| I press on toward the finishing line to win the heavenly prize to which God has called me in Christ Jesus. | I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. |
| Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all. | Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. |
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| Dispose my heart to follow your statutes and to flee selfish gain. | Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. |
| Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to all those on whom his favor rests. | Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. |
| May the Lord cause your love to increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else, just as our love does for you. | May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. |
| When you fix your gaze upon it, it is gone before you realize it. For it suddenly sprouts wings and flies up to the sky like an eagle. | Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. |
| Therefore, let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance toward maturity. We must not be forever laying the foundation: repentance for actions that lead to death, faith in God, instruction about baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. | The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. |
| May the God of perseverance and encouragement grant that you may live in harmony with one another, following in the example of Jesus Christ. | May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. |
| While he was departing as they gazed upward toward the sky, suddenly two men dressed in white robes stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking up into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” | They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” |
| I shall forgive them for their wicked deeds, and I shall remember their sins no more. | For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. |
| For I know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope. | For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. |
| This water prefigured Baptism, which now saves you. It does so not by the washing away of dirt from the body but by the pledge of a good conscience given to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. | And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| Live in harmony with one another. Do not consider yourself to be better than others, but associate with the lowly, and never be conceited. | Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. |
| Keep in mind, therefore, that the Lord, your God, is God. He is a faithful God who keeps his covenant of mercy to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and observe his commandments. | Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. |
| For God would not be so unjust as to ignore your work and the love that you have shown for his name by the services you have rendered to the saints and still continue to render. | God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. |
| God’s love was revealed to us in this way: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. | This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. |
| Brethren, we must always give thanks to God for you, and it is only right that we do so. For your faith grows ever more, and the love that all of you have for one another continues to increase. | We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. |
| And God is able to enrich you with an abundance of every grace, so that, with all of your needs provided for, you may be able to produce a surplus of good works. | 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. |
| And thus we can have confidence in him that if we ask anything that is in accordance with his will, he hears us. | This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. |
| Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we can approach God with confidence and receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do whatever is pleasing to him. | Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. |
| Indeed, it is seldom that anyone will die for a just person, although perhaps for a good person someone might be willing to die. Thus, God proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. | Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. |
| The Lord does not delay in keeping his promise, as some think in terms of delay, but he is patient with you. It is not his wish that any should perish but rather that all should be brought to repentance. | The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. |
| The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord shine his face upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace. | The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. |
| Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. | Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. |
