The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. | Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. |
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. | In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. |
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The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. | The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. |
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. | For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. |
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. | The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. |
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. | Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. |
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. | The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. |
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. | Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. |
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. | The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. |
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. | Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. |
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. |
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. | We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. |
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. | Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. |
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. | The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. |
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. | Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. |
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. | The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. |
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. | For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. |
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. | Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. |
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. | The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. |
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! | Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. |
Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. | The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” | “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” |
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. | For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. |
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. | For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. |