Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year B

⁴ They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey. ⁵ The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!” ⁶ The LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died. ⁷ The people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ The LORD said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” ⁹ Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. ² Let the redeemed by the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary, ³ And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

¹⁷ Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities. ¹⁸ Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death. ¹⁹ Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses. ²⁰ He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves. ²¹ Let them praise the LORD for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men! ²² Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his deeds with singing.

¹ You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. ³ We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; ⁸ for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, that no one would boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.