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 for the prize of the high calling of God 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. | Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. |
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Dispose my heart to follow your statutes and to flee selfish gain. | Turn my heart toward your statutes, 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, on earth peace, good will toward men. |
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 you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men, even as we also do toward 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. | Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For it certainly sprouts wings like an eagle and flies in the sky. |
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 leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let’s press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. |
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. | Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen 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. | Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. |
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.” | While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.” |
I shall forgive them for their wicked deeds, and I shall remember their sins no more. | For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness. I will remember their sins and lawless deeds 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 thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 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. | This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God—through 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. | Be of the same mind one toward another. Don’t set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Don’t be wise in your own conceits. |
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 Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness to a thousand generations with 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. | For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve 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. | By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born 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 are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another abounds. |
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 make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to 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 boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to 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. | Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God; so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. |
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. | For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet 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 concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should 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. | Yahweh bless you, and keep you. Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up 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, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them. |