This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. | So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. |
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. | Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. |
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Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. | You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. |
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. | The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. |
Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? | Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? |
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. | “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. |
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. | But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. |
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. | For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. |
I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? | I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. |
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. | Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. |
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. | For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. |
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. | Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. |
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. | You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. |
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. | As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. |
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. | Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. |
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. | No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. |
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. | When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. |
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. | Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. |
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. | Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. |
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. |
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. | Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. |
He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. | All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. |
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. | What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” |
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. | Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. |
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. | Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. |