| Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. | Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. |
| And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. | And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. |
|
| But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. | Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. |
| To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. | Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. |
| And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. | But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. |
| And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. | He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” |
| And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. | Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. |
| Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. | Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. |
| I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. | I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. |
| A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. | And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. |
| It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. | It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. |
| For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. | For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. |
| Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. | Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. |
| Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. | So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! |
| But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. | But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. |
| And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. | I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” |
| The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. | I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” |
| But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. | But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. |
| Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. | Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. |
| Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. | As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. |
| I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. | I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. |
| In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. | I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? |
| And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. | Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. |
| But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. | But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. |
| I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. | I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. |
