe, and sayde, Who pertaineth to the Lord? let him come to mee. And all the sonnes of Leui gathered themselues vnto him. 27 Then he said vnto them, Thus sayth ye Lord God of Israel, Put euery man his sworde by his side: go to and from, from gate to gate, through the hoste, and slay euery man his brother, and euery man his companion, and euery man his neighbour. 28 So the children of Leui did as Moses had commanded: and there fel of the people the same day about three thousand men. 29 (For Moses had said, Cosecrate your hands vnto the Lord this day, euen euery man vpon his sonne, and vpon his brother, that there may be giuen you a blessing this day) 30 And when the morning came, Moses sayde vnto the people, Yee haue committed a grieuous crime: but now I wil goe vp to the Lord, if I may pacifie him for your sinne. 31 Moses therefore went againe vnto ye Lord, and said, Oh, this people haue sinned a great sinne, and haue made them gods of golde. 32 Therefore now if thou pardon their sinne, thy mercy shall appeare: but if thou wilt not, I pray thee, rase me out of thy booke, which thou hast written. 33 Then the Lord sayd to Moses, Whosoeuer hath sinned against me, I will put out of my booke. 34 Go nowe therefore, bring the people vnto the place which I commanded thee: behold, mine Angel shall goe before thee, but yet in the day of my visitation I wil visite their sinne vpon them. 35 So the Lord plagued the people, because they caused Aaron to make ye calfe which he made.