| Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? | Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to my Father for help and he will not immediately send me more than twelve legions of angels? |
| Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. | Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. |
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| Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. | Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not demand the return of what is yours from the one who has taken it. |
| My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. | Observe your father’s command, my son, and do not reject your mother’s teaching. |
| Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. | As servants of God, behave as free people, but do not use your freedom as a means to cover up wrongdoing. |
| You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. | You believe that there is one God. You do well to assert that. But even the demons believe and tremble. |
| Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. | Do not let your hearts be troubled. You place your trust in God. Trust also in me. |
| Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. | Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather seek to expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of what deeds people do in secret. |
| If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. | If you know me, then you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him. You have seen him. |
| So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. | Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and give you help, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. |
| I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. | I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your precepts. |
| Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. | You shall observe my commandments and obey them. I am the Lord. |
| For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. | For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for a life of good works that God had prepared for us to do. |
| Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. | Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. |
| When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. | Whenever you fast, do not assume a gloomy expression like the hypocrites who contort their faces so that others may realize that they are fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. |
| Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. | Let us never grow weary in doing what is right, for if we do not give up, we will reap our harvest in due time. |
| But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. | But what I tell you is this: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, since it is God’s throne, or by earth, since that is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. |
| Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. | Wash yourselves and become clean; remove your evil deeds far from my sight. Cease to do evil. |
| Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. | Do not envy a violent man or choose to emulate any of his ways. For the perverse man is an abomination to the Lord whose friendship is bestowed only upon the upright. |
| Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. | Call to me and I will answer you and reveal to you great and mysterious secrets about which you are unaware. |
| Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. | Do not make gods from silver or from gold instead of me. You will not make them for yourselves. |
| When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. | When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill the vow you have made. |
| The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. | The Lord will fulfill his plan for me. Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the work of your hands. |
| Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go. | Observe the ordinances of the Lord, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and what he witnessed in writing in the law of Moses. In this way you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. |
| For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.” | For: “If anyone wishes to love life and to experience good days, he must restrain his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.” |
