5
When terrible, fierce snakes attacked your people and were killing them with their poison, you did not remain angry long enough to destroy your people.
1
6
This trouble lasted for only a little while, as a warning. Then you gave them a healing symbol, the bronze snake, to remind them of what your Law requires.
7
If a person looked at that symbol, he was cured of the snakebite - not by what he saw, but by you, the savior of all mankind.
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.