| On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” | On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!” |
| Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. | For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. |
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| And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? | And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. |
| Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. | Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. |
| Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. | Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. |
| I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. | As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! |
| Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! | Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler. |
| The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot. | We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. |
| Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. | Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. |
| And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. | Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. |
| My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. | My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. |
| I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ | I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ |
| The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. | The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. |
| Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. | So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! |
| This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. | This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. | Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. |
| He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. | He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. |
| Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. | Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! |
| Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. | Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. |
| For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. | For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. |
| The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. | The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. |
| Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me.” | But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.” |
| What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” | Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” |
| Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. | Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. |
