| The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him. | The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. |
| As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all. | Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. |
| Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and enables me to go in high places. | The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. |
| Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. | He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. |
| For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” | The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.” |
| For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. | I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. |
| He called the multitude to himself with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” | Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” |
| Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility. | Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor. |
| He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man.” | And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” |
| For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” | So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” |
| That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar. | Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. |
| “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be enough room for.” | “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” |
| A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity. | A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. |
| A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings. | Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. |
| Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. | Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. |
| If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. | If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive. |
| There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. | There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. |
| A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent. | A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. |
| A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps. | We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. |
| He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. | God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. |
| The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. | We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. |
| And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. | Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. |
| Like water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man. | As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. |
| Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you. | Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. |
| Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is strong as death. Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a very flame of Yah. | Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. |
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