| Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. | Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. |
| Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. | Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. |
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| Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. | Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. |
| I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. | You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. |
| See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. | Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. |
| I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live! | For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! |
| Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: “Come back to me and live!” | This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live.” |
| A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. | Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. |
| Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. | Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. |
| The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. | The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. |
| The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. | The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. |
| Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord.’ | Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord.’ |
| Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way. | Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. |
| Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. | Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. |
| If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. | If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. |
| When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways. | When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. |
| Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give! | All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. |
| 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. | Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. |
| And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. | And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. |
| And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. | All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. |
| I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries. | I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. |
| For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. | For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. |
| Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. | Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. |
| He will judge everyone according to what they have done. | God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” |
| Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” | Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” |
