Numbers 21:1-9 ▼

1 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad who dwelt in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the road of the Atharim; and he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.

2 And Israel made a vow to YHWH, and said, “If You will fully deliver this people into my hand, then I will devote to destruction their cities.”

3 And YHWH listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanite. And they devoted to destruction them and their cities. And the name of the place was called Hormah.

4 And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was short on the way.

5 And 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 our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

6 And YHWH sent among the people fiery serpents, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died.

7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH and against you. Pray to YHWH, that He take away from us the serpents.” And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And YHWH said to Moses, “Make for yourself a fiery serpent and set it on a pole; and it shall come to pass that anyone who is bitten, and he looks at it, he shall live.”

9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. And it came to pass that, if a serpent had bitten anyone, and he looked unto the bronze serpent, he lived.