| For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. | For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. |
| For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. | For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. |
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| And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. | Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. |
| But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. |
| But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” | Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” |
| But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. | And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. |
| If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity. | If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. |
| These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. | I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. |
| Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. | After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. |
| Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. | For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. |
| Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. | But test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. |
| Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. | The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. |
| And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. | Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. |
| And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. | And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. |
| Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. | Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. |
| Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. | The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. |
| The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. | The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” |
| And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” | Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. |
| Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. |
| Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. | Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. |
| For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. | For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. |
| Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. | Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. |
| So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. | Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. |
| As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. | His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. |
| For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. | For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. |
