| But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! | Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. |
| There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. | No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. |
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| Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. | Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. |
| And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ | A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ |
| “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” | “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” |
| Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. | A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. |
| A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. | For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. |
| I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. | I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. |
| I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. | I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. |
| The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. | The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. |
| How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. | How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! |
| But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. | But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. |
| The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. | Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. |
| Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. | In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. |
| Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. | Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. |
| But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. | But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. |
| Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. | Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. |
| Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. | Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. |
| Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. | Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. |
| But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. | But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. |
| Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. | Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. |
| Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. | Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment. |
| Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. | Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. |
| As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. | The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. |
| The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. | The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. |
