| Little children, keep yourselves from idols. | Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. |
| Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. | Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. |
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| Wash yourselves. Make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. | Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. |
| Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. | Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. |
| But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. | But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. |
| You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me. | Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. |
| Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal. | Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. |
| Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. | Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. |
| Watch yourselves, that we don’t lose the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward. | Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. |
| Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” | Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. |
| Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. | Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
| Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. | Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. |
| Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity will not be your ruin. | Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. |
| But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. | Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. |
| Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control. | Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
| For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. | For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. |
| And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. | Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. |
| “For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Therefore turn yourselves, and live!” | For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! |
| Doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself. | Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. |
| But just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” | But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” |
| Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving. | Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. |
| He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” | Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” |
| Being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. | Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. |
| You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace. | You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. |
| Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. | And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. |
