| Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. | Pay to each person what is rightfully his—taxes to the one to whom taxes are due, tolls to the one to whom tolls are due, respect to the one to whom respect is due, honor to the one to whom honor is due. |
| And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. | This is the commandment we have received from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. |
| Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die. | Whoever observes the commandments will live, but the one who scorns them will die. |
| For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? | What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his very life? Or what can he give in exchange for his life? |
| Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. | Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; if he closes his lips, he is regarded as intelligent. |
| He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. | You will again show us compassion and wash away our guilt; you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. |
| Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! | Wait quietly for the Lord and be patient until he comes. Do not fret over the man who prospers because of his evil schemes. |
| A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. | A fool gives free rein to his anger, but a wise man bides his time and calms it. |
| Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. | Recognizing that laws are not designed for the upright. They are for the lawless and insubordinate, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and irreligious; they are for those who slay their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for those who are fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me. |
| But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. | And whoever does not provide for relatives, especially for those who are living with him, has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. |
| The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. | A fool is quick to show his anger, but a prudent man ignores an insult. |
| So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. | Those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand people were added to their number. |
| For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate 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, neither is it in them to do good. | 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. |
| Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. | Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways. |
| And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. | God gave the midwives numerous families because they had feared God. |
| For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? | What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his very life? |
| I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. | I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God. |
| Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. | Moreover, the one to whom God grants wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to find contentment in his toil receives a gift from God. |
| You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. | O Lord, you grant peace to those who are steadfast because of their trust in you. |
| Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. | Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will have their fill. |
| A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. | A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only delights in expressing his own opinions. |
| For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. | For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst. |
| The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. | The words of a wise man win favor, but a fool’s tongue is his undoing. |
| Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. | The entire community of believers was united in heart and soul. No one claimed any of his possessions as his own, for everything was held in common. |
| Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. | Therefore, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and to hold the wicked for punishment until the Day of Judgment. |
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