The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. | The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up. |
A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. | A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. |
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A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. | Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. |
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! | How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! |
A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. | Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! |
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. | A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. |
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. | For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. |
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. | Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! |
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. | The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. |
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. | God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. |
The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. | The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. |
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. | Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. |
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. | Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. |
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. | And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” |
The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. | The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. |
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. | When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. |
Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. | Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. |
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. | Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! |
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. | A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. |
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices 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. |
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. | For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. |
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. | Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. |
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. | For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. |
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. | For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. |