| Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. | Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. |
| So that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. | That I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest. |
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| For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. | For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. |
| The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. | The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever. |
| Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. | For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. |
| My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart. | My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. |
| I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. | I will hurry, and not delay, to obey your commandments. |
| Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. | One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. |
| The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. | A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. |
| I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. | I am Yahweh your God. Walk in my statutes, keep my ordinances, and do them. Make my Sabbaths holy. They shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God. |
| Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. | Therefore you shall keep my commandments, and do them. I am Yahweh. |
| Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. | Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me. |
| But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. | But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. |
| Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! | Who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. |
| Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine. | Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine. |
| ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. | ‘Return to me,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘and I will return to you,’ says Yahweh of Armies. |
| Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. | Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many. |
| Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. | You shall keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. |
| Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” | Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.” |
| Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. | Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. |
| And, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. | Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation. |
| If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. | If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. |
| Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. | You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. |
| Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. | Let’s therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. |
| Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. | Get wisdom. Get understanding. Don’t forget, and don’t deviate from the words of my mouth. |
