Êxodo 32

¹ And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up,The root of Idolatry is when men think that God is not present, unless they see him physically.make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

² And Aaron said unto them,Thinking that they would rather abandon idolatry, than give up their most precious jewels.Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.

³ And all the people brake off theSuch is the rage of idolaters, that they spare no cost to satisfy their wicked desires.golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron.

⁴ And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it aThey remembered the sins of Egypt, where they saw calves, oxen and serpents worshipped.molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

⁵ When Aaron sawe that, he made an Altar before it: and Aaron proclaimed, saying, To morow shalbe the holy day of the Lord.

⁶ So they rose vp the next day in the morning, and offred burnt offerings, & brought peace offrings: also the people sate them downe to eate and drinke, and rose vp to play.

⁷ Then the Lord said vnto Moses, Go, get thee downe: for thy people which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath corrupted their wayes.

⁸ TheyBy which we see the need we have to pray earnestly to God, to keep us in his true obedience, and to send us good guides.have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

⁹ Againe the Lord said vnto Moses, I haue seene this people, and beholde, it is a stiffe necked people.

¹⁰ NowGod shows that the prayers of the godly hold back his punishment.therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

¹¹ But Moses praied vnto the Lord his God, and said, O Lord, why doeth thy wrath waxe hote against thy people, which thou hast brought out of the lande of Egypt, with great power and with a mightie hand?

¹² Wherefore shall the Egyptians speake, and say, He hath brought them out maliciously for to slay them in the mountaines, and to consume them from the earth? turne from thy fearce wrath, and change thy minde from this euill towarde thy people.

¹³ RememberThat is, your promise made to Abraham.Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit [it] for ever.

¹⁴ Then the Lord changed his minde fro the euil, which he threatned to do vnto his people.

¹⁵ So Moses returned and went downe from the mountaine with the two Tables of the Testimonie in his hande: the Tables were written on both their sides, euen on the one side and on the other were they written.

¹⁶ And the tables [were] the work of God, andAll these repetitions show how excellent a thing they defrauded themselves of by their idolatry.the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

¹⁷ And when Ioshua heard the noyse of the people, as they shouted, he said vnto Moses, There is a noyse of warre in the hoste.

¹⁸ Who answered, It is not the noyse of them that haue the victorie, nor the noyse of them that are ouercome: but I do heare ye noyse of singing.

¹⁹ Nowe, as soone as he came neere vnto the hoste, he sawe the calfe and the dancing: so Moses wrath waxed hote, and he cast the Tables out of his handes, and brake them in pieces beneath the mountaine.

²⁰ And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of IsraelPartly to despise them for their idolatry, and partly so they would have no opportunity to remember the calf later.drink [of it].

²¹ Also Moses said vnto Aaron, What did this people vnto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sinne vpon them?

²² Then Aaron answered, Let not the wrath of my Lord waxe fearce: Thou knowest this people, that they are euen set on mischiefe.

²³ And they sayde vnto me, Make vs gods to go before vs: for we knowe not what is become of this Moses (the man that brought vs out of the land of Egypt.)

²⁴ Then I sayde to them, Ye that haue golde, plucke it off: and they brought it me, & I did cast it into the fire, and thereof came this calfe.

²⁵ And when Moses saw that the people [were]Both destitute of God's favour, and an occasion for their enemies to speak evil of their God.naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:)

²⁶ And Moses stoode in ye gate of the campe, and sayde, Who pertaineth to the Lorde? let him come to mee; all the sonnes of Leui gathered themselues vnto him.

²⁷ And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, [and] go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, andThis fact did so please God, that he turned the curse of Jacob against Levi to a blessing, (Deu_33:9).slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

²⁸ So the children of Leui did as Moses had commanded: and there fel of the people the same day about three thousand men.

²⁹ For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon hisIn revenging God's glory we must have no partiality to person, but lay aside all carnal affection.son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

³⁰ And when the morning came, Moses sayde vnto the people, Yee haue committed a grieuous crime: but now I wil goe vp to the Lord, if I may pacifie him for your sinne.

³¹ Moses therefore went againe vnto ye Lord, and said, Oh, this people haue sinned a great sinne, and haue made them gods of golde.

³² Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee,He esteemed the glory of God so much, that he preferred it even to his own salvation.out of thy book which thou hast written.

³³ And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of myI will make it known that he was never predestined in my eternal counsel to life everlasting.book.

³⁴ This demonstrates how grievous a sin idolatry is, seeing that at Moses prayer God would not fully remit it.Therefore now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

³⁵ So the Lorde plagued the people, because they caused Aaro to make ye calfe which he made.