| I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | 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. |
| So that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. | So that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. |
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| For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. | 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. |
| And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. | The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. |
| Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. | 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. |
| My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. | 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. |
| I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments. | I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. |
| Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath. | Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. |
| Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way. | The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. |
| I the Lord am your God; follow my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I the Lord am your God. | 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. |
| Thus you shall keep my commandments and observe them: I am the Lord. | Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. |
| Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. | 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. |
| But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. | 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. |
| Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. | 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! |
| Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine. | 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. |
| Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. | ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. |
| Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. | Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. |
| Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. | Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. |
| Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to 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.” |
| Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. | 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. |
| And having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. | And, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. |
| If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. | 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. |
| You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. | Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. |
| Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. | Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. |
| Get wisdom; get insight: do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. | Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. |
