Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! | Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!” |
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? | What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? |
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So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. | But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. |
So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” | So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” |
But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. | When they lead you away and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. |
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” | He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” |
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. | Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. |
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! | But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you. |
Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all. | Wake up righteously and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. |
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. | If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth. |
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” | Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” |
Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. | Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this. |
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. | For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether. |
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” | My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.” |
Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.” | Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good; so we offer bulls as we vowed of our lips.” |
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. | You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. |
In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!” | In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! Declare his doings among the peoples! Proclaim that his name is exalted!” |
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? | What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer? |
God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. | Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. |
But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. | But I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. |
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” | “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.” |
Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. | But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one. |
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. | But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. |
Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ | Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ |
As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. | But say the things which fit sound doctrine. |