A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. | Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. |
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. | A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. |
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If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. | If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. |
You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. | You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. |
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. | For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. |
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. | Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. |
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. |
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. | May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. |
Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. | So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. |
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. | Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. |
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? | Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? |
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife. | Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. |
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” | The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” |
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should 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. |
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. | As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. |
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. | 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. |
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. | Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. |
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. | A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. |
For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. | Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. |
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. | In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. |
Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. | A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. |
So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. | However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. |
You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. | ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ |