[When] the people saw that Moshe was late in coming down from the mountain, they gathered against Aharon, and said to him, “Arise, make us gods that will lead us, for this Moshe, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what happened to him.”

Aharon said to them, “Remove the golden rings which are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”

All the people removed the golden rings which were on their ears, and brought them to Aharon.

He took them from their hands, and formed it with [a goldsmith’s] engraving tool, and made it into a molten calf. They [then] said, “These, Yisrael, are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

[When] Aharon saw [this], he built an altar before it. Aharon then called out and said: “Tomorrow will be a festival to [before] Adonoy.”

They arose early the next morning, and offered burnt-offerings and brought peace-offerings. The people then sat down [reclined] to eat and drink, and got up to amuse themselves.

Adonoy spoke to Moshe, “Go down, for your people have become corrupt—those whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt.

They have departed quickly from the way that I commanded them, they have made for themselves a molten calf. They have prostrated themselves to it and offered sacrifices to it, and have said, ‘These, Yisrael, are your gods who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

Adonoy said to Moshe, “I have seen [observed] this people [are revealed before Me], and behold they are a stiff-necked people.

Now leave Me alone [leave your prayer from before Me] and My wrath will blaze against them and destroy them. I will then make you into a great nation.”

Moshe implored [prayed] before the Presence of Adonoy, his God, and he said, “Adonoy! Why should Your wrath blaze against Your people whom You brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

Why should Egypt be able to say, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in [between] the mountains, and to annihilate them from the face of the earth?’ Turn from [withdraw] Your blazing wrath, and reconsider the [intent of doing] evil to Your people.

Remember Avraham, Yitzchok and Yisrael, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your Self [Word], and said to them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the heaven; and all this land of which I have spoken, I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’”

Adonoy reconsidered the [intent of doing] evil that He had said He would do to His people.

Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand. They were tablets written on both sides, the writing was [visible] from either side.

The Tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the Tablets.

Yehoshua heard the voice of the people rejoicing, and he said to Moshe, “There is a sound of battle in the camp.”

But he [Moshe] said, “It is not the sound of strength [song of victory] [the mighty who are victorious in war], nor is it the sound of weakness [song of defeat] [the weak who are broken]. It is a sound of song [the rejoicers] that I hear.”

As he [Moshe] approached the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moshe’s anger blazed, and he threw down the Tablets that were in his hands and smashed them beneath [at the bottom of] the mountain.

He took the calf that they had made, and burned it in fire, and ground it into fine powder. He then scattered it on the water, and made the B’nei Yisrael drink it.

Moshe then said to Aharon, “What did this people do to you that you brought upon them such a great sin?”

Aharon said, “Let not the wrath of my master blaze. You know that the people are set on evil.

They said to me, ‘Make gods for us that will lead us for this Moshe, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what happened to him.’

I said to them, ‘Who has gold?’ They removed [their gold] and gave it to me. I threw it into the fire, and this calf emerged.”

Moshe saw [the bad traits of] the people for they were [now] exposed [rejected]; for Aharon had allowed them to be exposed [nullified them], and now they would be disgraced among their adversaries [to make them take a bad name for themselves for their generations].

Moshe stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for [fears] Adonoy, [come] to me.” All the sons of Leivi gathered to him.

He said to them, “This is what Adonoy, God of Yisrael has said, ‘Let each man put his sword on his hip and pass through from gate to gate in the camp. Let each man kill [even] his brother, each man his friend, each man his relative.

The sons of Leivi did as Moshe said. On that day those that fell from among the people, numbered approximately three thousand men.

Moshe said, “Consecrate yourselves [Your hands have offered a sacrifice] today to [before] Adonoy—for each man killed [even] his son and brothers—that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to [before] Adonoy, perhaps I will gain atonement for your sin.”

Moshe returned to [before] Adonoy and said, “I beseech You! This people have committed a great sin and have made a god of gold.

Now if You would bear [forgive] their sin, and if not, blot me out from Your book that You have written.”

Adonoy said to Moshe, “Those who have sinned against [before] Me, I will blot out from My book.

And now, go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My angel will go before you. However on the day when I take account of them, I will take their sin into account.

Adonoy then struck the people with a plague because they had made [worshiped] the calf that Aharon made.