The Bronze Snake

⁴ Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people^[a] became impatient because of the journey. ⁵ The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” ⁶ Then the Lord sent poisonous^[b][c] snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.^(A)

⁷ The people then came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede with the Lord so that He will take the snakes away from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake image and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.”^{(B) 9} So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.

Joshua Commissioned to Succeed Moses

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses,^(A) “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range^[a] and see the land that I have given the Israelites. ¹³ After you have seen it, you will also be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was.^{(B) 14} When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight at the waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah^[b] of Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.^(C)

¹⁵ So Moses appealed to the Lord, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh,^(D) appoint a man over the community ¹⁷ who will go out before them and come back in before them,^(E) and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd.”^(F)

¹⁸ The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.^{(G) 19} Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission^(H) him in their sight. ²⁰ Confer some of your authority on him so that the entire Israelite community will obey him. ²¹ He will stand before Eleazar who will consult the Lord for him with the decision of the Urim.^(I) He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command.”

²² Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire community, ²³ laid his hands on him, and commissioned him, as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

²³ “At that time I begged the Lord: ²⁴ Lord God, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like Yours? ²⁵ Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land^(A) on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.

²⁶ “But the Lord was angry with me on account of you and would not listen to me. The Lord said to me, ‘That’s enough! Do not speak to Me again about this matter. ²⁷ Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.^{(B) 28} But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.’^{(C) 29} So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-peor.