| Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. | Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. |
| Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. | Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. |
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| Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. | So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. |
| But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. | But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. |
| Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil. | Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. |
| Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. | So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
| Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. | Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. |
| Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. | Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. |
| Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. | So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. |
| Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. | Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. |
| 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. |
| Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. | Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. |
| Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. | Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
| Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. | Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! |
| But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. | But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
| For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. | God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. |
| And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. | Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. |
| For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. | I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live! |
| Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. | Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. |
| Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. | So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. |
| See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. | See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. |
| Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. | Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. |
| Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. | Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. |
| Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. | For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. |
| Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. | Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. |
