Daily Reading for Wednesday, September 14th, 2022

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 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

¹ [Psalm Of Asaph] My people, listen to my teaching, pay attention to what I say.

² I will speak to you in poetry, unfold the mysteries of the past.

³⁴ Whenever he slaughtered them, they began to seek him, they turned back and looked eagerly for him,

³⁵ recalling that God was their rock, God the Most High, their redeemer.

³⁶ They tried to hoodwink him with their mouths, their tongues were deceitful towards him;

³⁷ their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

³⁸ But in his compassion he forgave their guilt instead of killing them, time and again repressing his anger instead of rousing his full wrath,