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Exodus 31-32
New American Standard Bible

The Skilled Craftsmen

31 (A)Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the (B)son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have (C)filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of [a]craftsmanship, 4 to create [b]artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in [c]bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones [d]for settings, and in the carving of wood, so that he may work in all kinds of [e]craftsmanship. 6 And behold, I Myself have [f]appointed with him (D)Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are [g]skillful I have put [h]skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you: 7 (E)the tent of meeting, (F)the ark of testimony, (G)the [i]atoning cover that is on it, and all the furniture of the tent, 8 (H)the table and its [j]utensils, the (I)pure gold lampstand with all its [k]utensils, and (J)the altar of incense, 9 (K)the altar of burnt offering with all its [l]utensils, and (L)the basin and its stand, 10 the [m](M)woven garments as well: the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, with which to [n]carry out their priesthood; 11 (N)the anointing oil also, and the (O)fragrant incense for the Holy Place, they are to make them according to everything that I have commanded you.”

The Sign of the Sabbath

12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Now as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(P)You must keep My Sabbaths; for this is (Q)a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 Therefore you are to keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. (R)Everyone who profanes it must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 (S)For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a (T)Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; (U)whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. 16 So the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to [o]celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a permanent covenant.’ 17 (V)It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; (W)for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”

18 When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses (X)the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, (Y)written by the finger of God.

The Golden Calf

32 Now when the people saw that Moses (Z)delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled around Aaron and said to him, “Come, (AA)make us [p]a god who will go before us; for (AB)this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “(AC)Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then he took the gold from their [q]hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a (AD)cast metal calf; and they said, “[r]This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 So the next day they got up early and (AE)offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and (AF)the people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up (AG)to engage in lewd behavior.

7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go [s]down at once, for your people, whom (AH)you brought up from the land of Egypt, have (AI)behaved corruptly. 8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. (AJ)They have made for themselves a cast metal calf, and have worshiped it and (AK)have sacrificed to it and said, ‘[t](AL)This is your god, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 (AM)Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are [u](AN)an obstinate people. 10 So now (AO)leave Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and (AP)I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses’ Plea

11 Then (AQ)Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should (AR)the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You (AS)swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will (AT)multiply your [v]descendants as the stars of the heavens, and (AU)all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your [w]descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 (AV)So the Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 (AW)Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, (AX)tablets which were written on both [x]sides; they were written on one side and the other. 16 The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing engraved on the tablets. 17 Now when Joshua heard the sound of the people [y]as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18 But he said,

“It is not the sound of the cry of victory,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But I hear the sound of singing.”

Moses’ Anger

19 And it came about, as soon as [z]Moses approached the camp, that (AY)he saw the calf and the people dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and (AZ)he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them to pieces [aa]at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then (BA)he took the calf which they had made and completely burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.

21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, (BB)that they are [ab]prone to evil. 23 For (BC)they said to me, ‘Make [ac]a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ Then they gave it to me, and (BD)I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

25 Now when Moses saw that the people were [ad]out of control—for Aaron had (BE)let them [ae]get out of control to the point of being an object of ridicule among [af]their enemies— 26 Moses then stood at the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. 27 And he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Every man of you put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his [ag]neighbor.’” 28 So (BF)the sons of Levi did [ah]as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, “[ai]Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

30 And on the next day Moses said to the people, “(BG)You yourselves have [aj]committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord; perhaps I can (BH)make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, this people has [ak]committed a great sin, and they have made a (BI)god of gold for themselves! 32 But now, if You will forgive their sin, very well; but if not, please wipe me out from Your (BJ)book which You have written!” 33 However, the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, (BK)I will wipe him out of My book. 34 But go now, lead the people (BL)where I told you. Behold, (BM)My angel shall go before you; nevertheless (BN)on the day when I [al]punish, (BO)I will [am]punish them for their sin.” 35 (BP)Then the Lord struck the people with a plague, because of (BQ)what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 31:3 Or workmanship
  2. Exodus 31:4 Lit devices
  3. Exodus 31:4 Or copper
  4. Exodus 31:5 Lit to fill in (for a setting)
  5. Exodus 31:5 Or workmanship
  6. Exodus 31:6 Lit given
  7. Exodus 31:6 Lit wise of heart
  8. Exodus 31:6 Lit wisdom
  9. Exodus 31:7 Also called mercy seat; i.e., where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
  10. Exodus 31:8 Or vessels
  11. Exodus 31:8 Or vessels
  12. Exodus 31:9 Or vessels
  13. Exodus 31:10 Or service garments
  14. Exodus 31:10 Lit minister as priests
  15. Exodus 31:16 Lit perform
  16. Exodus 32:1 Or gods
  17. Exodus 32:4 Lit hand
  18. Exodus 32:4 Or These are your gods
  19. Exodus 32:7 Lit go down
  20. Exodus 32:8 Or These are your gods
  21. Exodus 32:9 Or a stiff-necked
  22. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  23. Exodus 32:13 Lit seed
  24. Exodus 32:15 Lit their sides
  25. Exodus 32:17 Lit in its shouting
  26. Exodus 32:19 Lit he
  27. Exodus 32:19 Lit beneath
  28. Exodus 32:22 Lit in evil
  29. Exodus 32:23 Or gods
  30. Exodus 32:25 Lit let loose
  31. Exodus 32:25 Lit go loose
  32. Exodus 32:25 Lit those who rise against them
  33. Exodus 32:27 Or kin
  34. Exodus 32:28 Lit according to Moses’ word
  35. Exodus 32:29 Lit Fill your hand
  36. Exodus 32:30 Lit sinned
  37. Exodus 32:31 Lit sinned
  38. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit
  39. Exodus 32:34 Lit visit their sin upon them
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Exodus 31-32
New International Version

Bezalel and Oholiab(A)

31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel(B) son of Uri, the son of Hur,(C) of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge(D) and with all kinds of skills(E)— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab(F) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan,(G) to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers(H) to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting,(I) the ark of the covenant law(J) with the atonement cover(K) on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table(L) and its articles, the pure gold lampstand(M) and all its accessories, the altar of incense,(N) 9 the altar of burnt offering(O) and all its utensils, the basin(P) with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments(Q), both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil(R) and fragrant incense(S) for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded(T) you.”

The Sabbath

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths.(U) This will be a sign(V) between me and you for the generations to come,(W) so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(X)

14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death;(Y) those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work(Z) is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,(AA) holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath,(AB) celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign(AC) between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.(AD)’”(AE)

18 When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,(AF) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone(AG) inscribed by the finger of God.(AH)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,(AI) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before(AJ) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”(AK)

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings(AL) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 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(AM) cast in the shape of a calf,(AN) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b](AO) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”(AP)

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

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,(AU) have become corrupt.(AV) 8 They have been quick to turn away(AW) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol(AX) cast in the shape of a calf.(AY) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed(AZ) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’(BA)

9 “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked(BB) people. 10 Now leave me alone(BC) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy(BD) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”(BE)

11 But Moses sought the favor(BF) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?(BG) 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?(BH) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster(BI) on your people. 13 Remember(BJ) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:(BK) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars(BL) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land(BM) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented(BN) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law(BO) in his hands.(BP) They were inscribed(BQ) on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.(BR)

17 When Joshua(BS) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

18 Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
    it is not the sound of defeat;
    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf(BT) and the dancing,(BU) his anger burned(BV) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces(BW) at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned(BX) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,(BY) scattered it on the water(BZ) and made the Israelites drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

22 “Do not be angry,(CA) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.(CB) 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’(CC) 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”(CD)

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock(CE) to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”(CF) 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.(CG) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement(CH) for your sin.”

31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!(CI) They have made themselves gods of gold.(CJ) 32 But now, please forgive their sin(CK)—but if not, then blot me(CL) out of the book(CM) you have written.”

33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out(CN) of my book. 34 Now go, lead(CO) the people to the place(CP) I spoke of, and my angel(CQ) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,(CR) I will punish them for their sin.”

35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf(CS) Aaron had made.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
  2. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8
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Exodus 30
Exodus 33
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