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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" /><title>Exodus 32 NLT</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="../topmenuchap/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">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</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 Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/exodus/32.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">The Gold Calf</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>The LORD told Moses, “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Then the LORD said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>But Moses tried to pacify the LORD his God. “O LORD!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of the people shouting below them, he exclaimed to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the sound of a celebration.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>“Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come here and join me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Moses told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> for the service of the LORD, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”</p><p class="hdg">Moses Intercedes for Israel</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the LORD on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> for your sin.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>But the LORD replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you. And when I come to call the people to account, I will certainly hold them responsible for their sins.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/32-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>Then the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">32:13 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">Israel.</span><span class="ft"> The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">32:15 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">the two tablets of the Testimony;</span><span class="ft"> see note on 25:16.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">32:25 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">out of control, and they mocked anyone who opposed them.</span><span class="ft"> The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">32:29 </span><span class="ft">As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">Today ordain yourselves.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">32:30 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">to make atonement.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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