¹Therefore the Egyptians were rightly punished by such creatures;[#16:1 The Egyptians are alluded to but not explicitly named in the Greek text; also in 16:4, 16.]

they were tormented by a great number of animals.

²But instead of punishing your people in this way, you showed them kindness.

You sent a delicacy to satisfy their hungry appetites—

quail for them to eat.

³You did this so that when the Egyptians wanted food,

they would think of the repulsive creatures you sent

and would lose their appetites.

But your people, after going hungry for a short time, would eat delicacies.

⁴The Egyptian oppressors had to be made permanently needy,

but your people only had to see their enemies being tormented.

⁵When your people were attacked by raging wild animals

and were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents,

you did not stay angry until they were completely destroyed.

⁶They were troubled for a short time as a warning,

but they received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your law’s commandment.

⁷Anyone who turned toward it was healed, not by the visible object,

but by you, the Savior of all.

⁸And by this you showed our enemies

that you are the one who rescues from every evil.

⁹They were killed by the bites of locusts and flies,

for there was no remedy to save them;

they deserved to be punished by such things.

¹⁰But not even the fangs of venomous serpents overcame your children,

for your mercy came to their aid and healed them.

¹¹They were bitten to remind them of your words,

and then they were quickly rescued

so that they would not completely forget

and become unresponsive to your kindness.

¹²For neither herb nor ointment healed them;

it is your word, O Lord, that heals all things.

¹³You have power over life and death.

You take people down to the gates of death and bring them back again.

¹⁴A person who maliciously kills another

cannot bring back the departed spirit

or release the soul that has been captured by death.

¹⁵It is impossible to escape your hand.

¹⁶The wicked Egyptians who refused to acknowledge you

were flogged by your strong arm.

They were pursued by extraordinary rains, hail, and relentless storms

and completely consumed by fire.

¹⁷Most incredible of all was that the fire was even more effective

in water, which normally extinguishes everything,

for the universe fights for the righteous.

¹⁸At one point the fire died down

so that the creatures sent against the wicked would not be burned.

Then the people could see and understand

that they were pursued by God’s judgment.

¹⁹And at another point, the fire burned in the rain even hotter than it is naturally able,

in order to destroy the crops of a wicked land.

Rewards for True Worship

²⁰Instead of these punishments, you fed your people with manna, the food of angels.[#16:20 Manna is alluded to but not explicitly named in the Greek text; also in 16:27.]

Without their help you prepared bread from heaven for your people,

and everything it contained was delicious and tasty to everyone.

²¹The food you gave your children showed your sweetness toward them.

The bread satisfied everyone who ate it

and changed to suit each person’s taste.

²²Snow and ice resisted fire without melting,

so your people would see that their enemies’ crops

were being destroyed by the fire that burned in the hail

and flashed in the rain.

²³But this same fire forgot the limits of its own power

in order that the righteous might be nourished.

²⁴For creation serves you, the Creator,

and strives to punish the wicked,

but it relaxes for the benefit of those who trust in you.

²⁵Therefore, even creation changed into all sorts of forms

and was obedient to your generosity, which nourished all people

according to their needs and desires.

²⁶This happened, O Lord, so that your beloved children might learn

that it is not by crops that people are nourished

but by your word, which sustains those who trust in you.

²⁷The manna that was not destroyed by fire

melted after being warmed by a passing ray from the sun.

²⁸So the people learned that they must rise before dawn to give you thanks

and pray to you at daybreak.

²⁹For the hope of the ungrateful will melt away like a winter frost

and drain away like waste water.