| Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. | Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. |
| Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me. | Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. |
| So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. | Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. |
| When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. | When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. |
| The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. | The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. |
| The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. | The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. |
| Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. | Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. |
| Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another. | As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. |
| Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. | Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. |
| A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. | Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. |
| Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up. | Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. |
| It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. | Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. |
| Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. | Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. |
| But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. | But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. |
| Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart. | Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. |
| And ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one's neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. | To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. |
| Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. | This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ |
| Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. | Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. |
| So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. | Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. |
| If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. | “If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.” |
| All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart. | A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. |
| Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. | Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. |
| The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. |
| They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. | ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ |
Bible verse of the day
All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”