Numbers 21:2-9

2The Israelites made this promise to the Lord: ‘If you put these people under our power, we will destroy their towns for you.’

3The Lord accepted the Israelites' promise. He put the Canaanites under their power. The Israelites destroyed them and all their towns. After that, the place was called Hormah.

4The Israelites left Hor mountain. They travelled round the edge of Edom to the Red Sea. As they travelled, the people were upset.

5They complained to God and to Moses, ‘You should not have brought us from Egypt to die here in the desert. There is nothing to eat. There is no water to drink. We do not like this bad food, manna.’

6Then the Lord sent snakes among the people. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died.

7So the people came to Moses and they said, ‘We did a bad thing when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Please pray to the Lord on our behalf. Ask him to remove the snakes from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.

8The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a model of a snake and put it up high on a pole. When a snake bites anyone, they must look at the bronze snake. Then they will not die.’

9Moses made a bronze snake and he put it on a pole. When a snake bit anyone and they looked at the bronze snake, they did not die.