³ He will take you out of the bird-net, and keep you safe from wasting disease.

⁷ Our soul has gone free like a bird out of the net of those who would take her: the net is broken, and we are free.

⁹ Keep me from the net which they have put down for me, and from the designs of the workers of evil.

⁶ Or of the disease which takes men in the dark, or of the destruction which makes waste when the sun is high.

¹⁰ Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:

¹¹ Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;

¹² Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.

¹³ He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.

¹⁴ In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.

¹⁵ But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong.

¹⁶ So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.

¹⁷ Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.

¹⁸ For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.

¹⁹ He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.

²⁰ When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

²¹ He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.

²² You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.

⁹ But those who have a desire for wealth are falling into danger, and are taken as in a net by a number of foolish and damaging desires, through which men are overtaken by death and destruction.

⁸ There is great hate against the watchman of Ephraim, the people of my God; as for the prophet, there is a net in all his ways, and hate in the house of his God.

¹² Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

²³ Like a bird falling into a net; with no thought that his life is in danger, till an arrow goes into his side.

⁵ Make yourself free, like the roe from the hand of the archer, and the bird from him who puts a net for her.

¹⁵ So David made selection of the disease; and the time was the days of the grain-cutting, when the disease came among the people, causing the death of seventy thousand men from Dan as far as Beer-sheba.

³⁷ Those same men who said evil of the land, came to their death by disease before the Lord.

³⁸ But Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, of those who went to see the land, were not touched by disease.

²⁶ And so they may get themselves free from the net of the Evil One, being made the prisoners of the Lord's servant, for the purpose of God.

⁵ Is it possible for a bird to be taken in a net on the earth where no net has been put for him? will the net come up from the earth if it has taken nothing at all?

³⁷ If there is no food in the land, or if there is disease, or if the fruits of the earth are damaged through heat or water, locust or worm; if their towns are shut in by their attackers; whatever trouble, whatever disease there may be:

⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, Take your vessel and put in it fire from the altar, and sweet spices, and take it quickly into the meeting of the people, and make them free from sin: for wrath has gone out from the Lord, and the disease is starting.

⁴⁷ And at the words of Moses, Aaron took his vessel, and went running among the people; and even then the disease had made a start among them; and he put spices in his vessel to take away the sin of the people.

⁴⁸ And he took his place between the dead and the living: and the disease was stopped.