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

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea,[a] to go around the land of Edom, but the people became discouraged on the way.(A) The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”(B) Then the Lord sent poisonous[b] serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.(C) The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.(D) And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous[c] serpent, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole, and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 21.4 Or Sea of Reeds
  2. 21.6 Or fiery
  3. 21.8 Or fiery