For you, O God, have put us to the test; you have purified us as silver is refined. | For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. |
The tongue of the just man is like pure silver; the heart of the wicked is without worth. | The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the mind of the wicked is of little worth. |
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Do not make gods from silver or from gold instead of me. You will not make them for yourselves. | You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. |
It is better to acquire wisdom rather than gold, and more desirable to acquire understanding rather than silver. | How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. |
An honorable name is more to be desired than great riches, and high esteem is preferable to silver and gold. | A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. |
One who is covetous will never be satisfied with money, nor will the lover of wealth be content with gain. This too is vanity. | The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. |
For you are aware that you were ransomed from your futile way of life inherited from your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. | You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. |
For the carved images of the nations are powerless; they are nothing more than wood cut from a forest, fashioned with a knife by craftsmen and embellished with silver and gold. Then they are fastened with hammers and nails to prevent them from toppling. Like scarecrows in a cucumber field they are unable to speak, and they must be carried from place to place since they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they can do no harm, nor do they have any power to do good. | For the customs of the peoples are false: a tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an ax by the hands of an artisan; people deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor is it in them to do good. |