| How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! | Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! |
| Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. | Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. |
| Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. |
| Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. | Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. |
| A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. | Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. |
| Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. | For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. |
| Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. | Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. |
| And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” | And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” |
| Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. |
| Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. | What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. |
| That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. | The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. |
| But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? | For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? |
| A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married. | When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken. |
| Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. | Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
| Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! | Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. |
| So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. | Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. |
| A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. | A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. |
| Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. | As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. |
| Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. | Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. |
| Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. | Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. |
| Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. | Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. |
| Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! | A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great. |
| God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. | God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. |
| When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. | Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. |
| Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. | Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. |
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Bible verse of the day
I can never escape from your Spirit!I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.