28. The Levites did as Moses commanded. About three thousand people were killed that day.
29. Moses said, "Today you’ve been ordained to the Lord, each one of you at the cost of a son or a brother. Today you’ve gained a special blessing for yourselves."
30. The next day Moses said to the people, "You’ve committed a terrible sin. So now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can arrange reconciliation on account of your sin."
31. So Moses went back to the Lord and said, "Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed! They made for themselves gods of gold.