³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol^(A) cast in the shape of a calf,^(B) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[a](C) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^(D)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival^(E) to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.^(F) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink^(G) and got up to indulge in revelry.^(H)

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf^(A) and the dancing,^(B) his anger burned^(C) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces^(D) at the foot of the mountain.

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock^(A) to their enemies.