| We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. | We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. |
| He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? | Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? |
| By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. | It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. |
| Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. | And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. |
| Not to us, Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. | Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness. |
| Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. | Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. |
| The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. | The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. |
| For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him. | For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you. |
| Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. | For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. |
| Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” | Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.” |
| Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us. | Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. |
| For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against evildoers. | The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil. |
| So you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. | Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. |
| Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. | This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad. | My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! |
| Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or abandon them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God. | But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! |
| Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” | Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” |
| What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? | What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? |
| Who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. | Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. |
| May the kindness of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands. | And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! |
| For Your goodness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds. | For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. |
| “And tear your heart and not merely your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in mercy And relenting of catastrophe. | “Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. |
| Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” | All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” |
| So the Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our own good always and for our survival, as it is today. | And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day. |
| Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. | All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). |
Related topics
Grace
Therefore let’s approach the...
Love
Love is patient, love...
Jesus
Looking at them, Jesus...
Christmas
She will give birth...
Father
Just as a father...
Forgiveness
One who conceals an...