| For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. | For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. |
| I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ | I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ |
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| But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish 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? |
| Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. | Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. |
| Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? | Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? |
| Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. | 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. |
| Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. | Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. |
| The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. | The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. |
| But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! | But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. |
| Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. | Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. |
| Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way. | 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. |
| But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. |
| Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. | Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. |
| Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. | Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. |
| So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. | The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. |
| For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’” | It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ |
| No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. | Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? |
| Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. | Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. |
| And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. | And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. |
| Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. | Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. |
| But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike. | But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. |
| 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. | If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. |
| Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: “Come back to me and live!” | This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live.” |
| And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. | And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. |
| But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. | But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. |
