The Golden Calf

Title ideas:The Lord makes a covenant with Israel.The Israelites come to Mount Sinai.Covenant, disobedience and mercy at Mount Sinai.

The Lord rescued the Israelites from being slaves in Egypt, and he led them into the wilderness. They would migrate [move their camp] every time the Lord told [led] them to do so.

They stayed some months in a wilderness area [called Siin/Siyn], where the Lord gave them quail [birds] and manna for food. Then the Lord commanded them to move camp to somewhere else.

Two months after the Israelites left Egypt, God led them to a wilderness area called Sinai. There they set up camp near a mountain called Sinai.

One day, the Lord ordered Moses to go [walk, climb] up on Mount Sinai. There, The Lord and Moses talked together. The Lord ordered Moses to say to the Israelites:

“You Israelites saw how I punished the Egyptians, and you have seen how I myself have protected and guided you and have brought you here to me!

“So, you must obey my voice [commands; what I tell you to do], and you must keep [respect] my covenant with you.

“If you obey all my commands, then you will be [remain] my own people [worshippers]! I will rule over [lead and protect] you, I will hear you when you pray, and you will be my own unique [special] nation. You will bless other nations through prayer to me, and you will lead other nations to worship me!”

Moses then went down from the mountain and told to the Israelites all The Lord had said to say. The Israelites agreed, saying, “We will do all that The Lord has commanded us to do!”

When Moses reported to The Lord that the Israelites agreed to obey him, the Lord spoke again to Moses, saying:

“Day after tomorrow, I will come in a thick [dark] cloud and speak to you, and the Israelites will hear my voice.

“Afterwards, they will always believe what I say to you! So, go tell them to get ready for my coming!

“They must wash themselves and their clothes, both today and tomorrow!

“Day after tomorrow, I will come [from the sky] down to the mountain, and all the Israelites will see my thick [dark] cloud!

“Set a boundary around the mountain’s foot [base; lowest part], and order everyone not to come near the boundary, nor to cross it!

“You, Moses, may come up on the mountain, but anyone else who comes up on the mountain will die!”

So, Moses came down from the mountain and ordered the Israelites to wash themselves, to be ready to hear from the Lord.

Moses ordered, “When you will hear a long, loud trumpet sound [blast], you must go towards the mountain’s foot [base]!”

The third day morning, the Israelites saw lightning [flashes] and heard thunder [claps]. Then they saw a thick cloud on the mountain. Next, they heard a loud trumpet [blast]. This frightened them.

Moses then led the Israelites from their camp to meet with God. As they stood near the mountain’s foot, they felt the mountain tremble, and they heard the trumpet [blast] grow louder.

When Moses spoke to the Lord, the Lord replied to him. When the Lord came down in a cloud on the mountain, he called to Moses, “Come up on the mountain!” So, Moses went up on the mountain.

Moses stayed with the Lord on Mount Sinai 40 days and nights.

During those days, the Lord carved [wrote] on two stone tablets [slabs] ten commandments that the Israelites must obey.

Because Moses stayed so long on the mountain, the Israelites grew restless. So they said to Aaron, “We do not know where Moses has gone, so make for us an idol that can go before us!”

So Aaron ordered them, “Bring to me all the gold that you [your women and children] keep on your ears!” And they did so.

Aaron then heated and pounded the gold to form a golden calf [bullock].

Some Israelite leaders shouted, “This is the God who led us out from Egypt!” So next day, the Israelites brought sacrifices [offerings to the golden calf idol] and began dancing, singing, eating and drinking [and playing sex].

On the mountain, the Lord ordered Moses: “Hurry! Go down to the Israelite camp, for they are disobeying and rejecting me!

“They have fashioned [made] a calf [idol] and are worshipping it! This makes me so angry, that I want to destroy them!”

Moses then pleaded with the Lord, saying: “Please, remember the promise you made to our forefathers. Do not destroy the Israelites, lest the Egyptians say that you kill your worshippers!”The Lord agreed with Moses.

So Moses went down the mountain to the camp, carrying the two stone tablets upon which the Lord had written his Ten Commandments.

As Moses drew near to the camp, he saw the golden calf and the Israelites who were dancing [and playing sex with each other].

Moses became angry towards them, and he threw down the tablets, breaking them into pieces at the mountain’s foot [base; lowest part].

Moses then burned [melted] the golden calf in a fire and ground [broke] it until it was powder.

Next, Moses scattered the powder on water and ordered the Israelites to drink that water.

Moses scolded [asked] Aaron: “Why did you make the Israelites sin against the Lord?”

Aaron replied, “The Israelites always sin, and they asked me to make an idol for them. When I threw their gold into a fire,

…and out came a [that] calf!”

Moses ordered: “All men who worship the Lord, come here to me!” So men from the Levite tribe came to Moses.

Moses order the Levites: “Go through the camp and slay [kill] the men who sinned against the Lord!” That day, the Levites slew about 3000 Israelite men.

Afterwards, the Lord ordered Moses, “Carve another two stone tablets and bring these up on the mountain!” Moses did so.

Moses again stayed 40 days and nights on the mountain.

There, the Lord ordered Moses: “Carve the Ten Commandments on these new stone tablets, and carry them down the mountain to the Israelites!”

Some of the commandments tell everyone how to worship the Lord, and only the Lord.

Other commandments tell everyone not to murder, not to steal, not to lie about others, and not to covet others’ possessions.

The remaining commandments tell everyone to honor their parents, and to remain faithful to their spouse [husband or wife].

The Israelites promised that they would honor the Lord by obeying his commandments.