The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. | The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these. |
Seek good and not evil, so that you may live; And so may the Lord God of armies be with you, Just as you have said! | Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. |
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But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. | But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. |
For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ | For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ |
Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he? | Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? |
The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ | Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ |
Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. | The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. |
You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. | In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. |
So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. | In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. |
And let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. | Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. |
So you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. | Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. |
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. | For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. |
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. | For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. |
But as for me, I will be on the watch for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. | As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. |
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. | When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. |
And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. | The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. |
Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. | I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. |
And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you. | And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. |
So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. | So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. |
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them. | Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. |
And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to follow all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us. | For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us. |
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. | Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. |
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive. | You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. |
On the day of prosperity be happy, But on the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other So that a person will not discover anything that will come after him. | Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. |
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.” | This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” |