| May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
| We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. | The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot. |
|
| For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. | For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. |
| The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. | The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. |
| Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. | Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. |
| True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. | Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. |
| Until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. | Till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. |
| No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. | For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. |
| The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. |
| The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.” | For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” |
| They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. | They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. |
| The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. | The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. |
| 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. | The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. |
| Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. | I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. |
| The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. | The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. |
| The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. | Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. |
| But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. | But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. |
| One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. | Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. |
| The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe. | The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. |
| Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor. | Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor. |
| Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. |
| Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. | And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. |
| The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. | The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. |
| But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. | Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. |
| The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words. | The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. |
