1O povo, ao ver que Moisés demorava a descer do monte, juntou-se ao redor de Arão e lhe disse: “Venha, faça para nós deuses[1] que nos conduzam, pois a esse Moisés, o homem que nos tirou do Egito, não sabemos o que lhe aconteceu”.2Respondeu-lhes Arão: “Tirem os brincos de ouro de suas mulheres, de seus filhos e de suas filhas e tragam-nos a mim”.3Todos tiraram os seus brincos de ouro e os levaram a Arão.4Ele os recebeu e os fundiu, transformando tudo num ídolo, que modelou com uma ferramenta própria, dando-lhe a forma de um bezerro. Então disseram: “Eis aí os seus deuses[2], ó Israel, que tiraram vocês do Egito!”5Vendo isso, Arão edificou um altar diante do bezerro e anunciou: “Amanhã haverá uma festa dedicada ao SENHOR”.6Na manhã seguinte, ofereceram holocaustos e sacrifícios de comunhão[3]. O povo se assentou para comer e beber, e levantou-se para se entregar à farra.7Então o SENHOR disse a Moisés: “Desça, porque o seu povo, que você tirou do Egito, corrompeu-se.8Muito depressa se desviaram daquilo que lhes ordenei e fizeram um ídolo em forma de bezerro, curvaram-se diante dele, ofereceram-lhe sacrifícios e disseram: ‘Eis aí, ó Israel, os seus deuses que tiraram vocês do Egito’ ”.9Disse o SENHOR a Moisés: “Tenho visto que este povo é um povo obstinado.10Deixe-me agora, para que a minha ira se acenda contra eles, e eu os destrua. Depois farei de você uma grande nação”.11Moisés, porém, suplicou ao SENHOR, o seu Deus, clamando: “Ó SENHOR, por que se acenderia a tua ira contra o teu povo, que tiraste do Egito com grande poder e forte mão?12Por que diriam os egípcios: ‘Foi com intenção maligna que ele os libertou, para matá-los nos montes e bani-los da face da terra’? Arrepende-te do fogo da tua ira! Tem piedade, e não tragas este mal sobre o teu povo!13Lembra-te dos teus servos Abraão, Isaque e Israel, aos quais juraste por ti mesmo: ‘Farei que os seus descendentes sejam numerosos como as estrelas do céu e lhes darei toda esta terra que lhes prometi, que será a sua herança para sempre’ ”.14E sucedeu que o SENHOR arrependeu-se do mal que ameaçara trazer sobre o povo.15Então Moisés desceu do monte, levando nas mãos as duas tábuas da aliança; estavam escritas em ambos os lados, frente e verso.16As tábuas tinham sido feitas por Deus; o que nelas estava gravado fora escrito por Deus.17Quando Josué ouviu o barulho do povo gritando, disse a Moisés: “Há barulho de guerra no acampamento”.18Respondeu Moisés: “Não é canto de vitória, nem canto de derrota; mas ouço o som de canções!”19Quando Moisés aproximou-se do acampamento e viu o bezerro e as danças, irou-se e jogou as tábuas no chão, ao pé do monte, quebrando-as.20Pegou o bezerro que eles tinham feito e o destruiu no fogo; depois de moê-lo até virar pó, espalhou-o na água e fez com que os israelitas a bebessem.21E perguntou a Arão: “Que fez esse povo a você para que o levasse a tão grande pecado?”22Respondeu Arão: “Não te enfureças, meu senhor; tu bem sabes como esse povo é propenso para o mal.23Eles me disseram: ‘Faça para nós deuses que nos conduzam, pois não sabemos o que aconteceu com esse Moisés, o homem que nos tirou do Egito’.24Então eu lhes disse: ‘Quem tiver enfeites de ouro, traga-os para mim’. O povo trouxe-me o ouro, eu o joguei no fogo e surgiu esse bezerro!”25Moisés viu que o povo estava desenfreado e que Arão o tinha deixado fora de controle, tendo se tornado objeto de riso para os seus inimigos.26Então ficou em pé, à entrada do acampamento, e disse: “Quem é pelo SENHOR, junte-se a mim”. Todos os levitas se juntaram a ele.27Declarou-lhes também: “Assim diz o SENHOR, o Deus de Israel: ‘Pegue cada um sua espada, percorra o acampamento, de tenda em tenda, e mate o seu irmão, o seu amigo e o seu vizinho’ ”.28Fizeram os levitas conforme Moisés ordenou, e naquele dia morreram cerca de três mil dentre o povo.29Disse então Moisés: “Hoje vocês se consagraram ao SENHOR, pois nenhum de vocês poupou o seu filho e o seu irmão, de modo que o SENHOR os abençoou neste dia”.30No dia seguinte Moisés disse ao povo: “Vocês cometeram um grande pecado. Mas agora subirei ao SENHOR e talvez possa oferecer propiciação pelo pecado de vocês”.31Assim, Moisés voltou ao SENHOR e disse: “Ah, que grande pecado cometeu este povo! Fizeram para si deuses de ouro.32Mas agora, eu te rogo, perdoa-lhes o pecado; se não, risca-me do teu livro que escreveste”.33Respondeu o SENHOR a Moisés: “Riscarei do meu livro todo aquele que pecar contra mim.34Agora vá, guie o povo ao lugar de que lhe falei, e meu anjo irá à sua frente. Todavia, quando chegar a hora de puni-los, eu os punirei pelos pecados deles”.35E o SENHOR feriu o povo com uma praga porque quiseram que Arão fizesse o bezerro.
1When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Ex 13:21; Ex 24:18; Ex 32:23; Dt 9:9; At 7:40)2So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” (Ex 12:35; Jz 8:24)3So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.4And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden[1] calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Dt 9:16; Jz 17:3; 1 Rs 12:28; Ne 9:18; Sl 106:19; At 7:41)5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” (2 Rs 10:20)6And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. (Gn 26:8; Jz 21:21; 1 Co 10:7)7And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. (Dt 9:12; Jz 2:19; Os 9:9)8They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” (Ex 20:3; Ex 20:23; Dt 9:16)9And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. (Ex 33:3; Ex 33:5; Ex 34:9; Dt 9:6; Dt 9:13; Dt 31:27; 2 Cr 30:8; Is 48:4; At 7:51)10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” (Ex 22:24; Ex 33:3; Nm 14:12; Dt 9:14)11But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? (Dt 9:18; Dt 9:26; Sl 74:1; Sl 106:23)12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. (Ex 32:14; Nm 14:13; Dt 32:27)13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” (Gn 12:7; Gn 13:15; Gn 15:7; Gn 15:18; Gn 22:16; Gn 26:4; Gn 28:13; Gn 35:11; Gn 48:16; Hb 6:13)14And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. (1 Cr 21:15; Sl 106:45; Jr 18:8; Jr 26:13; Jr 26:15; Jr 26:19; Am 7:3; Am 7:6; Jn 3:10; Jn 4:2)15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. (Ex 34:29; Dt 9:15)16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. (Ex 31:18)17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” (Ex 17:9; Ex 24:13; Ex 33:11)18But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” (Jr 51:14)19And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. (Dt 9:16; Dt 9:21)20He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.21And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” (Gn 20:9)22And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. (Ex 14:11; Ex 15:24; Ex 16:2; Ex 16:20; Ex 17:2; Ex 17:4; 1 Sm 15:24)23For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ (Ex 32:1)24So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” (Ex 32:2)25And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), (Ex 32:12)26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.27And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” (Nm 25:5; Dt 33:9)28And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.29And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” (Nm 25:11; Dt 13:6; Zc 13:3; Mt 10:37; Lc 14:26)30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” (Ex 32:21; 1 Sm 12:20; 2 Sm 16:12; Am 5:15)31So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. (Ex 20:23; Ex 32:30)32But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” (Nm 14:19; Sl 56:8; Sl 69:28; Sl 139:16; Dn 12:1; Rm 9:3; Fp 4:3)33But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. (Ez 18:4; Ez 18:20)34But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” (Ex 14:19; Ex 33:12)35Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.