| Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. | Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. |
| Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. | Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. |
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| How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! | How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver! |
| And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. | What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord. |
| Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. | Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. |
| The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. | The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. |
| The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. | Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last. |
| But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. | But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. |
| So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. | Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. |
| Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. | Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. |
| He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good. | To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper. |
| And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. | All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. |
| The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. | The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. |
| Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. | Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. |
| Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. | You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. |
| Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. | So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. |
| Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. | Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. |
| Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. | Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. |
| Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. | Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. |
| But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. | Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. |
| Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. | When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. |
| But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. | But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. |
| Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. | Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. |
| A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. | Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. |
| He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. | Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. |
