| Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” | Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.” |
| The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. | Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. |
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| So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. | So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. |
| “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” | Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” |
| Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. | Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. |
| But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. | But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. |
| John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” | John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” |
| And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” | He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” |
| Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. | Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. |
| But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” | But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. |
| Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. | So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. |
| Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. | Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. |
| Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. | Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. |
| For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. | Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good. |
| Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? | Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? |
| Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. | Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. |
| Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. | Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. |
| Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. | Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. |
| As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. | Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. |
| And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. | And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. |
| 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 had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him! |
| 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 masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. |
| This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ | This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. |
| Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. | Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. |
| But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. | But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. |
