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EX O D U S 3 3
smashing them at the foot of the mountain.
20 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.
21 Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded,
“What did these people do to you to make you
bring such terrible sin upon them?”
22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people
are. 23 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.’ 24 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!”
25 Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get
completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.* 26 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.
27 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.” 28 The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000
people died that day.
29 Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you
have ordained yourselves* 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.”
Moses Intercedes for Israel
30 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* for your sin.”
31 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. 32 But now, if you will only forgive their
sin—but if not, erase my name from the record
you have written!”
33 But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will
erase the name of everyone who has sinned
against me. 34 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.”
35 Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the
people because they had worshiped the calf
Aaron had made.
33
The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you
and the people you brought up from the
land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will
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give this land to your descendants.’ 2 And I will
send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites,
and Jebusites. 3 Go up to this land that flows with
milk and honey. But I will not travel among you,
for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I
did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”
4 When the people heard these stern words,
they went into mourning and stopped wearing
their jewelry and fine clothes. 5 For the Lord had
told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and
rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for
even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove
your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide
what to do with you.” 6 So from the time they left
Mount Sinai,* the Israelites wore no more jewelry
or fine clothes.
7 It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of
Meeting* and set it up some distance from the
camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of
the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside
the camp.
8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the
entrances of their own tents. They would all watch
Moses until he disappeared inside. 9 As he went
into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down
and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke
with Moses. 10 When the people saw the cloud
standing at the entrance of the tent, they would
stand and bow down in front of their own tents.
11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak
to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.
Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but
the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of
Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.
Moses Sees the LORD’s Glory
12 One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been
telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised
Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will
send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by
name, and I look favorably on you.’ 13 If it is true
that you look favorably on me, let me know your
ways so I may understand you more fully and
continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that
this nation is your very own people.”
14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with
you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything
will be fine for you.”
15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go
with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will
anyone know that you look favorably on me—on
me and on your people—if you don’t go with us?
For your presence among us sets your people and
me apart from all other people on the earth.”
32:25 Or out of control, and they mocked anyone who opposed
them. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 32:29 As
in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads Today ordain
yourselves. 32:30 Or to make atonement. 33:6 Hebrew
Horeb, another name for Sinai. 33:7 This “Tent of Meeting”
is different from the Tabernacle described in chapters 26
and 36.