| My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart. | My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. |
| The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. | The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the mind of the wicked is of little worth. |
| And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law. | And ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one's neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. |
| Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. | Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. |
| As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. | Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another. |
| Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! | Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. |
| Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. | Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. |
| O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. | O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. |
| The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. | The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. |
| A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. | A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. |
| So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! | Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. |
| God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. |
| My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. | My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you. |
| Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! | Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. |
| Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. | Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. |
| Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. | Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation. |
| 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. | You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. |
| 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. | Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. |
| “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.” | If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. |
| I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. | With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. |
| 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. | The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings. |
| But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! | If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. |
| Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. | Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil. |
| Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. | Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. |
| Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. | Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. |
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