| 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.” | Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” |
| 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 fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. |
| 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 evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. |
| 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: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. |
| If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. | He who finds his life will lose it, and he who 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 forbid water, that these should not be baptized 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 among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. |
| 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 multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. |
| The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall. |
| 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, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the 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 desires 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. | He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have 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 the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. |
| The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. | The steps of a good man are ordered 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 deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust 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 nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it 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 desires 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 from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. |
| People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. | He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly. |
| We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | A man’s heart 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. | So then, 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 grief, 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 compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. |
| 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. | In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing 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. | Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. |
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