| This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. | This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. |
| For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. | For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. |
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| If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. | If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. |
| Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. | And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. |
| All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). | All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” |
| What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar. | Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. |
| For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. | For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. |
| You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. | But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. |
| And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. | And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. |
| Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. | Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. |
| Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. | Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! |
| As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. | God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. |
| As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. | God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. |
| A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. | Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham. |
| Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. | What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. |
| For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. |
| The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. | The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. |
| Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. | And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. |
| Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. | Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. |
| Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. | Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. |
| Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. | Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. |
| Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” | He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” |
| Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? | Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. | Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. |
| There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. | There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. |
