Study Desk

"It came about ^(C1)at the end of forty days and nights that the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

"^(C1)Then the LORD said to me, 'Arise, go down from here quickly, because your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, have behaved corruptly. They have ^(C2)quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast metal image for themselves.'

"The ^(C1)LORD also said to ^(F1)me, 'I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a ^(F2)(C2)stubborn people.

'^(C1)Leave Me alone, that I may destroy them and ^(C2)wipe out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.'

"^(C1)So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

"And I saw that you had indeed sinned against the LORD your God. You had made for yourselves a cast metal image of a calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

"So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my two hands, and smashed them to pieces before your eyes!

"^(C1)Then I fell down before the LORD ^(C2)like the first time, for forty days and nights; ^(C3)I neither ate bread nor drank water, ^(C4)because of all your sin which you had committed by doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

"For ^(C1)I was afraid of the anger and the rage with which the LORD was angry with you so as to destroy you; ^(C2)but the LORD listened to me that time as well.

"The LORD was also angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time.

"^(C1)And I took your ^(F1)sinful thing which you had made, the calf, and burned it in the fire and crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

"Then at ^(C1)Taberah, at ^(C2)Massah, and at ^(C3)Kibroth-hattaavah you kept provoking the LORD to anger.

"And when the LORD sent you from ^(C1)Kadesh-barnea, saying, '^(C2)Go up and take possession of the land which I have given you,' you rebelled against the ^(F1)command of the LORD your God; ^(C3)you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice.

"^(C1)You have been rebellious toward the LORD since the day I knew you.

"^(C1)So I fell down before the LORD for the forty days and nights, which I ^(F1)did because the LORD said He would destroy you.