Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. | Therefore, my beloved brethren, stand firm and immovable, devoting yourselves completely to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. |
You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. | You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy. I have chosen you from among all people that you shall be mine. |
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Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. | Remain sober and alert, for your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. |
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. | For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous. |
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! | Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracize you, when they insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. |
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. | Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and utter all kinds of calumnies against you for my sake. |
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. | Beloved, we are God’s children now. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. However, we do know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he really is. Everyone who has this hope in him keeps himself pure, just as he is pure. |
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. | Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the Lord, your God, is going forth with you. He will never leave you or abandon you. |
And I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts. | I will walk in complete freedom because I have sought your commands. |
Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. | Do not wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth, and cease even to think about it. |
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. | You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. |
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, since it is the power of God that offers salvation to everyone who has faith—to Jews first, and then to Gentiles as well. |
For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good. | For the carved images of the nations are powerless; they are nothing more than wood cut from a forest, fashioned with a knife by craftsmen and embellished with silver and gold. Then they are fastened with hammers and nails to prevent them from toppling. Like scarecrows in a cucumber field they are unable to speak, and they must be carried from place to place since they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they can do no harm, nor do they have any power to do good. |
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. | And not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we realize that suffering develops perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. |
And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) | He said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not realize that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not into the heart but into the stomach and is discharged into the sewer?” Thus, he pronounced all foods clean. |
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. | No, throughout all these things we are conquerors because of him who loved us. |
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! | Have mercy on me, O God, in accord with your kindness; in your abundant compassion wipe away my offenses. Wash me completely from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin. |
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. | Therefore, keep watch, for you do not know the day when your Lord is coming. |
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. | Hence, be imitators of God, as beloved children. |
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. | You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am wonderfully made; awesome are your works, as I know very well. |
I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. | I will rejoice and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. |
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. | Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from anything that can defile flesh or spirit, and thereby make our holiness perfect in the fear of God. |
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. | For sin is no longer to have any power over you, since you are not under the Law but under grace. |
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! | O Lord, hear my prayer, incline your ear to my supplications. In your faithfulness respond to me with your righteousness. |
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. | Hence, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. |