| Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. | Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. |
| Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. | Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. |
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| Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? | Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. |
| But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. | But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. |
| But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. | But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. |
| I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. | I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. |
| Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. | Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. |
| Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. | Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. |
| The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. | The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. |
| Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. | Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. |
| The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. | The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. |
| But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. | As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” |
| And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. | And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. |
| For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. | Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. |
| What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? | What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? |
| Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. | For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help. I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy. |
| So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. | So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. |
| For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. | The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. |
| But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. | But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. |
| And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. | I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. |
| And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. | Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. |
| So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. | So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer. |
| And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. | When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. |
| But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. | Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. |
| Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. | Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. |
