A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. |
The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever. | And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. |
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But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God. | But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. |
Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. | Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. |
Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. | Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. |
He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? | I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. |
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. | Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. |
But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. | But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. |
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart; he who doesn’t slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man. | Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. |
He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. | But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. |
He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life. | Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. |
Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil. | Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. |
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. | But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
Don’t let him who eats despise him who doesn’t eat. Don’t let him who doesn’t eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. | Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. |
He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me isn’t worthy of me. | If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. |
Let the husband give his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife her husband. The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife does. | The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. |
Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. | Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. |
But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. | But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. |
Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also. | Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. |
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. | People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. |
But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. | Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. |
For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. | Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. |
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? | But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? |
And hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. | And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. |
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. | Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. |