| Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. | Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. |
| A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! | To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone, and a word in season, how good it is! |
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| Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not 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. |
| Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. | Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. |
| Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. | Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray. |
| Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. | Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. |
| All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. | All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. |
| We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. | We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. |
| For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. | For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. |
| When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. | No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. |
| Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? | Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? |
| Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. | Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. |
| Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. | Better is a little with righteousness than large income with injustice. |
| He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. | He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? |
| Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger. | Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord's wrath. |
| See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. | Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. |
| But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. | But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. |
| What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” | What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” |
| Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? | Woe to you who strive with your Maker, earthen vessels with the potter! Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, “What are you making”? or “Your work has no handles”? |
| And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. | Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person's envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. |
| And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness. | If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right. |
| But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. | Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. |
| Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. | My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. |
| Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. | Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. |
| Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. | From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. |
