| He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.” | Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” |
| They said to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.” These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit. | They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. |
| So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. | Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. |
| Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments. | Praise the Lord! How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying his commands. |
| Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. | Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. |
| Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. | But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. |
| He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” | Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” |
| Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. | This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. |
| By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. | This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. |
| But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. | But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. |
| The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse. | The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words. |
| He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. | Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! |
| Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you. | But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. |
| But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts. | Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. |
| Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. | For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. |
| In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! Declare his doings among the peoples! Proclaim that his name is exalted!” | In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!” |
| For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. | For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. |
| Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you. So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name. | Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. |
| We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. | We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. |
| He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us. | Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. |
| The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he. | He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! |
| For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. | If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. |
| But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law. | But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. |
| And hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. | And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. |
| Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. | You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” |
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