Numbers 21:4-9

Contemporary English Version

Moses Makes a Bronze Snake

^4 (A) The Israelites had to go around the territory of Edom, so when they left Mount Hor, they headed south toward the Red Sea.^[a] But along the way, the people became so impatient ^5 (B) that they complained against God and said to Moses, “Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There's no water out here, and we can't stand this awful food!”

⁶ Then the Lord sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed many of them.

⁷ Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, “It was wrong of us to insult you and the Lord. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away.”

Moses prayed, ⁸ and the Lord answered, “Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and be saved from death.”

^9 (C) Moses obeyed the Lord. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.