And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. | 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. |
A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. | Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. |
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For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. | If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. |
You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. | You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. |
For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. | 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. |
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. | Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. |
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. | 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. |
And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. | And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. |
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. | 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. |
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. | Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. |
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? | Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? |
House and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. | Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife. |
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” | 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.” |
But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. | But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. |
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another. | As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
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. | 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. |
And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. | 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. |
A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity. | A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. |
Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. | 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. |
In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. | 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. |
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. | Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. |
Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband. | So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. |
You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. | 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. |