Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. | Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and of people. |
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. | Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. |
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From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer. | Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! |
This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. | This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. |
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. | Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. |
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!” | On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.” |
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. | And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. |
Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. | Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. |
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. | So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. |
No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. | Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? |
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. | Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. |
Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. | Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. |
Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. | Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one. |
As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them. | “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends. |
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. | Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. |
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. | Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. |
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. | You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. |
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. | So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. |
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. | Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. |
Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. | Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. |
Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. | Now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care what you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking of bribes. |
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. | O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. |
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. | But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. |
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” | In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” |