Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” | And God said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the wild animals and reptiles that crawl upon the earth.” |
May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. | May he give you your heart’s desire and grant you success in all your plans. |
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Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. | Therefore, he has the full power to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to intercede for them. |
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. | Commit your way to the Lord; place your trust in him, and he will act. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause, like the noonday. |
The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. | The Lord God is my strength; he makes my feet as swift as those of a deer and enables me to tread on the heights. |
Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. | It is rash to pledge a sacred gift, or to make a vow and then have second thoughts. |
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. | Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the world. |
And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! | May the favor of the Lord, our God, rest upon us. And may the work of our hands prosper— indeed, may the work of our hands prosper. |
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. | And God is able to enrich you with an abundance of every grace, so that, with all of your needs provided for, you may be able to produce a surplus of good works. |
“They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.” | They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my own special possession on the day when I act, and I will have compassion on them as a father has compassion on the son who serves him. |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. | Trust wholeheartedly in the Lord rather than relying on your own intelligence. In everything you do, acknowledge him, and he will see that your paths are straight. |
Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. | Restore us, O Lord of hosts; let your face shine upon us, and we will be saved. |
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | A man may plan his own course, but the Lord makes his steps secure. |
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. | Many are the plans in a human mind, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will prevail. |
So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. | Let us then make every effort to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall by following that example of refusing to believe. |
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” | Then Jesus said to those Jews who did believe in him, “If you remain faithful to my word, you will truly be my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” |
Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time! | A man is joyful when he utters apt answers, and even more satisfying is a word in season. |
But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! | Yet even so, because of your great compassion, you did not completely destroy them, nor did you forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. |
God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. | The one who calls you is faithful, and he will accomplish this. |
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. | A gentle reply turns away wrath, but a harsh word arouses anger. |
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her in order to sanctify her by cleansing her with water and the word. |
And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. | I will put my Spirit in you and make you follow my statutes and my ordinances. |
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. | Do not let this book of the law be absent from your mouth; meditate upon it day and night, so that you might carefully observe everything that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. |
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. | In view of all this, you should make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with piety, and piety with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. |
Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. | For all of us fall short in many ways. Anyone who never makes a mistake in speech has reached perfection and is able to control every part of his body. |