| He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. | He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. |
| The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. | The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. |
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| Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. | See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. |
| I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. | I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. |
| Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. | Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. |
| The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. | He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. |
| Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. | Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. |
| For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. | For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. |
| The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers. | The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. |
| Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. | Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. |
| For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. | For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. |
| With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless. | To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. |
| I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. | I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. |
| Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! | Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. |
| The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. | The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. |
| For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good. | For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. | Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. |
| He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend. | The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. |
| For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. | If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. |
| Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. | We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. |
| For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. | No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. |
| All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. | All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. |
