“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” | “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.” |
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight. | The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. |
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Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. | Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. |
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? | God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? |
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. | When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. |
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. | Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. |
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. | Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. |
Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. | Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. |
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. | Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. |
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. | So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. |
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. | Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. |
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. | But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. |
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. | But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. |
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. | “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.” |
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. | And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. |
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” | They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” |
This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ | For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ |
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. | God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. |
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 saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ |
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. | But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. |
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. | Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. |
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. | And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.” |
And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. | What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord. |
Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? | Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? |