| A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. | Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. |
| For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. | For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. |
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| For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. | For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. |
| Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. | Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. |
| But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. |
| Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. | My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. |
| Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. | The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. |
| No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. | No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. |
| So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. | So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. |
| The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult. | Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. |
| A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. | Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. |
| For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. | For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. |
| But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. | No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. |
| Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. | Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. |
| Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. | Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. |
| For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. | For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. |
| Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. | Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. |
| Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. | Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. |
| I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? | I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. |
| Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. | Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
| For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. | It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God. |
