| But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. | But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. |
| If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. | If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. |
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| So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. | Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. |
| And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? | What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? |
| Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. | It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. |
| You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live. | There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord. |
| Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good. | For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. |
| A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ | And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ |
| God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? | God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? |
| Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. | Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. |
| Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” | Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” |
| In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. | Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. |
| Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time! | A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! |
| This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’” | This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” |
| There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. | There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. |
| The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. | For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. |
| And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. | Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. |
| Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. | And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. |
| God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. | The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. |
| You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. | You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. |
| The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. | The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. |
| 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. | This, then, 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.’ |
| You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. | Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. |
| So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and 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. |
| The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. | The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. |
