² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings^(A) 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^(B) cast in the shape of a calf,^(C) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[a](D) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^(E)

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