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.” | Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” |
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. | Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. |
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The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! | For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ 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 open to their prayers; 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.’ | This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ |
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. |
But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. | Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. |
I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? | Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there 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 good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for 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. | So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank 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. | Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to 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. | For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. |
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 that the world through Him might be saved. |
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” | For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” |
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. | Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. | But he who endures to the end shall 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 set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for 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 open to their cry. |
But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. | The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them 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 churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. |
Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. | Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. |
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. | He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” |
Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. | Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in 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 what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. |
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 so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ |