| Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. | Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. |
| All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. | Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. |
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| I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. | I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. |
| If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. | You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. |
| Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all. | Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. |
| Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. | Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. |
| But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. | But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. |
| Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. | Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. |
| May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
| Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. | Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. |
| The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. |
| But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone. | But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ |
| After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. | For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. |
| 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. | Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! |
| Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. | Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. |
| Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. | Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” | Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” |
| For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. | For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. |
| You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. | You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. |
| Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. | Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. |
| Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. | Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. |
| This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. | Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. |
| Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” | Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” |
| Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. | Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. |
