9 Even if nothing else frightened them, they were terrified by the sounds of wild animals outside and by hissing snakes.
10 They were so frightened that they refused to open their eyes. But keeping them closed did not relieve their fears,
11 because evil people are cowards condemned by their own consciences, and whatever they fear becomes even more frightening.
12 Fear takes over when people stop reasoning.
13 They no longer think straight, and their only hope is to deny the real source of their problems.
14 Night itself is powerless, since it comes from the powerless world of the dead. And yet the Egyptians slept restlessly on that night,
15 because of the horrible and unexpected nightmares brought on by the surrender of their souls to the forces of evil.