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 your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. |
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. | Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. |
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Do everything in love. | Let all that you do 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, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. |
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. | The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor. |
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. | The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with 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. | And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. |
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 be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. |
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. | Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase 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 provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. |
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. | Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands! |
Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. | Be on your guard, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but 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 reward for their toil. |
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. | Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. |
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 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? |
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. | Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. |
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? | Now who will harm you if you are eager to do 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. | This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. |
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. | Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person's envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing 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; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. |
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 count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news 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 is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, 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. | Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, 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. | So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors 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. | Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. |