“And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” And “Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies).” {TM 101.1}

»Derpå tog han tyrekalven, som de havde lavet, brændte den i ilden og knuste den til støv, strøede det på vandet og lod israelitterne drikke det. Og Moses sagde til Aron: »Hvad har dette folk gjort dig, siden du har bragt så stor synd over det?« Aron svarede: »Vredes ikke, herre! Du ved selv, at folket ligger i det onde, og de sagde til mig: Lav os en gud, som kan drage foran os, thi vi ved ikke, hvad der er blevet af denne Moses, der førte os ud af Ægypten!«... Da Moses nu så, at folket var tøjlesløst til skadefryd for deres fjender, fordi Aron havde givet det frie tøjler.«