| Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” | But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” |
| These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. | And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. |
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| Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. | Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. |
| Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. | Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. |
| Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. | Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. |
| No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. | No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. |
| Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. | Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. |
| Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children. | Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. |
| I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. | I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. |
| Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. | Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. |
| Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. | God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. |
| They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” | They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” |
| So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. | For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. |
| A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. | Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. |
| For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. | For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. |
| See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. | See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. |
| Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. | But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. |
| Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! | Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever. |
| Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. | But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. |
| The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. | For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. |
| Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time. | If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time. |
| For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. | For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. |
| Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. | Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. |
| The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” | So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” |
| For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. | For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! |
