18 He does this to save them from death. He wants to keep them from being destroyed.
19 “Or those who are sick in bed might be suffering punishment from God. The pain that makes their bones ache might be a warning from him.
20 They feel so bad they cannot eat. Even the best food makes them sick.
21 Their bodies might waste away until they become thin and all their bones stick out.
22 They might be close to death, their lives about to end.
23 But maybe one of God’s thousands of angels is watching over them, to speak for them and tell about the good things they have done.
24 Maybe the angel will be kind and say to God, ‘Save this one from the place of death! I have found a way to pay for his life.’