Jehoshaphat gave them commands. Jehoshaphat said, “You must serve faithfully with all your heart. You must fear the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Easy To Read Version Dear friends, we have these promises \{from God\}. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. We should try to become perfect in the way we live, because we respect God. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition THEREFORE, SINCE these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God. American Standard Version (1901) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Common English Bible My dear friends, since we have these promises, let’s cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God. Catholic Public Domain Version Therefore, having these promises, most beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God. |
Jehoshaphat gave them commands. Jehoshaphat said, “You must serve faithfully with all your heart. You must fear the Lord.
How can a young person live a pure life?\par By following your instructions.\par
Worshiping the Lord is like a light\par that will shine bright forever.\par The Lord’s judgments are good and fair.\par They are completely right.\par
True love and loyalty will make you pure. {\cf2\super [21]} Respect the Lord, and you will stay far away from evil.
Can any person really say that he has always done his best? Can any person really say that he has no sin? \{No!\}
If a person respects the Lord,\par then that person will hate evil.\par I (Wisdom) hate pride\par and people who think they are better\par than other people.\par I hate evil ways, and a lying mouth.\par
Don’t let your anger control you. And don’t let your body lead you to sin. {\cf2\super [43]} People do foolish things in the dawn of life while they are young.
“Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Stop doing the bad things you do. I don’t want to see those bad things. Stop doing wrong!
Evil people should stop living evil lives.\par They should stop thinking bad thoughts.\par They should come to the Lord again.\par Then the Lord will comfort them.\par Those people should come to the Lord\par because our God forgives.\par
I saw the terrible things you did. {\cf2\super [117]} \par I saw you laughing\par and having sex with your lovers.\par I know about your plans\par to be like a prostitute. {\cf2\super [118]} \par I have seen you on the hills\par and in the fields.\par It will be very bad for you, Jerusalem.\par I wonder how long you will continue doing\par your dirty sins.”\par
People of Jerusalem, wash the evil\par from your hearts.\par Make your hearts pure so you can be saved.\par Don’t continue making evil plans.\par
But if the mildew did not come back after washing, then that piece of leather or cloth is clean. [188] It does not matter if the cloth was woven or knitted. That cloth is clean.”
“If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good then it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it makes.
So you must be perfect, the same as your Father in heaven is perfect.
What great blessings there are for the people that are pure in their thinking!\par They will be with God.\par
The church (believers) everywhere in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. With the help of the Holy Spirit, {\cf2\super [196]} the group became stronger. The believers showed that they respected the Lord by the way they lived. Because of this, the group of believers grew larger and larger.
The law came to make people have more sin. But when people had more sin, God gave them more of his grace (kindness).
You were bought \{by God\} at a price. So honor God with your bodies.
The “Yes” to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen {\cf2\super [3]} ” through Christ to the glory of God.
In the past, all of us lived like those people. We lived trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. We were \{evil\} people. We should have suffered God’s anger because of the way we were. We were the same as all other people.
We pray this so that your hearts will be made strong. Then you will be holy {\cf2\super [11]} and without fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy people.
We pray that God himself, the God of peace, will make you pure—belonging only to him. We pray that your whole self—spirit, soul, and body—will be kept safe and be without wrong when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.
You have come to the meeting of God’s firstborn {\cf2\super [167]} children. Their names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect.
And we still have that promise God gave those people. That promise is that we can enter and have God’s rest. {\cf2\super [22]} So we should be very careful, so that none of you fail to get that promise.
Dear friends, we are saying these hard things, but we really we expect better things from you. We feel sure that you will do the things that are a part of salvation.
Come near to God and God will come near to you. You are sinners. So clean sin out of your lives. {\cf2\super [23]} You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure.
But be holy {\cf2\super [8]} in all the things you do, the same as God is holy. God is the One who called you.
You pray to God and call him Father. God judges each man’s work equally. So while you are visiting \{here on earth\}, you should live with fear (respect) for God.
Now you have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. Now you can have true love for your brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply—with all your heart.
Dear friends, you are like visitors and strangers \{in this world\}. So I beg you to stay away from the evil things your bodies want to do. These things fight against your soul.
Yes, you will suffer for a short time. But after that, God will make everything right. He will make you strong. He will support you and keep you from falling. He is the God that gives all grace (kindness). He called you to share in his glory in Christ. That glory will continue forever.
God is in the light (goodness). We should live in the light, too. If we live in the light, then we share fellowship with each other. And when we live in the light, the blood (death) of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. (Jesus is God’s Son.)
But if we confess (admit) our sins, then God will forgive our sins. We can trust God to do this. God does what is right. God will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.
Christ is pure. And every person who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure like Christ.