And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

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Should you then seek great(A) things for yourself? Do not seek them.(B) For I will bring disaster(C) on all people,(D) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape(E) with your life.’”(F)

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18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.

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18 I will save(A) you; you will not fall by the sword(B) but will escape with your life,(C) because you trust(D) in me, declares the Lord.’”

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He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

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Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.(A) But whoever goes out and surrenders(B) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.(C)

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Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

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Keep your lives free from the love of money(A) and be content with what you have,(B) because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a](C)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 13:5 Deut. 31:6

Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

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“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(A) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[a] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

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But godliness with contentment(A) is great gain.(B) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.(C) But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.(D) Those who want to get rich(E) fall into temptation and a trap(F) and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

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16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

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16 Live in harmony with one another.(A) Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:16 Or willing to do menial work

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

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Do Not Worry(A)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry(B) about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 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.(C) Are you not much more valuable than they?(D) 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?(E)

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor(F) was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?(G) 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height

26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

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26 and all the kings of the north,(A) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms(B) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak[a](C) will drink it too.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.

26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

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26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time(A) to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?(B)

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26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.

27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;

31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

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26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.(A) 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.(B) 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned;(C) and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short.(D) From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.(E)

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs(F)—how he can please the Lord.

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Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

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Therefore wait(A) for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.[a]
I have decided to assemble(B) the nations,(C)
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath(D) on them—
    all my fierce anger.(E)
The whole world will be consumed(F)
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

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Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder

16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

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16 For with fire(A) and with his sword(B)
    the Lord will execute judgment(C) on all people,
    and many will be those slain(D) by the Lord.

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