| A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. | A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. |
| A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. |
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| Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. | Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away. |
| He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. | You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. |
| Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. | As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. |
| Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. | Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. |
| A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. | A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. |
| He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend. | The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. |
| Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. | Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. |
| And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. | After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. |
| Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. | Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. |
| Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. | Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. |
| Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. | Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. |
| Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. | Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. |
| But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. | But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. |
| Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” | Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. |
| But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. | But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. |
| Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? | Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? |
| Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. | Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. |
| Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. | Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. |
| Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion 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. |
| With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. | For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! |
| Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. | Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. |
