| Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. | Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. |
| Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. | Go forth, then. Eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God long ago approved what you do. |
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| When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. | When things are going well, be grateful for your blessings, and in times of adversity consider this: God has made both of them, so that we cannot predict with confidence what the future holds. |
| Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. | Even though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, even though the olive crop will fail and the orchards will yield no food, even though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, I will continue to rejoice in the Lord, and exult in the God of my salvation. |
| Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. | Blessed are all those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. |
| Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. | Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in accord with the law of the Lord. |
| Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. | Blessed is the person who has found wisdom, the one who has gained understanding. |
| A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | A cheerful heart is excellent medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. | Blessed are those who observe his statutes and seek him with their whole heart. |
| I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. | I rejoice in the Lord with all my heart; my soul exults in my God. For he has clothed me in garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of saving justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a garland or a bride bedecked with her jewels. |
| Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. | The one who pays heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. |
| A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! | A man is joyful when he utters apt answers, and even more satisfying is a word in season. |
| Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. | Alleluia. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his precepts. |
| So that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. | In that way, I can come to you in joy, if God so wills, and be refreshed together with you. |
| Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. | Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. |
| No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. | At the time that discipline is received, it always seems painful rather than pleasant, but afterward it yields a harvest of peace and uprightness to those who have been trained by it. |
| The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. | The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior and a savior. He will rejoice over you with gladness and renew you through his love. He will exult over you with shouts of joy. |
| Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. | And now, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways. Encourage one another. Be of one mind and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. |
| I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. | I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God. |
| Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. | Every day, united in spirit, they would assemble together in the temple. They would break bread in their homes and share their food with joyful and generous hearts as they praised God, and they were regarded with favor by all the people. And day by day the Lord added to those who were being saved. |
