You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. | You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. |
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. | Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. |
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A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. | Fools show their anger at once, but the prudent ignore an insult. |
For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. | You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. |
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. | And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. |
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. | So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. |
The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. | He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord. |
As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person. | Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another. |
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. | For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. |
O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them. | O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. |
O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone! | Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise. |
What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? | What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? |
You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” | Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. |
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. | The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. | I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. |
We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. | The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. |
If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. | If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. |
There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? | In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? |
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. | Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. |
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? | Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? |
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. | O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. |
Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. | Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. |
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. | No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. |
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. | Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. |
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. | She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. |