The Bronze Snake

⁴ They traveled from Mount Hor^(A) along the route to the Red Sea,^[a](B) to go around Edom.^(C) But the people grew impatient on the way;^{(D) 5} they spoke against God^(E) and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt^(F) to die in the wilderness?^(G) There is no bread! There is no water!^(H) And we detest this miserable food!”^(I)

⁶ Then the Lord sent venomous snakes^(J) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.^{(K) 7} The people came to Moses^(L) and said, “We sinned^(M) when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord^(N) will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed^(O) for the people.

⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole;^(P) anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake^(Q) and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.^(R)

¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,^(A) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^{[a](B) 15} that everyone who believes^(C) may have eternal life in him.”^[b](D)

¹⁶ For God so loved^(E) the world that he gave^(F) his one and only Son,^(G) that whoever believes^(H) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.^{(I) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world^(J) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.^{(K) 18} Whoever believes in him is not condemned,^(L) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.^{(M) 19} This is the verdict: Light^(N) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.^{(O) 20} Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.^{(P) 21} But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.