Romans
Chapter 1
1 Paul, a servant of
Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which
he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the
gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and
was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by
resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through
whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of
faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including
yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To
all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my
God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed
throughout the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit
by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I
remember you always in my prayers, 10 asking that by God's
will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For
I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to
strengthen you— 12 or rather so that we may be mutually
encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I
want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to
you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest
among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am
a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish 15 —hence
my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not
ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has
faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it
the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written,
"The one who is righteous will live by faith." 18 For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness
of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be
known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever
since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible
though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.
So they are without excuse; 21 for though they knew God,
they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in
their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming
to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the
glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds
or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave
them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their
bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason
God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural
intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the
men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for
one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own
persons the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they
did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to
things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with
every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward
parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 They
know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they
not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.
Chapter 2
1 Therefore you have
no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on
another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same
things. 2 You say, "We know that God's judgment on
those who do such things is in accordance with truth." 3 Do
you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and
yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or
do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you
not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But
by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the
day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 For
he will repay according to each one's deeds: 7 to those who
by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give
eternal life; 8 while for those who are self-seeking and who
obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There
will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also
the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who
does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God
shows no partiality. 12 All who have sinned apart from the
law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law
will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the
law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be
justified. 14 When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do
instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a
law to themselves. 15 They show that what the law requires
is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness;
and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on
the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the
secret thoughts of all.
17 But if you call
yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God 18 and
know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law,
19 and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a
light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the
foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge
and truth, 21 you, then, that teach others, will you not
teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You
that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob
temples? 23 You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God
by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written, "The
name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." 25 Circumcision
indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your
circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So, if those who
are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their
uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then those
who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have
the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For
a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something
external and physical. 29 Rather, a person is a Jew who is
one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual
and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
Chapter 3
1 Then what
advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much,
in every way. For in the first place the Jews were entrusted with the oracles
of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their
faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no
means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written,
"So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your
judging." 5 But if our injustice serves to confirm the
justice of God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us?
(I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could
God judge the world? 7 But if through my falsehood God's
truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And
why not say (as some people slander us by saying that we say), "Let us do
evil so that good may come"? Their condemnation is deserved! 9 What
then? Are we any better off? No, not at
all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the
power of sin, 10 as it is written: "There is no one who
is righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who has
understanding, there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have
turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows
kindness, there is not even one." 13 "Their
throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive." "The
venom of vipers is under their lips." 14 "Their
mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their
feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery are in
their paths, 17 and the way of peace they have not
known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their
eyes."
19 Now we know that
whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For
"no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed
by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But
now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is
attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness
of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no
distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a
gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom
God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through
faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance
he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was
to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies
the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then
what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No,
but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is
justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29 Or
is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of
Gentiles also, 30 since God is one; and he will justify the
circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same
faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no
means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Chapter 4
1 What then are we
to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For
if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not
before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? "Abraham
believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." 4 Now
to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But
to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is
reckoned as righteousness. 6 So also David speaks of the
blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed
are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed
is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin."
9 Is this
blessedness, then, pronounced only on the circumcised, or also on the
uncircumcised? We say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as
righteousness." 10 How then was it reckoned to him? Was
it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was
circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a
seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still
uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the ancestor of all who believe
without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them, 12 and
likewise the ancestor of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but who
also follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he
was circumcised. 13 For the promise that he would inherit
the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but
through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the
adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is
void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no
law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it
depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed
to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those
who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,
17 as it is written,
"I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the
God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence
the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he
believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according
to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19 He
did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as
good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the
barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver
concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory
to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do
what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith "was
reckoned to him as righteousness."
23 Now the words,
"it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24 but
for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus
our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for
our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Chapter 5
1 Therefore, since
we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace
in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And
not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and
character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us,
because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that
has been given to us.
6 For while we were
still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed,
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person
someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his
love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much
more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be
saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more
surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But
more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore, just
as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so
death spread to all because all have sinned— 13 sin was indeed
in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 Yet
death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were
not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come. 15 But
the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one
man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the
grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16 And
the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment
following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many
trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one
man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely
will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of
righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore
just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of
righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 For
just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one
man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 But law
came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, just as sin
exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through
justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter 6
1 What then are we
to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By
no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3 Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried
with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For
if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be
united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that
our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed,
and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For whoever has
died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that
Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has
dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin,
once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So
you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your
mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 No longer
present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present
yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and
present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For
sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under
grace. 15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under
law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if
you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one
whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which
leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that you,
having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form
of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and that you,
having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I
am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members
as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your
members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. 20 When
you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 So
what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed?
The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have
been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is
sanctification. The end is eternal life. 23 For the wages of
sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Chapter 7
1 Do you not know,
brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law
is binding on a person only during that person's lifetime? 2 Thus
a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if
her husband dies, she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. 3 Accordingly,
she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her
husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if
she marries another man, she is not an adulteress. 4 In the
same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so
that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in
order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 While we were living
in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our
members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are discharged
from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not
under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
7 What then should
we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law,
I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the
law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8 But
sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of
covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. 9 I was once
alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived 10 and
I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For
sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it
killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is
holy and just and good. 13 Did what is good, then, bring
death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good,
in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might
become sinful beyond measure.
14 For we know that
the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. 15 I
do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I
agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I
that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know
that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is
right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I
want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I
do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within
me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what
is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the
law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members
another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin
that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who
will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of
God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.
Chapter 8
1 There is therefore
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened
by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so
that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For
those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things
of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but
to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this
reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit
to God's law—indeed it cannot, 8 and those who are in the
flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you
are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not
have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is
in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to
your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 So
then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are
children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of
slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.
When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it
is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of
God,
17 and if children,
then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer
with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 18 I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation
waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for
the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the
one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself
will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the
glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole
creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not
only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For
in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for
what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we
wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the
Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And
God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the
Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We
know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are
called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order
that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And
those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also
justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then are we
to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He
who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not
with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any
charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who
is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will
separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As
it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are
accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Chapter 9
1 I am speaking the
truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— 2 I
have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I
could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of
my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4 They are
Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the
giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5 to them
belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the
Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever.
Amen.
6 It is not as
though the word of God had failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to
Israel, 7 and not all of Abraham's children are his true
descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for
you." 8 This means that it is not the children of the
flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted
as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise said,
"About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son." 10 Nor
is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived
children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac. 11 Even before
they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose of
election might continue, 12 not by works but by his call)
she was told, "The elder shall serve the younger." 13 As
it is written, "I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau."
14 What then are we
to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For
he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion." 16 So it depends
not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. 17 For
the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose
of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the
earth." 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses,
and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses. 19 You will
say to me then, "Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his
will?" 20 But who indeed are you, a human being, to
argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, "Why have
you made me like this?" 21 Has the potter no right over
the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another
for ordinary use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath
and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of
wrath that are made for destruction; 23 and what if he has
done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of
mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 including
us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
25 As indeed he says
in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call "my people,' and
her who was not beloved I will call "beloved.' " 26 "And
in the very place where it was said to them, "You are not my people,'
there they shall be called children of the living God." 27 And
Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of
Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved; 28 for
the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively." 29 And
as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us,
we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah."
30 What then are we
to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that
is, righteousness through faith; 31 but Israel, who did
strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in
fulfilling that law. 32 Why not? Because they did not strive
for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have
stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
"See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock
that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to
shame."
Chapter 10
1 Brothers and
sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be
saved. 2 I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it
is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the
righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they
have not submitted to God's righteousness. 4 For Christ is
the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who
believes. 5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that
comes from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by
them." 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith
says, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?'
" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or "Who
will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we
proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is
justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The
scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."
12 For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous
to all who call on him. 13 For, "Everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord shall be saved." 14 But how are
they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe
in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone
to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless
they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news!" 16 But not all have obeyed the good
news; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 So
faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of
Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have;
for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the
ends of the world." 19 Again I ask, did Israel not
understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are
not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry." 20 Then
Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek
me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But
of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient
and contrary people."
Chapter 11
1 I ask, then, has
God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of
Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not
rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says
of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 "Lord,
they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am
left, and they are seeking my life." 4 But what is the
divine reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not
bowed the knee to Baal." 5 So too at the present time
there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by
grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer
be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was
seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as
it is written, "God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear, down to this very day." 9 And
David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block
and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so
that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent." 11 So
I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their
stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now
if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches
for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! 13 Now
I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the
Gentiles, I glorify my ministry 14 in order to make my own
people jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their
rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but
life from the dead! 16 If the part of the dough offered as
first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy,
then the branches also are holy. 17 But if some of the
branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their
place to share the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not
boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that
support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 You
will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20 That
is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only
through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21 For
if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. 22 Note
then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have
fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness;
otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And even those of
Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the
power to graft them in again. 24 For if you have been cut
from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into
a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted
back into their own olive tree. 25 So that you may not claim
to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this
mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the
Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved; as
it is written, "Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish
ungodliness from Jacob." 27 "And this is my
covenant with them, when I take away their sins." 28 As
regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards
election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; 29 for
the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 Just as
you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their
disobedience, 31 so they have now been disobedient in order
that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32 For
God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
33 O the depth of the
riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and
how inscrutable his ways! 34 "For who has known the
mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Or
who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" 36 For
from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.
Amen.
Chapter 12
1 I appeal to you
therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of
God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the
grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more
highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each
according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For
as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same
function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and
individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to
faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;
8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity;
the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. 9 Let
love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love
one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do
not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice
in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute
to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless
those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in
harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do
not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone
evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If
it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved,
never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is
written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No,
"if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them
something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their
heads." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
Chapter 13
1 Let every person
be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from
God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore
whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist
will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good
conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what
is good, and you will receive its approval; 4 for it is
God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid,
for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to
execute wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be
subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6 For
the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants,
busy with this very thing.
7 Pay to all what is
due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect
to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. 8 Owe no
one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has
fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not
commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not
covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love
your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a
neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this, you
know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For
salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the
night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as
in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and
licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead,
put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify
its desires.
Chapter 14
1 Welcome those who
are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some
believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those
who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass
judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who
are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord
that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make
them stand. 5 Some judge one day to be better than another,
while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their
own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor
of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give
thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give
thanks to God. 7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not
die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if
we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are
the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again,
so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 Why
do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment
seat of God. 11 For it is written, "As I live, says the
Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to
God." 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to
God. 13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one
another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the
way of another. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus
that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it
unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is being injured by
what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause
the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your
good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not
food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 The
one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. 19 Let
us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do
not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean,
but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; 21 it
is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or
sister stumble. 22 The faith that you have, have as your own
conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn
themselves because of what they approve. 23 But those who
have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for
whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Chapter 15
1 We who are strong
ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each
of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the
neighbor. 3 For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is
written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4 For
whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by
steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
5 May the God of
steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another,
in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may
with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Welcome one
another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For
I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the
truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the
patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess you among
the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; 10 and
again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; 11 and
again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise
him"; 12 and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse
shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall
hope."
13 May the God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 I myself feel
confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of
goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 Nevertheless
on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because
of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ
Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the
offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 In Christ Jesus,
then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. 18 For I
will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished
through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19 by
the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from
Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news
of Christ. 20 Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the
good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on
someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written,
"Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never
heard of him shall understand."
22 This is the reason
that I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But
now, with no further place for me in these regions, I desire, as I have for
many years, to come to you 24 when I go to Spain. For I do
hope to see you on my journey and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed
your company for a little while. 25 At present, however, I
am going to Jerusalem in a ministry to the saints; 26 for
Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share their resources with the poor
among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do
this, and indeed they owe it to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in
their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material
things. 28 So, when I have completed this, and have
delivered to them what has been collected, I will set out by way of you to
Spain; 29 and I know that when I come to you, I will come in
the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 I appeal to you,
brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,
to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf, 31 that I
may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my ministry to Jerusalem
may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I
may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 The
God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Chapter 16
1 I commend to you
our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, 2 so
that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her
in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and
of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with
me in Christ Jesus, 4 and who risked their necks for my
life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the
Gentiles. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my
beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. 6 Greet
Mary, who has worked very hard among you. 7 Greet Andronicus
and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among
the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet
Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our
co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet
Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of
Aristobulus. 11 Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the
Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those
workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has
worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord;
and greet his mother—a mother to me also. 14 Greet Asyncritus,
Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with
them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and
Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one
another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
17 I urge you,
brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and
offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18 For
such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by
smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19 For
while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to
be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. 20 The
God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you.
21 Timothy, my
co-worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. 22 I
Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord. 23 Gaius,
who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city
treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. 24
25 Now to God who is
able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for
long ages 26 but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic
writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the
eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to
the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
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