8
By doing this, you also convinced our enemies that you are the one who rescues people from every evil.
9
Our enemies died from the bites of locusts and flies; no way was found to cure them, because they deserved to be punished by such creatures.
10
But even poisonous snakes could not overcome your people, because you had mercy, helped them, and cured them.
11
They were bitten so that they would remember your commands, but they were quickly rescued, in order to keep them from forgetting you completely and depriving themselves of your kindness.
12
No medicine or ointment cured them. They were restored to health by your word, O Lord, the word which heals all humanity.
13
You have power over life and death; you can bring a person to the brink of death and back again.
14
A wicked person may kill someone, but cannot bring the dead person back to life or rescue a soul imprisoned in the world of the dead.
15
No one can possibly escape from you.
16
Look at those ungodly people: they refused to recognize you as God, so you punished them with your great power. They were overtaken by terrible storms of rain and hail and were completely destroyed by fire.
17
The most amazing thing was that the fire burned all the more fiercely in the water, which usually puts fire out. All the forces of nature fight to defend those who are righteous.
18
At one point the flames died down, so that they wouldn't destroy the creatures sent to punish the ungodly. Those people had to learn that they were being overtaken by your judgment.