| Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. | Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. |
| Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. | Commit your works to the Lord, And your plans will be established. |
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| Do everything in love. | All that you do must be done in love. |
| Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. | Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. |
| Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. | The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy hand will be put to forced labor. |
| The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. | It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it. |
| And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. | Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. |
| I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. | I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. |
| Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. | Wealth obtained from nothing dwindles, But one who gathers by labor increases it. |
| And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. | And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. |
| May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. | May the kindness of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands. |
| Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. | Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. |
| Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. | Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. |
| Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. | Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. |
| Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. | Furthermore, as for every person to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also given him the opportunity to enjoy them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. |
| 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? | Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? |
| Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? | And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? |
| This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. | Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink, and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. |
| And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. | I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is futility and striving after wind. |
| God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. | For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the saints. |
| However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. | But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of God’s grace. |
| All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. | All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. |
| Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. | Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. |
| There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. | Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. |
| Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. | Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not argumentative, not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. |
