| Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” | The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” |
| Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. | 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! |
| For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. |
| Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. | Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. |
| If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. | Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. |
| Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? | Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? |
| If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. | If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. |
| All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. | 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 wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. |
| Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. | 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. |
| If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. | For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. |
| People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. | Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. |
| Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. | Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. |
| The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. | The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way. |
| So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. | Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. |
| So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. | 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. |
| If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. | For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. |
| We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. | As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. |
| People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. | Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. |
| We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. |
| That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. | Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. |
| The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. | For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. |
| Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. | For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. |
| And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. | Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. |
| I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. | Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. |
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