| For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. | 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. |
| I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. | 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. |
| 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 turned against those who do evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth. |
| The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve. | The heart is more deceitful than any other thing, and it is also perverse. Who can uncover its secrets? I, the Lord, search the heart and probe the mind to reward all according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. |
| Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. | Let the wicked abandon their ways and those who are evil their thoughts. Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy upon them; and to our God, for he is rich in forgiveness. |
| The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. | The wealth of a rich man is his stronghold; he regards it as a high wall that cannot be scaled. |
| Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. | The one who leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from the heart and does not slander anyone, who does not harm a friend and does not scorn a neighbor. |
| Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. | A fool gives free rein to his anger, but a wise man bides his time and calms it. |
| You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless. | 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. |
| Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. | The future bodes well for him who is generous in helping those in need and who conducts his affairs with justice. |
| He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. | He was despised and shunned by others, a man of sorrows who was no stranger to suffering. We loathed him and regarded him as of no account, as one from whom men avert their gaze. |
| But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. | 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. |
| And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. | God gave the midwives numerous families because they had feared God. |
| And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. | This is the commandment we have received from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. |
| Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. | Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; if he closes his lips, he is regarded as intelligent. |
| Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | The words of a wise man win favor, but a fool’s tongue is his undoing. |
| Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. | 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? |
| Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. | The upright are guarded by their integrity; the treacherous are destroyed by their own duplicity. |
| Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. | A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only delights in expressing his own opinions. |
| Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. | 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. |
| The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. | A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life; a poor man never has to worry about such threats. |
| Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. | Every word of God has proved to be true; he is a shield to those who trust in him. |
| So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. | 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. |
| Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! | You will again show us compassion and wash away our guilt; you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. |
| For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. | For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst. |
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