146-147 : The Making Of The Golden Calf
WHEN the people saw that Moses was not coming down from the mountain at once,
they gathered round Aaron and said to him: "Make us gods to go before us,
for we do not know what has become of Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt."
So Aaron said to them: "Break off the golden ear-rings which your wives and sons and daughters
wear in their ears, and bring them to me."
So all the people broke off the golden ear-rings in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
He took them from their hands and melted the gold and fashioned it with a tool into the shape of a calf.
"Let this be your god, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt," they said.
When Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it.
Then he made a proclamation, saying: "Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord."
They rose up early the next morning and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings,
and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play.
Then God said to Moses: "Go down. For your people whom you have brought out of the land of
Egypt have corrupted themselves.
They have turned aside from the way I commanded them to go.
They have made themselves a golden calf and worshipped it.
They have made sacrifices to it and have said, 'This is your god, O Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.' "
And God said to Moses: "I have watched this people, and they are a stubborn people. Now
therefore leave me alone,for my anger has grown hot against them,and I will destroy them,and make a great nation of you alone."
But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God ,
saying:"Lord why are you angry against your people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt by great power and with a mighty hand?
Are the Egyptians to say,'He led them out as a trick to slay them in the mountains,and to destroy them from the face of the earth?'
Turn from your fierce anger against your people.
Remember Abraham,Isaac,and Israel,your servants,
to whom you swore by your own name that you would multiply their offspring like the stars of the heaven,
and give all this land you have spoken of to their children,
and that they would inherit it for ever."
So the Lord repented of the harm which he planned to do to his people.
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