| Nor would someone light a lamp and then put it under a basket; rather, it is placed upon a lampstand so that it may afford light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine so that it can be seen by others; this will enable them to observe your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven. | No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. |
| The one who pays heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. | Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. |
| This is the conclusion I have reached: it is fitting for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in the results of his labors under the sun during the brief span of life that God has allotted him. | Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. |
| Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be lengthened in the land that the Lord your God, will give you. | Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. |
| You shall obey his statutes and the commandments that I give you today, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, and that you may live long in the land that the Lord, your God, has given you for all time. | If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time. |
| May the God of perseverance and encouragement grant that you may live in harmony with one another, following in the example of Jesus Christ. | May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. |
| Instruct those who are rich in this world’s goods that they should not be proud, nor should they trust in the uncertainty of riches but rather in God who richly provides us with everything we need for our enjoyment. | Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. |
| A generous person will be enriched; he who refreshes others will also be refreshed. | The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. |
| For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but rather a spirit of power and of love and of wisdom. | For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. |
| The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. | For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. |
| Let us then make every effort to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall by following that example of refusing to believe. | So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. |
| All this knowledge comes from the Lord of hosts whose counsel is wonderful and whose wisdom is great. | The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom. |
| When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your wicked ways. | 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. |
| Fear not, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. | So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. |
| During the day the Lord grants his kindness, and at night his praise is with me, a prayer to the living God. | But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. |
| A husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise a wife should fulfill her conjugal obligations to her husband. For a wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, a husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. | The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. |
| And opens the eyes of those who cannot see. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. | The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. |
| How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who bears good news and proclaims glad tidings, announcing salvation and saying to Zion, “Your God is king.” | How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! |
| Each person should give as much as he has decided in his heart, not with reluctance or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. | You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” |
| I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have taken pity on them, and they will be as though I had never cast them off; for I am the Lord, their God, and I will answer them. | 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. |
| If you are angry, do not sin. Do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not give the devil an opening. | And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. |
| The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior and a savior. He will rejoice over you with gladness and renew you through his love. He will exult over you with shouts of joy. | For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. |
| To these God chose to make known how rich is the priceless glory that this mystery brings to the Gentiles—Christ in you, your hope of glory. | For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. |
| My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come to behold the face of God? | I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? |
| God abides in anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and that person abides in God. | All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. |
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