| I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. | And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. |
| And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. | Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. |
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| For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. | Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. |
| For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. | Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. |
| Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. | Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. |
| Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. | Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. |
| Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord. | Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. |
| Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. | Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. |
| Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. | Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. |
| Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. | Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. |
| Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. | Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! |
| If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. | Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. |
| Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. | Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. |
| Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. | Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. |
| Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. | Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. |
| For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. | Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. |
| Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. | Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. |
| Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. | Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. |
| For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. | For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” |
| Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. | Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. |
| But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. | Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. |
| Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. | Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. |
| Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. | 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. |
| Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. | Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. |
| One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. | In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. |
