| Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. | Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. |
| Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. | The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. |
|
| Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. | Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. |
| Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. | Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. |
| They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. | “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.” |
| God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? | God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? |
| Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. | When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. |
| He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. |
| We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. | We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. |
| Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. | Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. |
| Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. | Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. |
| Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. |
| But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. | But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. |
| For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. | For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. |
| Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. | Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. |
| Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! | Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. |
| Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. | So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. |
| As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. | As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. |
| So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. | So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. |
| I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. |
| And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” | They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” |
| And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name. | And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. |
| And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. | And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. |
| The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. | In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. |
| And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ | I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ |
