Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. | Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. |
You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. | But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from age to age. |
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A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. | A fool spurns his father’s correction, but whoever heeds admonition is prudent. |
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. | And where a single man can be overcome, two together will be able to resist. A cord with three strands is not easily broken. |
You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. | As for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. |
A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. | A perverse man sows strife, and a tale-bearer destroys close friendships. |
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. | Such godly sorrow results in repentance that leads to salvation and causes no regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death. |
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. | Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vanity, but humbly regard others as better than yourselves. |
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. | Rejoice with all your heart, O daughter Zion. Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem. See, your king is coming to you, triumphant and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. |
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. | As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. |
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. | Welcome anyone whose faith is weak, but do not get into arguments about doubts. |
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. | And so you should put to death everything in your nature that is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greed (which is idolatry). |
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. | Wealth hastily acquired will dwindle away, but when amassed little by little, it will increase. |
Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! | Fine words are not becoming to a fool, and much less are false words to a noble. |
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. | To the loyal, you show yourself to be loyal; to the blameless, you show yourself to be blameless. |
I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. | I also ask that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing. They should be adorned not with braided hair or with gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is fitting for women who profess their reverence for God. |
Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. | As sorrowful, and yet we are always rejoicing; as poor, and yet we make many rich; as having nothing, and yet we possess everything. |
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. | One who gossips reveals secrets, but a trustworthy man keeps things hidden. |
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. | Let my teaching fall down like rain, and my words descend like the dew. Like rain upon the sprouts, and like showers upon the grass. |
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. | For much wisdom can result in much sorrow, and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief. |
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. | Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates correction is stupid. |
When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. | Because the sentence for committing an evil act is not carried out quickly, people’s hearts are prone to act wickedly. |
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. | In view of all this, you should make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with piety, and piety with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. |
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. | Preach the message; be persistent in doing so, whether in season or out of season; convince, reprove, and encourage, but with great patience and instruction. |
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. | Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets. |