| 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; and I will 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; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry 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 evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. |
| 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 what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. |
| If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. | Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their 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 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 any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their 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 whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. |
| The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. | The wise of heart will heed 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 be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. 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 those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their 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 transgressions will prosper, but one 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 the violent and do not choose any of their ways; for the perverse are 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. | Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our 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 trial, 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 know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. |
| 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 those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their 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 they came from their mother's womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil, which they may carry away with their hands. |
| People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness. | Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly. |
| We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. | The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the 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. | For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase 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 urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. |
| 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. | Also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess 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. | Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. |
Related topics
Life
The LORD keeps you...
Wisdom
For the LORD grants...
Receiving
I tell you, you...
Materialism
After all, we brought...
Sin
Don’t you realize that...
Law
And you must commit...
Bible verse of the day
You know what I long for, Lord;you hear my every sigh.