New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
1
When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt - who knows what's happened to him?"
2 Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."
2
So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me."
3 So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
3
They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.
4 He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"
4
He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool. The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord."
5
Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf. Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to God!"
6 They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.
6
Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!
7 The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;
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God spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces.
8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!' "
8
In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
9 The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.
9
God said to Moses, "I look at this people - oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people!
10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."
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Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
11
Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, "Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength.
12 Why should the Egyptians say, "It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.
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Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them - he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people!
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, "I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' "
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Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"
14 And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
14
And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.
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Moses turned around and came down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of The Testimony. The tablets were written on both sides, front and back.
16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets.
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God made the tablets and God wrote the tablets - engraved them.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."
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When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting noisily, he said to Moses, "That's the sound of war in the camp!"
18 But he said, "It is not the sound made by victors, or the sound made by losers; it is the sound of revelers that I hear."
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But Moses said, Those aren't songs of victory, And those aren't songs of defeat, I hear songs of people throwing a party.
19 As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
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And that's what it was. When Moses came near to the camp and saw the calf and the people dancing, his anger flared. He threw down the tablets and smashed them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
20 He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
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He took the calf that they had made, melted it down with fire, pulverized it to powder, then scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
21 Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?"
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Moses said to Aaron, "What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?"
22 And Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil.
22
Aaron said, "Master, don't be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are.
23 They said to me, "Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
23
They said to me, 'Make us gods who will lead us. This Moses, the man who brought us out of Egypt, we don't know what's happened to him.'
24 So I said to them, "Whoever has gold, take it off'; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"
24
"So I said, 'Who has gold?' And they took off their jewelry and gave it to me. I threw it in the fire and out came this calf."
25 When Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their enemies),
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Moses saw that the people were simply running wild - Aaron had let them run wild, disgracing themselves before their enemies.
26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
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He took up a position at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is on God's side, join me!" All the Levites stepped up.
27 He said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.' "
27
He then told them, "God's orders, the God of Israel: 'Strap on your swords and go to work. Crisscross the camp from one end to the other: Kill brother, friend, neighbor.'"
28 The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day.
28
The Levites carried out Moses' orders. Three thousand of the people were killed that day.
29 Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day."
29
Moses said, "You confirmed your ordination today - and at great cost, even killing your sons and brothers! And God has blessed you."
30 On the next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
30
The next day Moses addressed the people: "You have sinned an enormous sin! But I am going to go up to God; maybe I'll be able to clear you of your sin."
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold.
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Moses went back to God and said, "This is terrible. This people has sinned - it's an enormous sin! They made gods of gold for themselves.
32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of the book that you have written."
32
And now, if you will only forgive their sin. . . . But if not, erase me out of the book you've written."
33 But the Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
33
God said to Moses, "I'll only erase from my book those who sin against me.
34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day comes for punishment, I will punish them for their sin."
34
For right now, you go and lead the people to where I told you. Look, my Angel is going ahead of you. On the day, though, when I settle accounts, their sins will certainly be part of the settlement."
35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.
35
God sent a plague on the people because of the calf they and Aaron had made.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.