| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. | Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! |
| And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. | Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” |
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| For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. | If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. |
| Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. | What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. |
| Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. | And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. |
| Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. | Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. |
| If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. | If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. |
| And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. | When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! |
| But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. | Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. |
| Who will render to every man according to his deeds. | He will judge everyone according to what they have done. |
| A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. | A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. |
| Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. | Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. |
| Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. | You must diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you. |
| For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? | And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? |
| But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. | And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. |
| And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. | And he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ |
| Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? | Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? |
| Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. | When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways. |
| The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. | I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. |
| A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. | Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. |
| That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. | I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. |
| For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. |
| God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. | God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. |
| It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. | The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. |
| No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. | No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. |
