| Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? | Do I derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? asks the Lord God. Would I not rather rejoice to see them turn away from their wickedness and live? |
| But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” | But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.” |
| The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. | And opens the eyes of those who cannot see. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. |
| Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! | Consequently, anyone united to Christ is a new creation. The old order has passed away. Behold, all has become new. |
| We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life! | Behold, we are now going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised to life. |
| So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. | For our eyes are fixed not on what is seen but rather on that which cannot be seen. What is visible is transitory; what is invisible is eternal. |
| Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. | Speak out and pronounce righteous judgments; defend the rights of the wretched and the poor. |
| Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. | If someone says, “I love God,” but at the same time hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever does not love the brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. |
| Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? | Gaze upon the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or store in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of far greater value than they? |
| Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. | Trust wholeheartedly in the Lord rather than relying on your own intelligence. In everything you do, acknowledge him, and he will see that your paths are straight. |
| One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. | There is only one thing I ask of the Lord, just one thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, so that I may enjoy the beauty of the Lord and gaze on his temple. |
| However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. | For as it is written, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the human heart imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” |
| But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! | Rather, let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. |
| In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. | In the same way, faith by itself is dead if it does not have works. |
| Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. | Let your kindness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. |
| They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. | They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and offered worship and service to the creature rather than to the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural practices. Likewise, men gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameful acts with men and received in their own persons the fitting penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since these people did not see fit to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their depraved way of thinking and to all types of vile behavior. |
| Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. | Arise and shine forth, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. |
| But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. | However, whoever lives by the truth comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been done in God. |
| After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. | After he said this, he was lifted up as they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. |
| “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. | Jesus said to him, “Go on your way! Your faith has made you well.” Immediately, he received his sight and followed him along the road. |
| For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. | For since death came into the world through a man, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a man. |
| Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” | Then Peter addressed them: “I now understand how true it is that God has no favorites, but that in every nation all those who fear God and do what is right are acceptable to him.” |
| And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. | The Lord God said, “Behold, man has become like one of us, for he has knowledge of that which is good and that which is evil. Now, we must prevent him from reaching out and taking the fruit of the tree of life lest he eat it and live forever.” The Lord God cast him out of the Garden of Eden; henceforth he was to labor tilling the soil from which he had come. |
| If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. | Therefore, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and to hold the wicked for punishment until the Day of Judgment. |
| But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. | Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. They will be like a tree planted by the water that spreads out its roots to the stream. When the heat comes, it does not fear; its leaves stay green. It is not concerned in a year of drought, and it never fails to bear fruit. |
Bible verse of the day
God sets the lonely in families,he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.