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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Exodus 32 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/exodus/32.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/exodus/32-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > Exodus 32</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../exodus/31.htm" title="Exodus 31">◄</a> Exodus 32 <a href="../exodus/33.htm" title="Exodus 33">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch02032" class="chapter"> <h1 class="bksect">VII. <span class="ac">Israel’s Apostasy and God’s Renewal of the Covenant</span></h1> <h1 id="cn02032" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">The Golden Calf.</span> <span id="v02032001" class="ver">1</span>When the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for that man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.”<a id="ren02032001-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032001-a">a</a> <span id="v02032002" class="ver">2</span>Aaron replied, “Take off the golden earrings that your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” <span id="v02032003" class="ver">3</span>So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. <span id="v02032004" class="ver">4</span>He received their offering, and fashioning it with a tool, made a molten calf. Then they cried out, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you<a id="rfn02032004-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032004-1">*</a> up from the land of Egypt.”<a id="ren02032004-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032004-b">b</a> <span id="v02032005" class="ver">5</span>On seeing this, Aaron built an altar in front of the calf and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>.” <span id="v02032006" class="ver">6</span>Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought communion sacrifices. Then they sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.<a id="ren02032006-c" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032006-c">c</a></p> <p><span id="v02032007" class="ver">7</span><a id="ren02032007-d" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032007-d">d</a> Then the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> said to Moses: Go down at once because your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. <span id="v02032008" class="ver">8</span>They have quickly turned aside from the way I commanded them, making for themselves a molten calf and bowing down to it, sacrificing to it and crying out, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” <span id="v02032009" class="ver">9</span><a id="ren02032009-e" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032009-e">e</a> I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are, continued the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> to Moses. <span id="v02032010" class="ver">10</span>Let me alone, then, that my anger may burn against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.</p> <p><span id="v02032011" class="ver">11</span><a id="rfn02032011-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032011-1">*</a> But Moses implored the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, his God, saying,<a id="ren02032011-f" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032011-f">f</a> “Why, O <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? <span id="v02032012" class="ver">12</span>Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning wrath; change your mind about punishing your people. <span id="v02032013" class="ver">13</span>Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,<a id="ren02032013-g" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032013-g">g</a> ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’ ” <span id="v02032014" class="ver">14</span>So the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> changed his mind about the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.</p> <p><span id="v02032015" class="ver">15</span>Moses then turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands,<a id="ren02032015-h" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032015-h">h</a> tablets that were written on both sides, front and back. <span id="v02032016" class="ver">16</span>The tablets were made by God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.<a id="ren02032016-i" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032016-i">i</a> <span id="v02032017" class="ver">17</span>Now, when Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “That sounds like a battle in the camp.” <span id="v02032018" class="ver">18</span>But Moses answered,</p> <div class="senseline"> <p class="slf">“It is not the noise of victory,</p> <p class="sl1">it is not the noise of defeat;</p> <p class="sl1l">the sound I hear is singing.”</p> </div> <p class="pcon"><span id="v02032019" class="ver">19</span>As he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets down and broke them on the base of the mountain.<a id="ren02032019-j" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032019-j">j</a> <span id="v02032020" class="ver">20</span>Taking the calf they had made, he burned it in the fire and then ground it down to powder, which he scattered on the water<a id="rfn02032020-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032020-1">*</a> and made the Israelites drink.<a id="ren02032020-k" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032020-k">k</a></p> <p><span id="v02032021" class="ver">21</span><a id="rfn02032021-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032021-1">*</a> Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you should lead them into a grave sin?” <span id="v02032022" class="ver">22</span>Aaron replied, “Do not let my lord be angry. You know how the people are prone to evil. <span id="v02032023" class="ver">23</span>They said to me, ‘Make us a god to go before us; as for this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ <span id="v02032024" class="ver">24</span>So I told them, ‘Whoever is wearing gold, take it off.’ They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”</p> <p><span id="v02032025" class="ver">25</span>Moses saw that the people were running wild because Aaron had lost control—to the secret delight of their foes. <span id="v02032026" class="ver">26</span>Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Whoever is for the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, come to me!” All the Levites<a id="ren02032026-l" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032026-l">l</a> then rallied to him, <span id="v02032027" class="ver">27</span>and he told them, “Thus says the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, the God of Israel: Each of you put your sword on your hip! Go back and forth through the camp, from gate to gate, and kill your brothers, your friends, your neighbors!” <span id="v02032028" class="ver">28</span>The Levites did as Moses had commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell. <span id="v02032029" class="ver">29</span>Then Moses said, “Today you are installed as priests<a id="rfn02032029-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032029-1">*</a> for the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, for you went against your own sons and brothers, to bring a blessing upon yourselves this day.”</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">The Atonement.</span> <span id="v02032030" class="ver">30</span>On the next day Moses said to the people,<a id="ren02032030-m" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02032030-m">m</a> “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>; perhaps I may be able to make atonement for your sin.” <span id="v02032031" class="ver">31</span>So Moses returned to the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> and said, “Ah, this people has committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves! <span id="v02032032" class="ver">32</span>Now if you would only forgive their sin! But if you will not, then blot me out of the book that you have written.”<a id="rfn02032032-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02032032-1">*</a> <span id="v02032033" class="ver">33</span>The <span class="tetr">Lord</span> answered Moses: Only the one who has sinned against me will I blot out of my book. <span id="v02032034" class="ver">34</span>Now, go and lead the people where I have told you. See, my angel will go before you. When it is time for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.</p> <p><span id="v02032035" class="ver">35</span>Thus the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> struck the people for making the calf, the one that Aaron made.</p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. 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