Exodus chapter .xxxij.
¶ And when the people saw that it was long or Moses came down out of the mountain, they gathered them selves together and came unto Aaron and said unto him: Up and make us a god to go before us: for of this Moses the fellow that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wote not what is become.
And Aaron said unto them: pluck off the golden earings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons and of your daughters: and bring them unto me.
And all the people plucked off the golden earings that were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
And he received them of their hands and fashioned it with a graver and made it a calf of molten metal. And they said: This is thy God, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
And when Aaron saw that, he made an altar before it, and made a proclamation saying tomorrow shall be holy day unto the LORD.
And they rose up in the morning and offered burnt offerings, and brought offerings of atonement also. And then they sat them down to eat and drink, and rose up again to play.
¶ Then the LORD said unto Moses: go get thee down, for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt,
have marred all they are turned at once out of the way which I commanded them, and have made them a calf of molten metal, and have worshipped it and have offered thereto and have said: This is thy God thou Israel, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
And the LORD said unto Moses: behold, I see this people, that it is a stiffnecked people,
and now therefore suffer me that my wrath may wax hot upon them, and that I may consume them: and then will I make of thee a mighty people.
Then Moses besought the LORD his God and said: O LORD, why should thy wrath wax hot upon thy people which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say: For a mischief did he bring them out: even for to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth. Turn from thy fierce wrath, and have compassion over the wickedness of thy people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thine own self and saidest unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I have said, I will give unto your seed: and they shall inherit it for ever.
And the LORD refrained himself from that evil, which he said he would do unto his people.
¶ And Moses turned his back and went down from the hill, and the two tables of witness in his hand: which were written on both the leaves
and were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God graven upon the tables.
And when Iosua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses: there is a noise of war in the host.
And he said: it is not the cry of them that have the mastery, nor of them that have the worse: but I do hear the noise of singing.
And as soon as he came nye unto the host and saw the calf and the dancing, his wrath waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hand, and brake them even at the hill foot.
And the took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and stamped it unto powder and strowed it in the water, and made the children of Israel drink.
¶ And then Moses said unto Aaron: what did this people unto thee that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
And Aaron said: let not the wrath of my lord wax fierce, thou knowest the people that they are even set on mischief:
they said unto me: make us a god to go before us, for we wote not what is become of Moses the fellow that brought us out of the land of Egypt.
And I said unto them: let them that have gold, take and bring it me: and I cast it into the fire, and thereof came out this calf.
When Moses saw that the people were naked (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame when they made insurrection)
he went and stood in the gate of the host and said: If any man pertain unto the LORD, let him come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered them selves together and came unto him.
And he said unto them, thus sayeth the LORD of Israel: put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate thorowout the host: and slay every man his brother, every man his friend and every man his neighbour.
And the children of Levi did as Moses had said. And there were slain of the people the same day, about three thousand men.
Then Moses said: fill your hands unto the LORD this day, every man upon his son and upon his brother: to bring upon you a blessing this day.
¶ And on the morrow, Moses said unto the people: Ye have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up unto the LORD, to wit whether I can make an atonement for your sin.
And Moses went again unto the LORD and said: Oh, this people have sinned a great sin and have made them a god of gold:
Yet forgive them their sin I pray thee: If not wipe me out of thy book which thou hast written.
And the LORD said unto Moses: I will put him out of my book that hath sinned against me.
But go and bring the people unto the land which I said unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee. Neverthelater in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.
Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.