| 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, “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.” |
| 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. | Wait quietly for the Lord and be patient until he comes. Do not fret over the man who prospers because of his evil 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. | 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. |
| 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. | This is the conclusion I have reached: it is fitting for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in the results of his labors under the sun during the brief span of life that God has allotted him. |
| 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 the water of baptism from 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 that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his 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. | 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. |
| The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | A wise man will heed commandments, but a babbling fool will come to grief. |
| 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 be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will persist in their evil ways. |
| 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 wishes to 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. | No one who conceals his transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and renounces 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 violent man or choose to emulate any of his ways. For the perverse man is an abomination to the Lord whose friendship is bestowed only upon the upright. |
| The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. | The Lord makes a man’s steps secure when he approves of his conduct. |
| 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. | Therefore, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and to hold the wicked for 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 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. |
| 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 wishes 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. | Just as he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he depart, naked as he came, with nothing remaining from his labor that he can carry away in his hands. |
| People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. | A patient man shows good sense, but a quick-tempered man displays the height of folly. |
| We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | A man may plan his own course, but the Lord makes his steps secure. |
| That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. | Those who live according to the flesh can never be pleasing to God. |
| The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. | For much wisdom can result in much sorrow, and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | I also ask that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing. They should be adorned not with braided hair or with gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is fitting for women who profess their reverence for God. |
| 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. | Amen, amen, 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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Bible verse of the day
You know what I long for, Lord;you hear my every sigh.