Moses Stands in the Gap

The people saw that Moses was slow to come down from the mountain. They gathered around Aaron and said, Come, make us gods, which shall go before us. They said they did not know what had happened to Moses. Aaron told them to bring their gold earrings. He made a gold calf. The people said it was the god who brought them out of Egypt. They offered sacrifices to it, ate, drank and played.

God told Moses, Go, get down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! Moses begged God to spare them. He asked God to remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and his promises to them. And the Lord did not send the harm He had spoken of.

Moses came down carrying the tablets that God had written. When he saw the calf and the dancing, he was very angry. He threw the tablets down and broke them at the foot of the mountain. He burned the calf and ground it to powder. He asked Aaron, What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them? Aaron made excuses. The sin brought sad results that day. The next day Moses said, You have sinned a great sin. He said he would go up to Yahweh to seek forgiveness for them.