In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty. | Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! |
I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? | I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear? |
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The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? | The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? |
In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? | I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? |
So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” | So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” |
What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? | What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? |
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, 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. |
Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. | You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. |
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. | Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. |
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. | For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. |
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. | Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. |
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. | The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. |
With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless. | To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. |
And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. | When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. |
The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. | The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. |
Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. | Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. |
Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful. | But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! |
For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him. | For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you. |
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. | And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. |
A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. |
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering. | Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. |
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. | Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. |
And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ | But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ |
‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever.’ | O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. |