The Bronze Serpent

From Mount Hor (A)they set out by the way to the Red Sea, (B)to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people (C)spoke against God and against Moses, (D)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and (E)we loathe this worthless food.” (F)Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and (G)they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. (H)And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. (I)Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So (J)Moses made a bronze[a] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:9 Or copper

The Bronze Snake

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) 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)

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes(J) among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.(K) 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.

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.” 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)

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 21:4 Or the Sea of Reeds

Book Five

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

107 (A)Oh give thanks to the Lord, (B)for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let (C)the redeemed of the Lord say so,
    whom he has (D)redeemed from trouble[a]
and (E)gathered in from the lands,
    from the east and from the west,
    from the north and from the south.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:2 Or from the hand of the foe

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord,(A) for he is good;(B)
    his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed(C) of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered(D) from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea

17 Some were (A)fools through their sinful ways,
    and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 (B)they loathed any kind of food,
    and they (C)drew near to (D)the gates of death.
19 (E)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He (F)sent out his word and (G)healed them,
    and (H)delivered them from their destruction.
21 (I)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them (J)offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and (K)tell of his deeds in (L)songs of joy!

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17 Some became fools(A) through their rebellious ways(B)
    and suffered affliction(C) because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food(D)
    and drew near the gates of death.(E)
19 Then they cried(F) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them(G) from their distress.
20 He sent out his word(H) and healed them;(I)
    he rescued(J) them from the grave.(K)
21 Let them give thanks(L) to the Lord for his unfailing love(M)
    and his wonderful deeds(N) for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings(O)
    and tell of his works(P) with songs of joy.(Q)

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By Grace Through Faith

(A)And you were (B)dead in the trespasses and sins (C)in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following (D)the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in (E)the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in (F)the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and (G)were by nature (H)children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] But[c] God, being (I)rich in mercy, (J)because of the great love with which he loved us, even (K)when we were dead in our trespasses, (L)made us alive together with Christ—(M)by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and (N)seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable (O)riches of his grace in (P)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For (Q)by grace you have been saved (R)through faith. And this is (S)not your own doing; (T)it is the gift of God, (U)not a result of works, (V)so that no one may boast. 10 For (W)we are his workmanship, (X)created in Christ Jesus (Y)for good works, (Z)which God prepared beforehand, (AA)that we should walk in them.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 Greek flesh
  2. Ephesians 2:3 Greek like the rest
  3. Ephesians 2:4 Or And

Made Alive in Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,(A) in which you used to live(B) when you followed the ways of this world(C) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,(D) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.(E) All of us also lived among them at one time,(F) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a](G) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us,(H) God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions(I)—it is by grace you have been saved.(J) And God raised us up with Christ(K) and seated us with him(L) in the heavenly realms(M) in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,(N) expressed in his kindness(O) to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace(P) you have been saved,(Q) through faith(R)—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works,(S) so that no one can boast.(T) 10 For we are God’s handiwork,(U) created(V) in Christ Jesus to do good works,(W) which God prepared in advance for us to do.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

14 And (A)as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man (B)be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes (C)in him (D)may have eternal life.[a]

For God So Loved the World

16 “For (E)God so loved (F)the world,[b] (G)that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not (H)perish but have eternal life. 17 For (I)God did not send his Son into the world (J)to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 (K)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (L)believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 (M)And this is the judgment: (N)the light has come into the world, and (O)people loved the darkness rather than the light because (P)their works were evil. 20 (Q)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, (R)lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever (S)does what is true (T)comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
  2. John 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world

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.

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Footnotes

  1. John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
  2. John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.