13 Those sinful Egyptians had a terrible hatred for strangers, and so you punished them horribly, but not without first warning them with violent thunderstorms.
14-16 Years earlier, the people of Sodom had refused to welcome strangers, and they were punished for what they did. But these Egyptians did much worse. They first welcomed our ancestors with a glorious celebration, and then after we had helped their nation, they made slaves of us, even though we were citizens like everyone else.
17 Those people of Sodom were struck blind, just as they reached the door of the home of that good man Lot, and they had to feel their way back through the darkness to their own homes. In the same way, these Egyptians were covered with deep darkness.
18 Different tunes can be played on the same harp, though the strings remain the same. And this is similar to what happened in those days, as can be seen from the following examples.
19 Land animals became sea creatures, and sea creatures became land animals;
20 fire kept burning, even when it was covered with water,
21 and yet its flames did not destroy the flesh of humans or melt that delicate and dainty food called manna that came down from heaven.