| God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? | God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? |
| For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. | This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. |
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| Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. | Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. |
| Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? | Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. |
| The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. | The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. |
| And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. | And every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. |
| But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. | I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. |
| To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. | One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. |
| Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. | You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. |
| I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? | I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. |
| Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. | Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. |
| For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. | For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. |
| I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. | The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” |
| But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. | But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! |
| Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. | But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. |
| And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. | Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” |
| Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. | Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. |
| Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. | Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. |
| Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. | See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. |
| And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. | You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. |
| But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. | But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. |
| For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. | For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. |
| For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God. | God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. |
| I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. | So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. |
| Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. |
