| A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. | Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. |
| The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. | The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. |
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| And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. | After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. |
| With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. | I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. |
| And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. | If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. |
| I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. | I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. |
| Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. | Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. |
| But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. | But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. |
| Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. | But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.” |
| Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. | Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. |
| Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. | Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. |
| Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. | Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. |
| And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. | I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ |
| Let all your things be done with charity. | And do everything with love. |
| O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! | Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever. |
| And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. | Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. |
| And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. | In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. |
| If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. | So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. |
| For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. | Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good. |
| An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. | With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. |
| Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? | What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ |
| And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. | And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. |
| Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. | Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. |
| He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. | He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. |
| I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. | As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! |
