| A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. | A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. |
| Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. | Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. |
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| A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. | There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. |
| To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. | One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. |
| Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children. | Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. |
| Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. | As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. |
| Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. | You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. |
| And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us. | For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us. |
| Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. | Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. |
| He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. | Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. |
| Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. | Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. |
| Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. | Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. |
| I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. | I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! |
| For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. | Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. |
| For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. | For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. |
| As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. | For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. |
| He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. | Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. |
| And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. | Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. |
| Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. | Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. |
| As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. | As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. |
| For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. | You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. |
| Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. | Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. |
| Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. | Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. |
| My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? | I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? |
| Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. | All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. |
