Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. | You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. |
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. | I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. |
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Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. | You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. |
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. | But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! |
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. | Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. |
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. | 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. |
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. | If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him! |
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. | Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. |
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. | Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. |
Judge not, that ye be not judged. | Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. |
For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. | Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: “Come back to me and live!” |
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. | You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. |
If ye love me, keep my commandments. | If you love me, obey my commandments. |
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. | When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. |
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. | Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. |
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. |
The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. | The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. |
Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. | Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me. |
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. | You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. |
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. | Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. |
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. | So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. |
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. | For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. |
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. | In those days when you pray, I will listen. |
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. | You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. |
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? | Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? |