| How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! | How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together 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 adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight. |
| Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | Words spoken by the wise bring them favor, but the lips of fools consume them. |
| Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. | One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city. |
| A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. | A gossip goes about telling secrets, but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence. |
| Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. | Surely 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, so that by it you may grow 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, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 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 store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. |
| Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. | What is desirable in a person is loyalty, and it is better to be poor 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 that is the whole duty of everyone. |
| 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, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see 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 charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married. |
| Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. | Making every effort 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 mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. |
| So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. | So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. |
| A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. | A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother's grief. |
| 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. | Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother's womb, 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. | Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. |
| Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. | Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just 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 one person's envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. |
| Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! | A gift opens doors; it gives access to 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 gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. |
| When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. | Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the human heart 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 or the friend of your parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away. |
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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.
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Others were given in exchange for you.I traded their lives for yours
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