| I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” | I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” |
| Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. | Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. |
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| Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. | Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! |
| So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. | But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. |
| Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. | Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. |
| Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. | Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. |
| And, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. | In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. |
| Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. | But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. |
| For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. | For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. |
| This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. | And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. |
| Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. | Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. |
| The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. | The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. |
| The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. | Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. |
| A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great. | Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! |
| But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. | But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. |
| As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. | The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. |
| What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? | What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? |
| Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. | Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! |
| Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. | Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. |
| God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. | For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. |
| After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. | After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. |
| But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” | But when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” |
| While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. | And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. |
| We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. | We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him. |
| For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. | God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. |
