| But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are! | But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. |
| Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. | And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. |
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| So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. | So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. |
| Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. | Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. |
| Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. | For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. |
| O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. | Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. |
| O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone! | Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. |
| What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? | What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? |
| For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. | So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. |
| Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? | Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? |
| Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. | Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. |
| But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. | But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. |
| You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. | You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. |
| You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. | You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. |
| For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! | For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. |
| For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. | You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. |
| For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. | You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. |
| Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” | To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” |
| You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. | You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. |
| And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. | She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. |
| But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. | But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. |
| What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. | Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. |
| Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. | For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. |
| O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. | You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. |
| The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. | The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. |
