| But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. | But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. |
| May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. | May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. |
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| In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. | In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. |
| Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. | Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. |
| Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. | All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. |
| The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. | Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. |
| Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. | Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. |
| The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. | But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. |
| And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. | And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever. | All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. |
| Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. | Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. |
| Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. | Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. | The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. |
| The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. | The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. |
| Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. | So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. | The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. |
| For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. |
| Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. | Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. |
| I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself. | My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ. |
| The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. | The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. |
| Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. | For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. |
| The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. | To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. |
| Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. | Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. |
| For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost. | For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. |
| The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. | The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. |
