Ephesians and MRK from Forest Deal UDB

42-MRK.usfm

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 \v 60 Then the high priest himself stood up in front of them and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to reply? What do you say about all the things that they are saying in order to accuse you?"
 \v 61 But Jesus was silent and did not reply. Then the high priest tried again. He asked him, "Are you the Christ? Do you say that you are the Son of the only God that we should praise?"
-\v 62 Jesus said, "I am. Furthermore, you will see me, the Son of Man, ruling beside God, the only God who is completely powerful. You will also see me coming with the clouds of heaven, as the Scriptures predicted that the Christ would return!"
+\v 62 Jesus said, "I am. Furthermore, you will see me, the Son of Man, ruling beside God, the only God who is completely powerful. You will also see me coming with the clouds of heaven, as the scriptures predicted that the Christ would return!"
 
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 \v 63 When Jesus said this, the high priest tore his own outer garment in protest, and the high priest said, "Do we need more witnesses to testify against this man? 

50-EPH.usfm

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-\v 7 Jesus has freed us as if he purchased us out of a slave market. He freed us by his death; that is, God has forgiven us of our sins, because he has been very, very kind to us.
-\v 8 He has been very kind to us, and he has given us every kind of wisdom.
+\v 7 We have been set free because Christ died for us, and he gave his blood as payment for our sins. The blood he shed and the death he died are the way that God gives us forgiveness for all of our sins. All that Christ has done shows to everyone how great God's undeserved love for us is.
+\v 8 God shows us his wisdom and understanding by displaying his love for us in many, many ways through Christ’s life and by Christ’s death for us. 
 
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 \v 9 God has now explained the secret of his plan. He has helped us to know the great work of Christ that he had planned. He did that because he chose to do it in that way, and he showed us what Christ would do for us.
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 \v 12 God did that so that we who believe in Christ would live to give praise to God's glory. We were the first ones to trust in Christ. 
 
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-\v 13 It was in Christ that you also, after you had heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation—it was in him that you also have believed and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
+\v 13 It was in Christ that you also—after you had heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation—it was in him that you also have believed and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
 \v 14 The Holy Spirit is proof that we will receive all that God has promised. All this is great reason to praise him!
 
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 \v 22 God has put everything under the rule of Christ and appointed Christ to be the head, that is the ruler, over everything in the church,
 \v 23 which is also called his body. And the church is filled by Christ, who fills all things in every way.
 
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 \v 1 Before you trusted Christ you were powerless to obey God. You were as helpless as a person who is dead.
-\v 2 You were like most people in the world today, and you, too, did what Satan wants—Satan is the ruler the evil spirits who have such power over the world. Satan is the evil spirit who is at work in the lives of people who disobey God.
+\v 2 You were like most people in the world today, and you, too, did what Satan wants. Satan is the ruler of the evil spirits who have great power over the world, and he is the evil spirit who is at work in the lives of people who disobey God.
 \v 3 We were at one time among those who disobeyed God; we did the evil things that we desired, things that would bring pleasure to our bodies and our minds. So God was very angry with us, just as with the others.
 
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 \v 4 But God acts very mercifully, and he loves us very much.
-\v 5 We were like dead people, powerless to obey God, but then he made us live again by joining us to Christ. God has saved us because he has been very, very kind to us.
+\v 5 We were like dead people, powerless to do what is good, and we had broken God's laws. But then he made us live again by joining us to Christ. The reason God saved you is because God loves you with a love you did not deserve.
 \v 6 He raised us up from among those who are like dead people, and he gave us seats of honor to rule with Christ Jesus in heavenly places.
 \v 7 He did this to show in future times how kind he has been to us, for we are joined to Christ Jesus.
 
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 \v 6 This hidden truth is that the non-Jews now share together with Jews the spiritual riches of God, and belong to the same group of God's people, and will share all the things God has promised them because they are joined to Christ Jesus—this is the good news.
-\v 7 I am now God's servant to spread the good news, a work I did not deserve to do, but which God gave me working in me with his power.
+\v 7 I am now God's servant to spread the good news, a work I did not deserve to do, but it was the work that God gave me to do, through the working of his power in me.
 
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 \v 8 Although I am the least worthy of all God's people, God has enabled me by his kindness and mercy to proclaim to non-Jews the good news about what Christ has done for us, which is so much that no one can learn all about it.
 \v 9 My mission is to explain to everyone what God's plan is, something that God has kept hidden from long ago, from the time when he created everything.
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-\v 10 What God has wisely planned, he has even shown to powerful angels in heaven through his people who trust in Christ.
+\v 10 What God has wisely planned he showed to powerful angels in heaven through his people who trust in Christ.
 \v 11 That is what God had always planned for eternity, and it is what he accomplished through the work of Christ Jesus our Lord.
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 \v 12 So now when we pray, we can come to God confidently and without being afraid, because we trust in Jesus, who has fulfilled God's plan.
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 \v 20 God is able to do much greater things than we usually ask him to do, or even that we might think that he can do, because of his power that is working within us.
-\v 21 May all believers assembled to worship God, and Christ Jesus himself, honor God more than they honor anything else. May all believers from all generations of history praise him forever and ever! So let it be done.
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+\v 21 May all believers come together to honor God and to honor Christ Jesus himself. May all believers, through every generation, offer God praises, forever and ever! So let it be done.
 
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 \v 1 Imitate God because he loves us, because you are his children.
 \v 2 Live by loving others just like Christ loved us when he gave himself up on the cross as the offering and sacrifice to God for our sins, which was very pleasing to God.
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-\v 3 Do not suggest any kind of immoral act and do not desire what others have or wrong things others do. Such sins can cause people to say bad things about God's people, who are together set apart for God, not for sin.
+\v 3 Do not do any kind of immoral sexual act. Do not do anything that is offensive to God. Do not desire anything other people have. These are sins that should never be done by any of God's people because we are set apart for God, and our lives should bring him honor as we obey him.   
 \v 4 Do not tell obscene stories to others or say foolish things or joke about committing sins. Such things are not what people who belong to God talk about. Instead, thank God for his love when you talk to others.
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 \v 5 You can be sure of this: No person who is sexually immoral or indecent, or who is greedy (for this is the same as worshiping idols) will be among God's people over whom Christ rules as king.
@@ -227,13 +223,14 @@
 \v 10 Test and find out what pleases the Lord.
 \v 11 Do not participate together with those who are doing the worthless deeds done in spiritual darkness. Instead, just say, "Those sinful acts are worthless,"
 \v 12 because the evil things people do in the secret of darkness are too shameful to describe in the light.
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-\v 13 Everything that light exposes can then be clearly seen and better understood
-\v 14 because the light shows what it truly is. It is like when God's word explains the sins that destroy people and Jesus who forgives and renews people. So believers say,
+\v 13 The light that shines makes it so everything can be seen in that light. 
+\v 14 When the light shines it shows what it is you are looking at. That is why some have said,  
 \q "Wake up from your sleep
-\q and arise from living like dead people.
-\q Christ will enable you to understand
-\q his forgiveness and new life."
+\q and do not act like dead people.
+\q Christ will shine his light on you."
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 \v 15 So be very careful how you live. Do not behave as foolish people do. Instead, behave as wise people do.
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 \v 19 Sing to each other Psalms, and sing songs about Christ, and sing songs that God's Spirit gives you. Sing these Psalms and other songs from your hearts to praise the Lord Jesus.
 \v 20 At all times thank God the Father for everything because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you.
 \v 21 Humbly submit yourselves to each other because you honor Christ.
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-\v 22-23 Wives should submit to their own husband's leadership as they do to the Lord Jesus, because the husband is the leader of the wife as also Christ is the leader of the worldwide assembly of believers. He is the Savior who has saved all believers from being condemned for their sins.
+\v 22-23 Wives should submit to their own husband's leadership as they do to the Lord Jesus because the husband is the leader of the wife as also Christ is the leader of the worldwide assembly of believers. He is the Savior who has saved all believers from being condemned for their sins.
 \v 24 Just as all believers submit themselves to the authority of Christ, the women must submit themselves completely to the authority of their husbands.
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 \v 25 Each of you husbands, love your wife as Christ loved all believers and gave up his own life for us on the cross,
 \v 26 so that he might set us apart for himself. By the power of his word Jesus purified believers by removing the punishment for our sins, as if he had washed us with water.
 \v 27 Now Christ can present all believers to himself as a completely clean, forgiven, faultless group, without sin.
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-\v 28 Each man should love his wife as he loves his own body. When men love their wives, it is as though they loved themselves,
+\v 28 Each man should love his wife as he loves his own body. When men love their wives, it is as though they love themselves,
 \v 29-30 because no one ever hated his own body. Instead, he feeds his own body and cares for it, just like Christ also cares for all us believers in his worldwide assembly. We have become one group of believers that belongs to him.
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 \v 31 The scriptures say this about people who marry:
-\q "When a man and a woman marry, they should permanently leave their fathers and mothers. They should be joined as husband and wife, and the two of them will become as though they were one person."
+\q "When a man and a woman marry, they should leave their father and mother and the two of them will be joined together as though they were one person."
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 \v 32 It is difficult to understand the meaning of these things that God has now revealed, but I am telling you about Christ's love for his worldwide assembly of believers.
 \v 33 However, as for you, each man must love his wife just as he loves himself, and each woman must respect her husband.
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 \v 14 Stand firm as a soldier is on guard. Wear truth like the soldier fastens his belt around his waist; and as he puts on a breastplate, you put on your breastplate by doing what God has commanded you to do.
-\v 15 Just as soldiers put on their boots, be ready to go anywhere you are needed for the sake of the good news. You carry the good news with you everwhere you go, and you bring peace with you everywhere.
+\v 15 Just as soldiers put on their boots, be ready to go anywhere you are needed for the sake of the good news. You carry the good news with you everywhere you go, and you bring peace with you everywhere.
 \v 16 As the soldier takes up a shield for protection, so you take up the shield of faith, and that shield will put out the flaming darts that the evil one will shoot at you. Your shield will protect you.
 
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