21. Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”
22. Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn. You know that the people are set on evil.
23. For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us which will go before us, for this Moses, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
24. I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and then I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.’ ”
25. Now when Moses saw the people were in a frenzy, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies,
26. then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered themselves together around him.
27. He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man fasten his sword on his side, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’ ”
28. The Levites did according to the word of Moses, and about three thousand men of the people died that day.
29. For Moses had said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow a blessing on you this day, for every man opposes his son and his brother.”
30. On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin, and now I will go up to the Lord. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31. Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, this people has committed a great sin and have made a god of gold for themselves.