| 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.” | Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the Law and the commandments 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. | Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not get upset because of one who is successful in his way, Because of the person who carries out wicked schemes. |
| 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 sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. |
| 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. | Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink, and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. |
| If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. | The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it. |
| Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? | Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he? |
| If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. | If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own 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. | And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. |
| The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | The wise of heart will receive commands, 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 will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will 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 wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it. |
| People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. | One who conceals his wrongdoings will not prosper, But one who confesses and abandons them will find compassion. |
| 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 violent person, And do not choose any of his ways. For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; But He is intimate with the upright. |
| 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, And 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 a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for 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 know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. |
| 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 wants to 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 naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. |
| People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. | One who is slow to anger has great understanding; But one who is quick-tempered exalts foolishness. |
| We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. |
| That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. | And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. |
| The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. | Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. |
| 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, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf. |
| 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, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. |
| 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 slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. |
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