| A man who has friends must himself be friendly, 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. |
| 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. |
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| Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother 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. |
| To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. | As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. |
| Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants 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. |
| He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. | Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. |
| A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends. | A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. |
| He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take 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, than to lay down one’s 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 Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed 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 you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. | 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 the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. | 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 of God; and everyone who loves is 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, beloved, do not forget this one thing, 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, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; 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 on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto 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. |
| And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank 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, whether they are of God; because 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 toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. | 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. |
| Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 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. |
| The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall 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, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just 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. |
