| But godliness with contentment is great gain. | Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment. |
| Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. | You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. |
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| For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. | For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building. |
| But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. | But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. |
| Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool— how much worse lying lips to a ruler! | Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a ruler. |
| For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. | For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. |
| With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. | With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. |
| For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. | For, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. |
| In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. | Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. |
| Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? | Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? |
| Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. | For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. |
| If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. | If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. |
| Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. | Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory. |
| Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children. | Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. | The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. |
| If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. | Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. |
| His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. | His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. |
| “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” | He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” |
| How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! | How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! |
| The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. | It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. |
| But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. | Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. |
| May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. | May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. |
| So that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. | So that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. |
| Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. | Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. |
| For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. | For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. |
