| Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” | God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” |
| The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. | The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. |
| The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! | Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. |
| The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil. | For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. |
| For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ | Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ |
| May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. | The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. |
| But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. | Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. |
| I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? | I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? |
| Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. | Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. |
| Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets. | Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. |
| And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. | And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. |
| Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. | Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. |
| God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. | For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. |
| For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” | For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” |
| Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. | Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. |
| But the one who endures to the end will be saved. | But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. |
| I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. | I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. |
| The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. | The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. |
| But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. | But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. |
| The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. | Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. |
| Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. | Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. |
| Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. | Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” |
| Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. | Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. |
| Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. | As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. |
| For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ | For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” |
Bible verse of the day
Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;whoever learns from correction is wise.