| Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; if he closes his lips, he is regarded as intelligent. | Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. |
| Be on guard against false prophets who come to you disguised in sheep’s clothing, but who inwardly are ravenous wolves. | Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. |
| When my anxious thoughts multiplied, your comfort filled my soul with joy. | When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. |
| How wonderful and delightful it is for brothers to live together in unity. | How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! |
| Therefore, let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance toward maturity. We must not be forever laying the foundation: repentance for actions that lead to death, faith in God, instruction about baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| Rather, let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. |
| Moses remained with the Lord for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, on the tablets. | Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets. |
| Wash yourselves and become clean; remove your evil deeds far from my sight. Cease to do evil. | Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. |
| Everyone who seeks a prize submits himself to rigorous self-discipline in every respect. They do so to win a perishable crown, while we seek an imperishable one. | All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. |
| A patient man shows good sense, but a quick-tempered man displays the height of folly. | People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. |
| Since in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of circumcision is worth anything. All that matters is faith expressing itself through love. | For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. |
| Moreover, the one to whom God grants wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to find contentment in his toil receives a gift from God. | And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. |
| Love one another with genuine affection. Esteem others more highly than yourself. | Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. |
| Indeed, under the Law almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. | In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. |
| The words of a wise man win favor, but a fool’s tongue is his undoing. | Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. |
| He reveals deep and hidden mysteries and knows what lies in the darkness, for light dwells with him. | He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. |
| Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by mutual consent for a specified time so as to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you by taking advantage of your lack of self-control. | Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
| One who gossips reveals secrets, but a trustworthy man keeps things hidden. | A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. |
| Acquire wisdom and gain understanding; never forget or turn aside from my words. | Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. |
| The upright are guarded by their integrity; the treacherous are destroyed by their own duplicity. | Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. |
| Although it was our afflictions that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, we thought of him as stricken, as struck down by God and afflicted. | Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! |
| Which one of you, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has sufficient funds for its completion? | 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? |
| All day long the godless man continues to covet, whereas the righteous man gives unsparingly. | Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give! |
| Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger. | Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. |
| He gives a home to those who are forsaken and leads out prisoners amid chants of exultation, while rebels are forced to live in an arid land. | 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. |
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Bible verse of the day
Where can I go to hide from your spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I take my rest in the netherworld, you are also there.