You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. | You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. |
It is he who builds his rooms in the heavens, and has founded his vault on the earth; he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth—Yahweh is his name. | The Lord’s home reaches up to the heavens, while its foundation is on the earth. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name! |
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For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. | For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. |
Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. | John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. |
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. | There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. |
Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! | Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! |
Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. | He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. |
I wait for Yahweh. My soul waits. I hope in his word. | I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. |
In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. | He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. |
In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears. | But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. |
The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he. | He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! |
He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. | If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. |
Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith. | Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. |
Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! Rejoice before him! A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. | Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. |
He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. | God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law. |
But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts. | 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! |
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life. | For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. |
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. | A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. |
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination. | The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. |
Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched? | Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? |
As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. | We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. |
Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name! | Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. |
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds. | He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. |
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing. | If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. |
Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways. | How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! |