| Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. | Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! |
| I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. | I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. |
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| 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. | Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. |
| May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. | May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus. |
| Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. | Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! |
| May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. | And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you. |
| 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. | When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. |
| The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. | The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. |
| 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. | Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| 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. | The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. |
| 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. | Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. | For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. |
| 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. | For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. |
| Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. | Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. |
| 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.” | And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” |
| 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. | For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. |
| And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. | And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. |
| 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. | In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. |
| 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. | We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. |
| 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 God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. |
| This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. | And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. |
| 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. | Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. |
| 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. | For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. |
| 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 is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. |
| Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. | Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. |
