The Gold Bull Calf

¹ When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, they gathered around Aaron and said to him:

Israelites

Make us gods which shall go before us because we do not know what has happened to Moses.

Aaron

² Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, sons, daughters, and bring them to me.

³ The people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He fashioned them with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf*.

Israelites

These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you out of Egypt.

⁵ When Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it and proclaimed:

Aaron

Tomorrow is a feast to Enlil.

⁶ They rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

⁷ Anu said to Moses:

Anu

Go down. Your people have corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf and have worshipped it. They have sacrificed to it and they it is the gods which have brought you out of Egypt.

⁹ I have seen this people – a stiffnecked people. ¹⁰ Now leave so that my wrath may burn hot against them so that I may destroy them. Then I will make YOU a great nation.

¹¹ Moses beseeched Anu:

Moses

LORD, why are you angry against your people which you have brought out of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

¹² The Egyptians would say: ‘Anu led them out of Egypt just to slay them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth.’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and relent of this evil against your people.

¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore that you will multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and give them all this land that you have promised and they shall inherit it forever.

¹⁴ Anu relented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down from the mount with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand: the tablets were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other [were] they written.

¹⁶ The tablets were the work of Anu. The writing was the writing of Anu, graven on the tablets.

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses:

Joshua

There is a noise of war in the camp.

Moses

¹⁸ It not a victory cry nor a one of defeat. It is the sound of singing!

¹⁹ Moses saw the calf and the dancing as soon as he came into the camp.

Moses became very angry. He threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.

²⁰ He took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it on the water, and made the Israelites drink of it.

Moses

²¹ [To Aaron] What did these people do to you, that you have led them into so great a sin?

Aaron

²² Do not be angry my lord. You know that the people are set on mischief. ²³ They said to me: ‘Make us gods which shall go before us because we do not know what happened to this Moses.’

²⁴ So I said to them to give me their gold so that I can cast it into the fire, and make out this calf.

²⁵ Moses saw that the people were naked for Aaron had made them naked to make them the laughing stock of their enemies.

²⁶ Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and announced:

Moses

Whoever is on Anu’s side, let him come to me.

All the sons of Levi gathered to him.

Moses

²⁷ [To the Levites] Anu said to take your swords and go throughout the camp and slay every brother, companion, and neighbour.

²⁸ The children of Levi did according to the word of Moses and killed on that day about 3,000 men.

Moses

²⁹ Consecrate yourselves to day to Anu, even every man on his son, and upon his brother that he may bestow on you a blessing today.

³⁰ The next day, Moses said to the people:

Moses

You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Anu and atone for your sin.

³¹ Moses returned to Anu and said:

Moses

‘Oh, these people have greatly sinned, and have made gods of gold. ³² Please forgive their sin. If not, please erase me from the book which you have written.

Anu

³³ Whoever had sinned against me, I will erase out of my book. ³⁴ So go now and lead the people to the place I told you. My agent shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.

³⁵ So Anu plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made.