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Exodus 32 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
<!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 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</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="../">NRSVCE</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 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Golden Calf</span></h3><p class="chapter-2"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>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.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold,<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-2443a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> 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!” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>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.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>The <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>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!’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>The <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>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.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>But Moses implored the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> his God, and said, “O <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, 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? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>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.’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>And the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-2454b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>But he said,</span></p><div class="poetry"><p class="line"><span class="text">“It is not the sound made by victors,</span><br /><span class="text">or the sound made by losers;</span><br /><span class="text">it is the sound of revelers that I hear.”</span></p></div> <p class="first-line-none"><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>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. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>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.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>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.’ </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>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!”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>When Moses saw that the people were running wild (for Aaron had let them run wild, to the derision of their enemies), </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Who is on the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>He said to them, “Thus says the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, 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.’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>Moses said, “Today you have ordained yourselves<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-2468c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote c">c</a>]</span> for the service of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>So Moses returned to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">32</span>But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of the book that you have written.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">33</span>But the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">34</span>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.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">35</span>Then the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Exodus 32:4">Exodus 32:4</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Or <i>fashioned it with a graving tool</i>; Meaning of Heb uncertain</span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Exodus 32:15">Exodus 32:15</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Or <i>treaty</i>, or <i>testimony</i>; Heb <i>eduth</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Exodus 32:29">Exodus 32:29</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Gk Vg Compare Tg: Heb <i>Today ordain yourselves</i></span></li></ol></div> <!--end of footnotes--></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 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