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 by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. |
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. | Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above 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. | For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. |
You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. | You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot 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. | But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness 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 reward 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 also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by 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. | And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to 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. | Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is 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 to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward 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 unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? |
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife. | Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, 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.” | And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” |
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. | Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. |
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. | As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. |
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. | For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant 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. | But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he 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 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 to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. |
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. | So husbands ought to love their own 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 to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. |
So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. | Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects 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 bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ |