So Yahweh sent venomous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many of the Israelites died.
In context
4Then they set out from Mount Hor along the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way, 5and the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread and no water, and we are sick of this wretched food!” 6So Yahweh sent venomous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we spoke against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh to take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a venomous serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will live.”
