Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. | They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. |
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? | Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? |
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And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” | But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” |
Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. | See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. |
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” | Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” |
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. | The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. |
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. | See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. |
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! |
As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. | So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. |
Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. | Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. |
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. | Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. |
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? | Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. |
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. | One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. |
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” | However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him. |
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! |
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. | In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. | Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. |
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. | Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. |
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. | But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. |
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. | After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. |
And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. | “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. |
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. | For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. |
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” | Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” |
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. | And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. |