4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, ^yto go around the land of Edom. ^zAnd the people became impatient on the way. 5 And ^athe people spoke against God and against Moses, ^b“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and ^cwe loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent ^dfiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. ^ePray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 ^fAnd the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a ^gbronze¹ serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.