Daily Reading for Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021

Reading 1, Numbers 21:4-9

⁴ They left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt round Edom. On the way the people lost patience.

⁵ They spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is neither food nor water here; we are sick of this meagre diet.'

⁶ At this, God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.

⁷ The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents.' Moses interceded for the people,

⁸ and Yahweh replied, 'Make a fiery serpent and raise it as a standard. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will survive.'

⁹ Moses then made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard, and anyone who was bitten by a serpent and looked at the bronze serpent survived.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21

² Do not turn away your face from me when I am in trouble; bend down and listen to me, when I call, be quick to answer me!

³ For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones burning like an oven;

¹⁶ when Yahweh builds Zion anew, he will be seen in his glory;

¹⁷ he will turn to hear the prayer of the destitute, and will not treat their prayer with scorn.

¹⁸ This shall be put on record for a future generation, and a people yet to be born shall praise God:

¹⁹ Yahweh has leaned down from the heights of his sanctuary, has looked down from heaven to earth,

²⁰ to listen to the sighing of the captive, and set free those condemned to death,

²¹ to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion, his praise in Jerusalem;

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