| What then if you were to behold the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? | Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? |
| But if we hope for what we do not yet see, then we wait for it with patience. | But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. |
| To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. | The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. |
| Do not associate with unbelievers. For what basis can there be for a partnership between righteousness and lawlessness? What do light and darkness have in common? | Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? |
| Do not be concerned about your life and what you will have to eat, or about your body and what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. | That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. |
| The blessing of the Lord is what brings wealth, and our toil adds nothing to it. | The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
| Test everything, and hold fast to what is good. Avoid every form of evil. | But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. |
| What then can we say in response to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? | What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? |
| Prepare in advance what you want to say, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Take away all guilt and give us what is good, so that we may present as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.” | Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.” |
| See what love the Father has bestowed on us, enabling us to be called the children of God, and that is what we are. If the world does not recognize us, that is 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. |
| What then? Should we sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? Of course not! | Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! |
| In God, whose word I praise, in God I place my trust and know no fear; what can people do to me? | I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? |
| The beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom, and no matter what the cost, acquire understanding. | Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. |
| You need to be steadfast if you want to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. | Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. |
| Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction about things that cannot be seen. | Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. |
| And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do as much. | And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! |
| I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you already have so that no one may rob you of your crown. | I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. |
| Therefore, heed my words. Do not be concerned about your life and what you will have to eat or drink, or about your body and what you will wear. Surely life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. | That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? |
| He reveals deep and hidden mysteries and knows what lies in the darkness, for light dwells with him. | He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. |
| And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name. | What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord. |
| Therefore, do not allow anyone to pass judgment on you in regard to what you eat or drink, or about the observance of Festivals, New Moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come. The reality is Christ. | So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. |
| Therefore, we can say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” | So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” |
| Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not demand the return of what is yours from the one who has taken it. | Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. |
| Let us never grow weary in doing what is right, for if we do not give up, we will reap our harvest in due time. | So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. |
| This is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation 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. |
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