| However, to avoid the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. | But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. |
| O Lord, all my longing is known to you, and my sighs are not hidden from you. | All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. |
| Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all. | Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. |
| Every day, united in spirit, they would assemble together in the temple. They would break bread in their homes and share their food with joyful and generous hearts as they praised God, and they were regarded with favor by all the people. And day by day the Lord added to those who were being saved. | Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. |
| I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God. | I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. |
| Therefore, take care to live as intelligent people, and do not be like those who are senseless. Make the most of the present time, for this is a wicked age. | Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. |
| No one should seek his own advantage in preference to that of his neighbor. | No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. |
| He gave himself for us in order to deliver us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people as his own who are eager to do good. | Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. |
| In all of your prayers and entreaties, pray always in the Spirit. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. | And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. |
| Then I came to realize that all toil and skill in work derive from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind. | And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. |
| Let everything that breathes offer praise to the Lord. Alleluia. | Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. |
| While physical training has some value, the benefits of godliness are unlimited, since it holds out promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. | For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. |
| Each of us must consider his neighbor’s good for the purpose of building him up. | Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. |
| You are all-beautiful, my love, without the slightest blemish. | You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. |
| Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from anything that can defile flesh or spirit, and thereby make our holiness perfect in the fear of God. | Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. |
| I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” | I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” |
| For Christ is the fulfillment of the Law for the justification of all who believe. | Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. |
| In my anguish I cried out; the Lord heard my plea, and I was saved from all my troubles. | This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. |
| The Lord makes a man’s steps secure when he approves of his conduct. | The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. |
| For everyone born of God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. | For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. |
| Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not demand the return of what is yours from the one who has taken it. | Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. |
| God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, but now he commands people everywhere to repent. | In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. |
| After this, he said to the crowd, “Take care to be on your guard against all kinds of greed. Life does not depend upon an abundance of one’s possessions.” | Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” |
| If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. | Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. |
| Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outer self is continuing to decay, our inner self is being renewed day by day. | Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. |
Bible verse of the day
A fool spurns his father’s correction,but whoever heeds admonition is prudent.