| And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” | The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” |
| For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. | For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. |
| Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. | Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. |
| The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. | We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. |
| So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. | The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. |
| The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. | Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. |
| The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. |
| But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. | But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. |
| My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. | In the night I search for you; in the morning I earnestly seek you. For only when you come to judge the earth will people learn what is right. |
| You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. | You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. |
| The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
| A joyful heart is 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. |
| But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
| I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! | Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. |
| Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. | You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. |
| For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. | For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. |
| He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. |
| Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! | Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. | Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. |
| The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. | The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. |
| The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. | The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. |
| The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. | The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. |
| The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. | True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. |
| As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. | The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. |
| Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. | Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. |
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