Numbers 21:2-9

2So 1Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed hand over this people to me, then I will 2utterly destroy their cities.” 3The Lord heard the voice of Israel and turned over the Canaanites; then they 3utterly destroyed them and their cities. And the place was named 45Hormah.

4Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the 6Red Sea, to 7go around the land of Edom; and the 8people became impatient because of the journey. 5So the people spoke against God and Moses: “9Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no 10food and no water, and 1112we are disgusted with 13this miserable food.” 614Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and 15they bit the people, so that 16many people of Israel died. 717So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and against you; 18intercede with the Lord, that He will remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the Lord said to Moses, “19Make a 20fiery serpent, and put it on a flag pole; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, and looks at it, will live.” 9So Moses made a 21bronze serpent and put it on the flag pole; and it came about, that if a serpent bit someone, and he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.