Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. | Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. |
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts: he is the King of glory. Selah | Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies— he is the King of glory. |
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All this knowledge comes from the Lord of hosts whose counsel is wonderful and whose wisdom is great. | The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. |
Restore us, O Lord of hosts; let your face shine upon us, and we will be saved. | Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. |
This is the Lord’s message to Zerubbabel: Not by force, nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. | This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. |
Seek good and not evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you as you claim he is. | Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. |
They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession on the day when I act, and I will have compassion on them as a father has compassion on the son who serves him. | “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.” |
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render fair judgments, and show kindness and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor. Do not plot evil in your heart against one another. | This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. |
Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the prophets of that time proclaimed. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Forsake your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they refused to listen or to pay attention to me, says the Lord. | Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’ |
Bring the tithes in full into the treasury so that there may be food in my house. Put me thus to the test, says the Lord of hosts, and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down blessings upon you without measure. | “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” |
If you refuse to listen to me and do not sincerely resolve to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send a curse on you, and I will turn your blessings into a curse. Indeed, I have already done so because you have not heeded my warning. | “Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart.” |
Therefore, strive to be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. | But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. |
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. | Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. |
For your kindness extends to the heavens; your faithfulness, to the skies. | For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. |
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory shine over all the earth. | Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth. |
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. | And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. |
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory shine over all the earth. | Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. |
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever he pleases. | Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. |
If you forgive others for the wrongs they have done, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. | If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. |
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. | Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. |
The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. | The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. |
I press on toward the finishing line to win the heavenly prize to which God has called me in Christ Jesus. | I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. |
This is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ | Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. |
Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. | Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. |
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. |