| The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” | The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” |
| Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine. | Now, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession from among all the peoples, for the entire earth is mine. |
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| So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” | Now in regard to the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, we know that idols are nothing in the world and that there is only one God. |
| Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. | You shall observe my commandments and obey them. I am the Lord. |
| So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. | In everything, deal with others as you would like them to deal with you. This is the Law and the Prophets. |
| That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. | For this reason, I rejoice when I endure weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and distress for the sake of Christ. For it is when I am weak that I am strong. |
| Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. | You are truly my rock and my fortress; for the sake of your name, lead and guide me. |
| When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. | When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. |
| The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. | The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart places its trust in him. He has helped me, and I exult; then with my song I praise him. |
| When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. | Because the sentence for committing an evil act is not carried out quickly, people’s hearts are prone to act wickedly. |
| How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. | How great you are, Lord God! There is no one like you, and there is no God except you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms. |
| So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. | While Peter was thus imprisoned, the Church prayed fervently to God for him. |
| When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. | When things are going well, be grateful for your blessings, and in times of adversity consider this: God has made both of them, so that we cannot predict with confidence what the future holds. |
| There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. | 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. |
| We love because He first loved us. | Therefore, we love because he first loved us. |
| For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! | I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Repent and live! |
| So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. | So we must not fall asleep as the others do, but we must stay alert and sober. |
| And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. | The Lord God said, “Behold, man has become like one of us, for he has knowledge of that which is good and that which is evil. Now, we must prevent him from reaching out and taking the fruit of the tree of life lest he eat it and live forever.” The Lord God cast him out of the Garden of Eden; henceforth he was to labor tilling the soil from which he had come. |
| Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. | Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness clothing you, and with your feet shod in zeal to proclaim the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold in your hand the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. |
| So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless. | Banish grief from your heart and ignore the sufferings of your body, for youth and the prime of life are fleeting. |
| “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” | He continued, “Then put away the foreign gods from among you. Bend your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” |
| Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. | Pay to each person what is rightfully his—taxes to the one to whom taxes are due, tolls to the one to whom tolls are due, respect to the one to whom respect is due, honor to the one to whom honor is due. |
| But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. | But as for me, I will look to the Lord. I place my hope in God my savior; my God will hear me. |
| The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. | The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom, and no matter what the cost, acquire understanding. |
| So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. | Therefore, whenever you give alms, do not trumpet your generosity, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets in order to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have already received their reward. |
