From the book of the Wisdom of Solomon (a Deuterocanonical book) Chapter 15: 14-19; 16:1-14
15:14 But most foolish, more pitiable even than the soul of a little child, are the enemies who once played the tyrant with your people,
15:15 and have taken all the idols of the heathen for gods; these can use neither their eyes for seeing nor their nostrils for breathing the air nor their ears for hearing nor the fingers on their hands for handling nor their feet for walking.
15:16 They have been made, you see, by a human being, modelled by a being whose own breath is borrowed. No man can model a god to resemble himself;
15:17 subject to death, his impious hands can produce only something dead. He himself is worthier than the things he worships; he will at least have lived, but never they.
15:18 And they worship even the most loathsome of animals, worse than the rest in their degree of stupidity,
15:19 without a trace of beauty — if that is what is attractive in animals- and excluded from God’s praises and blessing.
16:1 Thus they were appropriately punished by similar creatures and tormented by swarms of vermin.
16:2 In contrast to this punishment, you did your people a kindness and, to satisfy their sharp appetite, provided quails — a luscious rarity — for them to eat.
16:3 Thus the Egyptians, at the repulsive sight of the creatures sent against them, were to find that, though they longed for food, they had lost their natural appetite; whereas your own people, after a short privation, were to have a rare relish for their portion.
16:4 Inevitable that relentless want should seize on the former oppressors; enough for your people to be shown how their enemies were being tortured.
16:5 Even when the fearful rage of wild animals overtook them and they were perishing from the bites of writhing snakes, your retribution did not continue to the end.
16:6 Affliction struck them briefly, by way of warning, and they had a saving token to remind them of the commandment of your Law,
16:7 for whoever turned to it was saved, not by what he looked at, but by you, the Saviour of all.
16:8 And by such means you proved to our enemies that you are the one who delivers from every evil;
16:9 for them, the bites of locusts and flies proved fatal and no remedy could be found to save their lives, since they deserved to be punished by such creatures.
16:10 But your children, not even the fangs of poisonous snakes could bring them down; for your mercy came to their help and cured them.
16:11 One sting — how quickly healed!-to remind them of your pronouncements rather than that, by sinking into deep forgetfulness, they should be cut off from your kindness.
16:12 No herb, no poultice cured them, but your all-healing word, Lord.
16:13 Yes, you are the one with power over life and death, bringing to the gates of Hades and back again.
16:14 A human being out of malice may put to death, but cannot bring the departed spirit back or free the soul that Hades has once received.
Culled from the Good News Bible with Deuterocanonical Book