27. and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbours.”
28. The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about three thousand men.
29. Moses said to them, “You obeyed the Lord and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the Lord has blessed you and made you his priests today.”
30. The next day Moses told the people, “This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.”
31. Moses returned to the Lord and said, “The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god.