| Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways. | Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. |
| The love of money is the root of all evils, and in their desire for it some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many serious wounds. | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. |
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| You shall not oppress the widow or the orphan. If you mistreat them and they cry out to me for help, I will surely hear their cry, and my fury will burn and I will put you to death by the sword. Your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans. | Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. |
| And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their deeds, as were recorded in the scrolls. The sea gave up all the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. The dead were judged according to their deeds. | And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. |
| Those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand people were added to their number. | Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. |
| Do I derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? asks the Lord God. Would I not rather rejoice to see them turn away from their wickedness and live? | Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? |
| Therefore, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, since those who enter into God’s rest also cease from their own labors as God did from his. | There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. |
| He who guards his mouth makes his life secure, but one who talks excessively ensures his own downfall. | Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. |
| The Lord said to Moses, “Climb up to me on the mountain and remain there. I will give you stone tablets with the laws and commandments that I have written for their instruction.” | The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” |
| The Lord is good, an unfailing refuge in a time of distress. He takes care of those who place their trust in him. | The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. |
| With his mouth the godless man seeks to ruin his neighbor, but knowledge enables the righteous to be delivered. | With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. |
| Therefore, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and to hold the wicked for punishment until the Day of Judgment. | If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. |
| In other words, God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, and not holding people’s transgressions against them, and he committed to us the message of reconciliation. | That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. |
| Yet even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are thereby blessed. Have no fear of others, and refuse to be intimidated by them. | But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” |
| Every word of God has proved to be true; he is a shield to those who trust in him. | Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. |
| Instruct those who are rich in this world’s goods that they should not be proud, nor should they trust in the uncertainty of riches but rather in God who richly provides us with everything we need for our enjoyment. | Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. |
| The face of the Lord is turned against those who do evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth. | But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. |
| For the love of Christ urges us forward, once we conclude that one has died for all, and therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sakes died and was raised to life. | For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. |
| The wealth of a rich man is his stronghold; he regards it as a high wall that cannot be scaled. | The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. |
| Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. | Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. |
| I will make them and the region surrounding my hill a blessing, and I will send them rain in due season that will be showers of blessing. | I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. |
| He has made everything suitable for its time, and he has given men a sense of past and future, but they never have the slightest comprehension of what God has wrought from beginning to end. | He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. |
| If anyone thinks that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his religion is worthless. | Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. |
| When they had finished their prayer, the place where they were gathered together shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the word of God fearlessly. | After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. |
| For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. | For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. |
