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4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea,^* to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. ⁵The 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 food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ ⁶Then the Lord sent poisonous^* serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. ⁷The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous^* serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ ⁹So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Psalm 135

1  Alleluia.
      Praise the name of the Lord; ♦︎
   give praise, you servants of the Lord,
2  You that stand in the house of the Lord, ♦︎
   in the courts of the house of our God.
3  Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; ♦︎
   make music to his name, for it is lovely.
4  For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself ♦︎
   and Israel for his own possession.
5  For I know that the Lord is great ♦︎
   and that our Lord is above all gods.
6  The Lord does whatever he pleases
      in heaven and on earth, ♦︎
   in the seas and in all the deeps.
7  He brings up the clouds from the ends of the earth; ♦︎
   he makes lightning with the rain
      and brings the winds out of his treasuries.
8  He smote the firstborn of Egypt, ♦︎
   the firstborn of man and beast.
9  He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, ♦︎
   upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10  He smote many nations ♦︎
   and slew mighty kings:
11  Sihon, king of the Amorites,
      and Og, the king of Bashan, ♦︎
   and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
12  He gave their land as a heritage, ♦︎
   a heritage for Israel his people.
13  Your name, O Lord, endures for ever ♦︎
   and shall be remembered through all generations.
14  For the Lord will vindicate his people ♦︎
   and have compassion on his servants.
15  The idols of the nations are but silver and gold, ♦︎
   the work of human hands.
16  They have mouths, but cannot speak; ♦︎
   eyes have they, but cannot see;
17  They have ears, but cannot hear; ♦︎
   neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18  Those who make them shall become like them, ♦︎
   and so will all who put their trust in them.
19  Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; ♦︎
   O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.
20  Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; ♦︎
   you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21  Blessed be the Lord from Zion, ♦︎
   who dwells in Jerusalem.
      Alleluia.

Psalm 135

Praise for God’s Goodness and Might

¹ Praise the Lord!
   Praise the name of the Lord;
   give praise, O servants of the Lord,
² you that stand in the house of the Lord,
   in the courts of the house of our God.
³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
   sing to his name, for he is gracious.
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
   Israel as his own possession.

⁵ For I know that the Lord is great;
   our Lord is above all gods.
⁶ Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
   in heaven and on earth,
   in the seas and all deeps.
⁷ He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
   he makes lightnings for the rain
   and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸ He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
   both human beings and animals;
⁹ he sent signs and wonders
   into your midst, O Egypt,
   against Pharaoh and all his servants.
¹⁰ He struck down many nations
   and killed mighty kings—
¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
   and Og, king of Bashan,
   and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
¹² and gave their land as a heritage,
   a heritage to his people Israel.

¹³ Your name, O Lord, endures for ever,
   your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
¹⁴ For the Lord will vindicate his people,
   and have compassion on his servants.

²⁷Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” ³¹Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.