Numbers 21:4–9; Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:14–21

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Numbers 21:4–9

The Bronze Serpent

From Mount Hor athey set out by the way to the Red Sea, bto go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people cspoke against God and against Moses, dWhy have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and ewe loathe this worthless food. fThen the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and gthey bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. hAnd the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. iPray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And 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. So jMoses made a bronze1 serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.


Ephesians 2:1–10

By Grace Through Faith

jAnd you were kdead in the trespasses and sins lin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following mthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in nthe sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in othe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body1 and the mind, and pwere by nature qchildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind.2 But3 God, being rrich in mercy, sbecause of the great love with which he loved us, even twhen we were dead in our trespasses, umade us alive together with Christvby grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and wseated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable xriches of his grace in ykindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For zby grace you have been saved athrough faith. And this is bnot your own doing; cit is the gift of God, dnot a result of works, eso that no one may boast. 10 For fwe are his workmanship, gcreated in Christ Jesus hfor good works, iwhich God prepared beforehand, jthat we should walk in them.


John 3:14–21

14 And das Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ebe lifted up, 15 that whoever believes fin him gmay have eternal life.1

For God So Loved the World

16 For hGod so loved ithe world,2 jthat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal life. 17 For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved in the name of the only Son of God. 19 pAnd this is the judgment: qthe light has come into the world, and rpeople loved the darkness rather than the light because stheir works were evil. 20 tFor everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ulest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever vdoes what is true wcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.