Exodus 32:11-32

11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath burn against thy people, which thou hast brought forth from the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?1 12Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For evil did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thine own self, and saidst to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.

15And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tables. 17And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.2 19And it came to pass, as soon as he came near to the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger burned, and he cast the tables from his hands, and broke them beneath the mount. 20And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it .

21And Moses said to Aaron, What did this people to thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord burn: thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. 23For they said to me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. 24And I said to them, Whoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies:)3 26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27And he said to them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.45

30And it came to pass on the next day, that Moses said to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I shall make an atonement for your sin. 31And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, O, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.