| And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. | And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. |
| And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. | They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” |
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| But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. | But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. |
| Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. | I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. |
| As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. | Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. |
| My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother. | My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. |
| Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! | How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! |
| If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? | If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? |
| But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. | But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! |
| Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. | Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. |
| Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. | Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. |
| And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. | Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. |
| Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. | Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. |
| Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. | Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. |
| And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. | But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. |
| And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. | And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. |
| A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. | A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. |
| 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!” |
| The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us. | May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us. |
| A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. | There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. |
| Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. | Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. |
| Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. | Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. |
| If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? | So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. |
| The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. | The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. |
| My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. | My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! |
