| You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. | You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. |
| The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. | The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve. |
| And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. | If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. |
| Therefore I will look to 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. |
| Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy. | Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! |
| Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! | Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. |
| The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? | The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? |
| “If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.” | “Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart.” |
| My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. | My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. |
| Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. | Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. |
| Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. | Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. |
| Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. | Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. |
| The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall. | The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. |
| Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. | Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! |
| Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. | Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. |
| Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. | From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer. |
| For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. | For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. |
| Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. | Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. |
| So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. | You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” |
| Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ | Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” |
| I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah | Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. |
| Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. | So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! |
| Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. | Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. |
| For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. | For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. |
| Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. | All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. |
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