| They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. | They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them. |
| And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. | The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. |
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| The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” | So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” |
| May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. | Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him. |
| You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. | You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. | May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. |
| In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. | And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. |
| And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ | I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ |
| Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. | And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. |
| Till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. | Until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops. |
| The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot. | We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away. |
| May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
| But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. | But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. |
| Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. | Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. |
| For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. | For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. |
| The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. | The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
| Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. | True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. |
| The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. | The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. |
| I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. | Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. |
| Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. | Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. |
| Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. | One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. |
| The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. | The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. |
| Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. | The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. |
| The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. | The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. |
| Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. | Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. |
