| It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider one’s vows. | It is rash to pledge a sacred gift, or to make a vow and then have second thoughts. |
| Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. | Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory because of your kindness and faithfulness. |
|
| He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. | The Lord has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? Only this: to do what is right, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
| Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. | Do not withhold kindness from anyone to whom it is due when it is in your power to grant it. |
| 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. | Exhort slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give them satisfaction in every respect. They are not to talk back to them, nor are they to steal from them. Rather, they should show themselves to be completely trustworthy so that in every way they may add luster to the doctrine of God our Savior. |
| He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. | He gives strength to the weary and new vigor to those who are powerless. |
| He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” | Then he said to them, “Go forth into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.” |
| For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. | In view of all this, you should make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with piety, and piety with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. |
| I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. | I know how to live with little, and I know how to live with plenty. In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. |
| It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. | It is honorable to avoid strife, but every fool is quarrelsome. |
| I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. | I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have life. |
| Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. | Do not swerve either to the right or to the left; keep your foot far from evil. |
| 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. |
| They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. | They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. |
| Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. | Do not wear yourself out in the pursuit of wealth, and cease even to think about it. |
| Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? | Which one of you, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has sufficient funds for its completion? |
| “And with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” | And so does kindness, O Lord. You reward each person in accordance with his deeds. |
| Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. | Make every effort to present yourself before God as one who is worthy of his approval, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, but who imparts the word of truth without any alteration. |
| If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! | If you, then, despite your evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! |
| You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. | You intended to do evil to me, but God decided to make it serve a good, to fulfill that which today has come true: to keep alive a numerous people. |
| For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. | Through the grace that God has bestowed upon me, I advise every one of you not to think of yourself too highly, but to regard yourself objectively, based on the measure of faith that God has granted. |
| Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. | Moreover, the one to whom God grants wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to find contentment in his toil receives a gift from God. |
| So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. | So Christ, having been offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him. |
| For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. | For it has been granted you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him. |
| I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. | I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. |
