Then he said to them, ‘Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder.’ Now the enemy had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.
When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.
They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.
He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, ‘Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt! ’
They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ’
He appointed his beautiful ornaments for majesty, but they made their detestable images from them, their abhorrent things. Therefore, I have made these into something filthy to them.