1: And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of
the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto
him, Up, 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.
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2: And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in
the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto
me. |
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3:
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their
ears, and brought them unto Aaron. |
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4: And he 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. |
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5: And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made
proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. |
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6: And they 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. |
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7: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which
thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: |
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8: They have 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. |
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9: And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it
is a stiffnecked people: |
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10: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them,
and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. |
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11: And Moses besought the 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? |
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12: Wherefore 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 repent of this evil against thy
people. |
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13: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou
swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as
the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto
your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. |
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14: And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his
people. |
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15: And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of
the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on
the one side and on the other were they written. |
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16: And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing
of God, graven upon the tables. |
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17: And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he
said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. |
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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 being overcome: but the noise of
them that sing do I hear. |
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19: And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he
saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the
tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. |
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20: And he 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. |
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21: And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou
hast brought so great a sin upon them? |
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22: And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest
the people, that they are set on mischief. |
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23: For they 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. |
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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 there came out this calf.
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25: And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made
them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) |
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26: Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the
LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
together unto him. |
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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 his brother, and every man his companion, and every man
his neighbour. |
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28: And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and
there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. |
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29: For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves 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. |
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30: And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people,
Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I
shall make an atonement for your sin. |
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31: And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have
sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. |
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32: Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -- ; and if not, blot me, I
pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. |
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33: And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him
will I blot out of my book. |
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34: Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have
spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the
day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. |
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35: And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which
Aaron made. |