21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin? ”
22 “Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
23 They said to me, ‘Make us a god who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has happened to him! ’
24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf! ”
25 Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, resulting in weakness before their enemies.
26 And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
27 He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ”