17 And Jesus heard the voice of the people making a noise, and said to Moses, 'There is a cry of war in the camp.'

18 But [Moses] said, 'This is not the cry of those who overcome, nor the cry of those who are slain; I hear the voice of the singers.

19 And when he drew near to the camp, and saw the calf and the dances, then he was inflamed with anger, and cast the tablets out of his hand, and broke them under the mountain;

20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to dust, and scattered it over the water, and gave it to the children of Israel to drink.

21 And Moses said to Aaron, 'What have this people done to you, that you have led them into great sin?'

22 But Aaron said [to Moses], 'Let not my lord's anger be kindled; You know these people that they are violent.

23 And they said unto me, Make us a god to go before us; for with Moses, with this man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened.

24 And I said to them, 'Whosoever has gold, take it from himself.' [They took it off] and gave it to me; I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.

25 And Moses saw that they were an unrestrained people, for Aaron had caused them to become unrestrained, to be put to shame before their enemies.

26 And Moses stood at the gate of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is of the Lord, come to me!' And all the sons of Levi gathered to him.

27 And he said to them, 'This is what the Lord God of Israel says, 'Put every man his sword on his thigh, and go through the camp from gate to gate and back again, and kill every man his brother, every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.'

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses, 'And about three thousand men fell that day out of the people.'

29 For Moses said to [them], 'Today dedicate your hands to the Lord, every man in his son and brother, that he may send you a blessing this day.'

30 On the morrow Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin; therefore I will ascend to the Lord, lest I atone for your sin.