Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. | That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. |
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. | But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. |
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Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. | Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. |
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. | For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. |
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. | So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. |
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. | We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him. |
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. | No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. |
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. | And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. |
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. | He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. |
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. | This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. |
Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. | Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. |
Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us. | For we will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us. |
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. | This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. |
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. |
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. | For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. |
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits 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. |
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. | Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. |
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. | There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. |
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. | We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. |
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. | Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! |
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. | He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. |
Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? | Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did? |
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. | See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. |
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. | And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. |
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. | We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. |