Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! | Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. |
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. | And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. |
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But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints. | Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. |
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. | Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. |
And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. | But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. |
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” | He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” |
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. | Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. |
Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. | Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. |
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. | I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. |
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. | And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. |
It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. | It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. |
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. | For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. |
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. | Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. |
Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. | So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! |
But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. | But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. |
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” | I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” |
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” | I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” |
Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. | Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. |
Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. | As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. |
I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. | I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. |
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? |
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. | Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. |
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. | I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. |
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. | In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. |
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. | We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. |