| Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. | Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. |
| Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. | Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. |
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| They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. | They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. |
| While he was departing as they gazed upward toward the sky, suddenly two men dressed in white robes stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking up into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” | They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” |
| All of these were constantly engaged in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. | They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. |
| O Lord, you grant peace to those who are steadfast because of their trust in you. | You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. |
| You need to be steadfast if you want to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. | You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. |
| Every day, united in spirit, they would assemble together in the temple. They would break bread in their homes and share their food with joyful and generous hearts as they praised God, and they were regarded with favor by all the people. And day by day the Lord added to those who were being saved. | Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. |
| Although the mountains may be shaken and the hills may totter, my steadfast love will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace will never be shaken, says the Lord who has compassion on you. | “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. |
| May the Lord guide your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. | May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. |
