| Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” | Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” |
| The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” | The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” |
| May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. | Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. |
| We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. | Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. |
| May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. | May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. |
| He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
| Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your 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. |
| Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. | Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. |
| Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” | Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” |
| How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. | How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. |
| I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. | I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. |
| Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. | Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. |
| For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. | For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. |
| Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. | This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. |
| Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. | Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day. |
| I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. | I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. |
| If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. | Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. |
| Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. | Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. |
| As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. | As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. |
| Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. | Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success. Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. |
| Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. | Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. |
| He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber. | He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. |
| But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. | But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! |
| I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. | I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. |
| Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. |
Bible verse of the day
So is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.