| But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. | If it seems wrong to you to serve the Lord, then today you must choose whom you will serve, whether it be the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites who dwell in the land. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. |
| I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. | I will establish my covenant with you: never again will all living creatures be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor will the earth be laid waste by a flood again. |
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| Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. | As servants of God, behave as free people, but do not use your freedom as a means to cover up wrongdoing. |
| By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. | During the day the Lord grants his kindness, and at night his praise is with me, a prayer to the living God. |
| Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. | Seek peace with everyone, as well as the holiness without which no one will ever see the Lord. |
| What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? | What then shall we say? Should we persist in sin in order that grace may abound? Of course not! We have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? |
| Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. | As a result, you are no longer strangers and foreigners. Rather, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. |
| Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. | And whoever does not provide for relatives, especially for those who are living with him, has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. |
| Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death. | Treasures obtained by wicked means profit nothing, but a righteous life brings delivery from death. |
| You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. | As for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. |
| I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. | I will praise you in sincerity of heart as I ponder your righteous judgments. |
| But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! | Rather, let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. |
| Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. | Riches will be of no avail on the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. |
| If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. | God abides in anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, and that person abides in God. |
| Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. | If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. |
| You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. | You will show me the path to life; you will fill me with joy in your presence and everlasting delights at your right hand. |
| If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. | If we claim that we have fellowship with him while we continue to live in darkness, we are lying and do not live in the truth. |
| The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. | The precepts of the Lord are right, causing the heart to rejoice. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving light to the eyes. |
| Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. | Moses remained with the Lord for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, on the tablets. |
| Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. | Who among you is wise and understanding? Prove by your good life that your works are done with the humility that comes from wisdom. |
| Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. | You shall observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you. You are to labor on six days, doing all of your work then. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. You shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor your cattle, nor even the foreigner living in your town. Thus your manservant and maidservant can rest as well. |
| But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. | However, if we live in the light as he himself is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son purifies us from all sin. |
| No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. | At the time that discipline is received, it always seems painful rather than pleasant, but afterward it yields a harvest of peace and uprightness to those who have been trained by it. |
| Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. | Turn away from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. |
| The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. | 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. |
