Romans
The Gospel Exalted
1Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, 1,acalled as an apostle, having been bset apart for cthe gospel of God, 2which He apromised beforehand through His bprophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning His Son, who was born aof the seed of David baccording to the flesh, 4who was designated as athe Son of God in power, according to the 1Spirit of holiness, 2by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we received grace and aapostleship for the bobedience of faith among call the Gentiles for the sake of His name, 6among whom you also are the acalled of Jesus Christ;
7to all who are abeloved of God in Rome, called as 1,bsaints: cGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, aI thank my God through Jesus Christ 1for you all, because byour faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9For aGod, whom I bserve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how without ceasing cI make mention of you, 10always in my prayers earnestly asking, if perhaps now at last by athe will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11For aI long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be strengthened; 12that is, to be mutually encouraged, while among you, by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13aI do not want you to be unaware, bbrothers, that often I chave planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some dfruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14aI am 1under obligation both to Greeks and to bbarbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15In this way, for my part, I am eager to aproclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16For I am not aashamed of the gospel, for bit is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the cJew first and also to dthe Greek. 17For in it athe righteousness of God is revealed 1from faith to faith; as it is written, “2,bBut the righteous will live by faith.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18For athe wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who bsuppress the truth 1in unrighteousness, 19because athat which is known about God is evident 1within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For asince the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, bbeing understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became afutile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22aProfessing to be wise, they became fools, 23and aexchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24Therefore aGod gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be bdishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for 1a alie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, bwho is blessed 2forever. Amen.
26For this reason aGod gave them over to bdishonorable passions; for their cfemales exchanged the natural function for that which is 1unnatural, 27and in the same way also the amales abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, bmales with males committing 1indecent acts and receiving in 2their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28And just as they did not see fit 1to acknowledge God, aGod gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are agossips, 30slanderers, 1,ahaters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, bdisobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, aunloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of adeath, they not only do the same, but also bgive hearty approval to those who practice them.
God’s Righteous Judgment
2Therefore you are awithout excuse, bO man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which cyou judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2And we know that the judgment of God 1rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3But do you presume this, aO man—who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4Or do you think lightly of athe riches of His bkindness and cforbearance and dpatience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5But 1because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ayou are storing up wrath for yourself bin the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6awho will repay to each according to his works: 7to those who by aperseverance in doing good seek for bglory and honor and cimmortality, deternal life; 8but to those who are aselfishly ambitious and bdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. 9There will be aaffliction and turmoil 1for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew bfirst and also of the Greek, 10but aglory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew bfirst and also to the Greek. 11For athere is no partiality with God.
12For all who have sinned 1,awithout the Law will also perish 2without the Law, and all who have sinned 3under the Law will be judged 4by the Law. 13For it is anot the hearers 1of the Law who are 2just before God, but the doers 3of the Law will be justified. 14For when Gentiles who do not have 1the Law anaturally do the things of the Law, these, not having 2the Law, are a law to themselves, 15in that they demonstrate athe work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16on the day when, aaccording to my gospel, bGod will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
The Jew Is Judged by the Law
17But if you bear the name “Jew” and arely 1upon the Law and boast in God, 18and know His will and 1,aapprove the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20a 1corrector of the foolish, a teacher of 2the immature, having in the Law athe embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21you, therefore, awho teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who 1preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you arob temples? 23You who aboast 1in the Law, through your transgression of the Law, do you dishonor God? 24For “athe name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles bbecause of you,” just as it is written.
25For indeed circumcision is of value if you apractice 1the Law, but if you are a transgressor 2of the Law, byour circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26aSo if bthe 1uncircumcised man cobserves the righteous requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27And ahe who is physically uncircumcised, if he 1fulfills the Law, will he not bjudge you who, through the letter of the Law and circumcision, are a transgressor 2of the Law? 28For ahe is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29But ahe is a Jew who is one inwardly; and bcircumcision is that which is of the heart, by the cSpirit, not by the letter; dand his praise is not from men, but from God.
There Is None Righteous
3Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2Great in every respect. First of all, that athey were entrusted with the boracles of God. 3What then? If asome 1did not believe, does their 2unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? 4aMay it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man ba liar, as it is written, “cThat You may be justified in Your words,And overcome when You 1are judged.”
5But if our unrighteousness 1,ademonstrates the righteousness of God, bwhat shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? (cI am speaking in human terms.) 6aMay it never be! For otherwise, how will bGod judge the world? 7But if through my lie athe truth of God abounded to His glory, bwhy am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “aLet us do evil that good may come”? 1Their condemnation is just.
9What then? aAre we 1better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both bJews and cGreeks are dall under sin; 10as it is written, “aThere is none righteous, not even one;
11There is none who understands,There is none who seeks for God;12All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;There is none who does good,There is not even one.”13“aTheir throat is an open tomb,With their tongues they keep deceiving,”“bThe poison of asps is under their lips”;14“aWhose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;15“aTheir feet are swift to shed blood,16Destruction and misery are in their paths,17And the path of peace they have not known.”18“aThere is no fear of God before their eyes.”19Now we know that whatever the aLaw says, it speaks to bthose who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and call the world may become accountable to God; 20because aby the works 1of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for 2,bthrough the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21But now apart 1from the Law athe righteousness of God has been manifested, being bwitnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the arighteousness of God through bfaith cin Jesus Christ for dall those 1who believe; for ethere is no distinction; 23for all 1,ahave sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift aby His grace through bthe redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as aa 1propitiation 2,bin His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, 3because in the cforbearance of God He dpassed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who 1has faith in Jesus.
27Where then is aboasting? It is excluded. By bwhat kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 281For awe maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works 2of the Law. 29Or ais God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed aGod, bwho will justify the 1circumcised 2by faith and the 3uncircumcised through that faith, cis one.
31Do we then abolish 1the Law through faith? aMay it never be! On the contrary, we bestablish the Law.
Abraham and David’s Faith Counted as Righteousness
4What then shall we say that Abraham, 1our forefather aaccording to the flesh, has found? 2For if Abraham was justified 1by works, he has something to boast about—but anot 2before God! 3For what does the Scripture say? “aAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4Now to the one who aworks, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but abelieves upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7“aBlessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,And whose sins have been covered.8“aBlessed is the man whose sin the 1Lord will not btake into account.”9Therefore, is this blessing on 1,athe circumcised, or on 2the uncircumcised also? For bwe say, “cFaith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.” 10How then was it counted? While he was 1circumcised, or 2uncircumcised? Not while 3circumcised, but while 4uncircumcised; 11and he areceived the sign of circumcision, ba seal of the righteousness of the faith which 1he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be cthe father of dall who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be counted to them, 12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which 1he had while uncircumcised.
13For athe promise to Abraham or to his seed bthat he would be heir of the world was not 1through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For aif those who are 1of the Law are heirs, faith has been made empty and the promise has been abolished; 15for athe Law brings about wrath, but bwhere there is no law, there also is no trespass.
16For this reason it is 1by faith, in order that it may be according to agrace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to ball the seed, not only to 2those who are of the Law, but also to 3,cthose who are of the faith of Abraham, who is dthe father of us all— 17as it is written, “aA father of many nations have I made you”—in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, bwho gives life to the dead and 1,ccalls into being dthat which does not exist. 18In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become aa father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “bSo shall your seed be.” 19And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now aas good as dead since bhe was about a hundred years old, and cthe deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, agiving glory to God, 21and abeing fully assured that bwhat God had promised, He was able also to do. 22Therefore ait was also counted to him as righteousness. 23Now anot for his sake only was it written that it was counted to him, 24but for our sake also, to whom it will be counted, as those awho believe upon Him who braised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25He who was adelivered over on account of our transgressions, and was braised on account of our justification.
Results of Justification by Faith
5aTherefore, having been justified by faith, 1,bwe have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have aobtained our introduction by faith into this grace bin which we stand; and 1we boast in hope of the glory of God. 3aAnd not only this, but 1we also bboast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction brings about cperseverance; 4and aperseverance, bproven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope adoes not put to shame, because the love of God has been bpoured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6For while we were still aweak, bat the right time cChrist died for the ungodly. 7For one will hardly die for a righteous man, 1though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God ademonstrates bHis own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, cChrist died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified 1,aby His blood, we shall be saved bfrom the wrath of God through Him. 10For if while we were aenemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved 1,bby His life. 11aAnd not only this, 1but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received bthe reconciliation.
The Gift of Righteousness in Christ
12Therefore, just as through aone man sin entered into the world, and bdeath through sin, and cso death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13for 1until the Law sin was in the world, but asin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned ain the likeness of the trespass of Adam, who is a 1,btype of Him who was to come.
15But 1the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of athe one bthe many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by cthe grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand athe judgment arose from one transgression 1resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many transgressions 2resulting in justification. 17For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned athrough the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will breign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18So then as through aone transgression 1there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one bact of righteousness 2there resulted cjustification of life to all men. 19For as through the one man’s disobedience athe many bwere appointed sinners, even so through cthe obedience of the One dthe many will be appointed righteous. 20Now 1,athe Law came in so that the transgression would increase, but where sin increased, bgrace abounded all the more, 21so that, as asin reigned in death, even so bgrace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
6aWhat shall we say then? Are we to bcontinue in sin so that grace may increase? 2aMay it never be! How shall we who bdied to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us who were abaptized into bChrist Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore we were aburied with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was braised from the dead through the cglory of the Father, so we too might walk in dnewness of life. 5For aif we have become 1united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be 2in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our aold man was bcrucified with Him, in order that our cbody of sin might be 1done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for ahe who has died has been 1justified from sin.
8Now aif we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been araised from the dead, 1is never to die again; bdeath no longer is master over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Even so consider yourselves to be adead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12Therefore do not let sin areign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on apresenting your members to sin as 1instruments of unrighteousness, but bpresent yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as 2instruments of righteousness to God. 14For asin shall not bbe master over you, for cyou are not under law but dunder grace.
Slaves of Righteousness
15What then? aShall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? bMay it never be! 16Do you not aknow that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as bslaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of csin 1leading to death, or of obedience 2leading to righteousness? 17But athanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that bpattern of teaching to which you were cgiven over, 18and having been afreed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19aI am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just bas you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, 1leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, 2leading to sanctification.
20For awhen you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21Therefore what 1,abenefit were you then having 2from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is bdeath. 22But now having been afreed from sin and benslaved to God, you have your 1,cbenefit, 2leading to sanctification, and dthe end, eternal life. 23For the wages of asin is death, but the gracious gift of God is beternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Released from the Law
7Or do you not know, abrothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is master over a person as long as he lives? 2For athe married woman has been bound by law to her 1husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law 2concerning the husband. 3So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
4So, my brothers, you also were amade to die bto the Law cthrough the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5For while we were ain the flesh, the sinful passions, which were baroused by the Law, were at work cin our members to bear fruit for death. 6But now we have been areleased from the Law, having bdied to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in cnewness of 1,dthe Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
7aWhat shall we say then? Is the Law sin? bMay it never be! Rather, cI would not have come to know sin except 1through the Law. For I would not have known about 2coveting if the Law had not said, “dYou shall not 3covet.” 8But sin, ataking opportunity bthrough the commandment, worked out in me 1coveting of every kind. For capart 2from the Law sin is dead. 9Now I was once alive apart 1from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; 10and this commandment, which was 1,ato lead to life, was found 2to lead to death for me. 11For sin, ataking an opportunity bthrough the commandment, cdeceived me and through it killed me. 12aSo, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
The Conflict of Two Natures
13Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? aMay it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would 1become utterly sinful.
14For we know that the Law is aspiritual, but I am bfleshly, chaving been sold 1,dinto bondage under sin. 15For what I am working out, aI do not understand; for I am not practicing bwhat I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with athe Law, that it is good. 17So now, ano longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my aflesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. 19For athe good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, aI am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me.
21I find then athe 1principle that in me evil is present—in me who wants to do good. 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God 1in athe inner man, 23but I see aa different law in my members, waging war against the blaw of my mind and making me a captive 1to cthe law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from 1,athe body of this bdeath? 251,aThanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh bthe law of sin.
The Spirit of God Dwells in You
8Therefore there is now no acondemnation for those who are bin cChrist Jesus. 2For athe law of the Spirit of life 1in bChrist Jesus chas set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For awhat the Law could not do, 1,bweak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in cthe likeness of 2sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the arighteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who bdo not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on athe things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, bthe things of the Spirit. 6aFor the mind set on the flesh is bdeath, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is at aenmity toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are ain the flesh are not able to please God.
9However, you are not ain the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God bdwells in you. But cif anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10aBut if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is 1alive because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who araised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, bHe who raised cChrist Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies 1through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12So then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13for aif you are living according to the flesh, you 1must die, but if by the Spirit you are bputting to death the cpractices of the body, you will live. 14For as many as are abeing led by the Spirit of God, these are bsons of God. 15For you ahave not received a spirit of slavery 1leading to fear again, but you bhave received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, “cAbba! Father!” 16The Spirit Himself atestifies with our spirit that we are bchildren of God, 17and if children, also aheirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, bif indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Present Suffering and Future Glory
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time aare not worthy to be compared with the bglory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the aanxious longing of the creation eagerly waits for bthe revealing of the csons of God. 20For the creation awas subjected to bfutility, not willingly, but cbecause of Him who subjected it, in hope 211that athe creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation agroans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23aAnd not only this, but also we ourselves, having bthe first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves cgroan within ourselves, deagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, ethe redemption of our body. 24For ain hope we were saved, but bhope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? 25But aif we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we eagerly wait for it.
26And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for awe do not know how to pray as we should, but bthe Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27and aHe who searches the hearts knows what bthe mind of the Spirit is, because He cintercedes for the 1saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that for those who love God 1,aall things work together for good, for those who are bcalled according to His purpose. 29Because those whom He aforeknew, He also bpredestined to become cconformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the dfirstborn among many brothers; 30and those whom He apredestined, He also bcalled; and those whom He called, He also cjustified; and those whom He justified, He also dglorified.
God Is for Us
31aWhat then shall we say to these things? bIf God is for us, who is against us? 32He who indeed adid not spare His own Son, but bdelivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring a charge against aGod’s elect? bGod is the one who justifies; 34who is the one who acondemns? Christ Jesus is He who bdied, yes, rather who was 1,craised, who is dat the right hand of God, who also eintercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from athe love of 1Christ? Will baffliction, or turmoil, or cpersecution, or dfamine, or enakedness, or fperil, or sword? 36Just as it is written, “aFor Your sake we are being put to death all day long;We were counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37But in all these things we overwhelmingly aconquer through bHim who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither adeath, nor life, nor bangels, nor rulers, nor cthings present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from athe love of God, which is bin Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s Chosen People, Israel
9aI am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3For aI could 1wish that I myself were baccursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen caccording to the flesh, 4who are aIsraelites, to whom belongs bthe adoption as sons, and cthe glory and dthe covenants and ethe giving of the Law and fthe temple service and the promises, 5whose are athe fathers, and bfrom whom is the 1Christ according to the flesh, cwho is dGod over all, eblessed 2forever. Amen.
6But it is not as though athe word of God has failed. bFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7nor are they all children abecause they are Abraham’s seed, but: “1,bthrough Isaac your seed will be named.” 8That is, the children of the flesh are not the achildren of God, but the bchildren of the promise are considered as seed. 9For this is the word of promise: “aAt this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10aAnd not only this, but there was bRebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that the apurpose of God according to His choice would 1stand, not 2because of works but 3because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her, “aThe older shall serve the younger.” 13Just as it is written, “aJacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14aWhat shall we say then? bIs there any unrighteousness with God? cMay it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “aI will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it does not depend on the one who wills or the one who aruns, but on bGod who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “aFor this very purpose I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and in order that My name might be proclaimed 1throughout the whole earth.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He ahardens whom He desires.
19aYou will say to me then, “bWhy does He still find fault? For cwho resists His will?” 20On the contrary, who are you, aO man, who banswers back to God? cWill the thing molded say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this”? 21Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel 1for honorable use and another 2for dishonorable use? 22And 1what if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much apatience vessels of wrath bhaving been prepared for destruction, 23and in order that He might make known athe riches of His glory upon bvessels of mercy, which He cprepared beforehand for glory— 24even us, whom He also acalled, bnot from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles? 25As He says also in Hosea, “aI will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26“aAnd it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’There they shall be called sons of bthe living God.”27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “aThough the number of the sons of Israel be blike the sand of the sea, it is cthe remnant that will be saved; 28afor the Lord will execute His word on the land, 1thoroughly and 2quickly.” 29And just as Isaiah foretold, “aUnless bthe Lord of 1Sabaoth had left to us a seed,cWe would have become like Sodom, and would have 2resembled Gomorrah.”
30aWhat shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even bthe righteousness which is 1by faith; 31but Israel, apursuing a law of righteousness, did not battain that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it 1by faith, but as though it were 2by works. They stumbled over athe stumbling stone, 33just as it is written, “aBehold, I am laying in Zion ba stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,cAnd the one who believes upon Him dwill not be put to shame.”
10Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2For I testify about them that they have aa zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For not knowing about the arighteousness of God and bseeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4For aChrist is the 1end of the law for righteousness to beveryone who believes.
Faith Comes by Hearing
5For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “aThe man who does these things shall live by them.” 6But athe righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “bDo not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7or ‘Who will go down into the aabyss?’ (that is, to bbring Christ up from the dead).” 8But what does it say? “aThe word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 91that aif you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and bbelieve in your heart that cGod raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, 1leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, 2leading to salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “aWhoever believes upon Him will not be put to shame.” 12For athere is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is bLord of call, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, 13for “aWhoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him awhom they have not heard? And how will they hear without ba preacher? 15And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “aHow beautiful are the feet of those who bproclaim good news of good things!”
16However, they adid not all heed the 1good news, for Isaiah says, “bLord, who has believed our report?” 17So faith comes from ahearing, and hearing by bthe word 1of Christ.
18But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have; “aTheir voice has gone out into all the earth,And their words to the ends of the 1world.”
19But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says, “aI will bmake you jealous by that which is not a nation,By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
20And Isaiah is very bold and says, “aI was found by those who did not seek Me,I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21But as for Israel He says, “aAll day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
God Has Not Rejected Israel
11I say then, has God arejected His people? bMay it never be! For cI too am an Israelite, a seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 21,aGod has not rejected His people whom He bforeknew. cOr do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3“Lord, athey have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4But what does the divine response say to him? “aI have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5In this way then, at the present time, aa remnant according to God’s 1gracious choice has also come to be. 6But aif it is by grace, it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7What then? What aIsrael is seeking, it has not obtained, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were bhardened; 8just as it is written, “1,aGod gave them a spirit of stupor,Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,Down to this very day.”
9And David says, “aLet their table become a snare and a trap,And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10“aLet their eyes be darkened to see not,And bend their backs forever.”Gentiles Grafted In
11aI say then, did they stumble so as to fall? bMay it never be! But by their transgression csalvation has come to the Gentiles, to dmake them jealous. 12Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their 1,afullness be! 13But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as aI am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14if somehow I might amove to jealousy bmy 1fellow countrymen and csave some of them. 15For if their rejection is the areconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but blife from the dead? 16And if the afirst piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17But if some of the abranches were broken off, and byou, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became a partaker with them of the 1rich root of the olive tree, 18do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast against them, remember that ait is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19aYou will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20Quite right! They were broken off for their unbelief, but you astand by your faith. bDo not be haughty, but fear, 21for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s akindness, bif you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also cwill be cut off. 23And they also, aif they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
All Israel Will Be Saved
25For aI do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this bmystery—so that you will not be cwise in your own estimation—that a partial dhardening has happened to Israel until the efullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “aThe Deliverer will come from Zion,He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27“aAnd this is 1My covenant with them,bWhen I take away their sins.”281From the standpoint of the gospel they are aenemies for your sake, but 2from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for bthe sake of the fathers; 29for the gifts and the acalling of God bare irrevocable. 30For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32For aGod has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33Oh, the depth of athe riches and bwisdom and knowledge of God! cHow unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34For awho has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35Or awho has first given to Him 1that it might be repaid to him? 36For afrom Him and through Him and to Him are all things. bTo Him be the glory 1forever. Amen.
A Living and Holy Sacrifice
12Therefore aI exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to bpresent your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your 1spiritual service of worship. 2And do not abe conformed to bthis 1world, but be transformed by the crenewing of your mind, so that you may dapprove what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and 2perfect.
3For through athe grace given to me I say to each one among you bnot to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound thinking, as God has allotted to ceach a measure of faith. 4For ajust as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, awho are many, are bone body in Christ, and individually members one of another, 6but having gifts that adiffer according to the grace given to us: whether bprophecy, 1in agreement with the faith; 7or 1,aservice, in his serving; or he who bteaches, in his teaching; 8or he who aexhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with 1,bgenerosity; che who 2leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with dcheerfulness.
9Let alove be without hypocrisy—by babhorring what is evil, clinging to what is good, 10being adevoted to one another in brotherly love, 1giving preference to one another bin honor, 11not lagging behind in diligence, being afervent in spirit, bserving the Lord, 12arejoicing in hope, bpersevering in affliction, being cdevoted to prayer, 13acontributing to the needs of the 1saints, bpursuing hospitality.
14aBless those who persecute 1you; bless, and do not curse. 15aRejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep, 16by abeing of the same mind toward one another, bnot being haughty in mind, but 1associating with the humble. cDo not be wise in your own mind. 17aNever paying back evil for evil to anyone, 1,brespecting what is good in the sight of all men, 18if possible, aso far as it depends on you, bbeing at peace with all men, 19anever taking your own revenge, beloved—instead 1leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, “bVengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20“aBut if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Be Subject to Government
13Every 1,aperson is to be in bsubjection to the governing authorities. For cthere is no authority except 2from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. 2Therefore 1whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3For arulers are not a cause of fear for 1good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an aavenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of aconscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7aRender to all what is due them: btax to whom tax is due; ccustom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for ahe who loves 1his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9For this, “aYou shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, “bYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does not work evil against a neighbor; therefore alove is the fulfillment of the Law.
11And do this, knowing the time, that it is aalready the hour for you to bawaken from sleep; for now 1salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12aThe night is almost gone, and bthe day is at hand. Therefore let us lay aside cthe deeds of darkness and put on dthe armor of light. 13Let us awalk properly as in the day, bnot in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14But aput on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh bin regard to its lusts.
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
14Now aaccept the one who is bweak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. 2aOne person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is bweak eats vegetables only. 3The one who eats must not aview the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not bjudge the one who eats, for God caccepted him. 4aWho are you to judge the 1servant of another? To his own 2master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5aOne person judges one day above another, another judges every day alike. Each person must be bfully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards the day, regards it for the Lord, and he who eats, eats for the Lord, for he agives thanks to God; and he who does not eat, for the Lord he does not eat and gives thanks to God. 7For not one of us alives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore awhether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9For to this end aChrist died and lived again, that He might be bLord both of the dead and of the living.
10But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you aview your brother with contempt? For bwe will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written, “aAs I live, says the 1Lord, bto Me every knee shall bow,And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12So then aeach one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us not ajudge one another anymore, but rather judge this—bnot to put a stumbling block or offense before a brother. 14I know and am convinced 1in the Lord Jesus that anothing is defiled in itself; but to him who bconsiders anything to be defiled, to him it is defiled. 15For if because of food your brother is grieved, you are no longer awalking according to love. bDo not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16Therefore ado not let what is for you a good thing be 1slandered; 17for the kingdom of God ais not eating and drinking, but righteousness and bpeace and cjoy in the Holy Spirit. 18For he who in this way aserves Christ is bpleasing to God and approved by men. 19So then 1let us apursue the things which make for peace and the bbuilding up of one another. 20aDo not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. bAll things indeed are clean, but cthey are evil for the man who eats 1and gives offense. 21aIt is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22The faith which you have, have 1as your own conviction before God. Blessed is he who adoes not judge himself in what he approves. 23But ahe who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Bearing the Weaknesses of Others
15Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of athose without strength and not just please ourselves. 2Each of us is to aplease his neighbor 1for his good, to his bbuilding up. 3For even aChrist did not please Himself; but as it is written, “bThe reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4For awhatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5Now may the aGod of perseverance and encouragement grant you bto be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6so that with one accord you may with one 1voice glorify athe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ, the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
7Therefore, aaccept one another, just as Christ also accepted 1us to the glory of God. 8For I say that Christ has become a servant to athe circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm bthe promises given to the fathers, 9and for athe Gentiles to bglorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “cTherefore I will 1give praise to You among the Gentiles,And I will sing to Your name.”
10And again he says, “aRejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”
12And again Isaiah says, “aThere shall come bthe root of Jesse,And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles,cIn Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
13Now may the God of hope fill you with all ajoy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope bby the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s Ministry Plans
14But I myself am also convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of agoodness, having been filled with ball knowledge and being able also to admonish one another. 15But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of athe grace that was given me 1by God 16for me to be aa minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the bgospel of God, so that my coffering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17Therefore in Christ Jesus I have areason for boasting in bthings pertaining to God. 18For I will not be bold to speak of anything 1except what aChrist has brought about through me, 2leading to the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19in the power of 1,asigns and wonders, bin the power of the Spirit; so that cfrom Jerusalem and all around as dfar as Illyricum I have 2fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20And in this way I make it my ambition to aproclaim the gospel, not where Christ was already named, bso that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21but as it is written, “aThey who had no declaration of Him shall see,And they who have not heard shall understand.”
22For this reason aI have often been prevented from coming to you; 23but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I ahave had for many years a longing to come to you 24whenever I ago to Spain—for I hope, passing through, to see you, and to be bhelped on my way there by you, when I have first cenjoyed your company 1for a while. 25But now aI am going to Jerusalem to bserve the 1saints. 26For aMacedonia and bAchaia were pleased to 1share with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For aif the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. 28Therefore, when I have completed this and ahave 1put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will bgo on by way of you to Spain. 29And I know that when aI come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by athe love of the Spirit, to bstrive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31that I may be arescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my bservice for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the 1,csaints; 32so that aI may come to you in joy by bthe will of God and find rest in your company. 33Now may athe God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Final Instructions and Greetings
16Now I acommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a 1servant of the church which is at bCenchrea; 2that you areceive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the 1,bsaints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a benefactor of many, 2and of myself as well.
3Greet aPrisca and Aquila, my fellow workers bin cChrist Jesus, 4who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; 5also greet athe church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the bfirst convert to Christ from 1,cAsia. 6Greet Mary, who has labored much for you. 7Greet Andronicus and 1Junia, my akinsmen and my bfellow prisoners, who are outstanding to the apostles, who also 2were cin Christ before me. 8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker ain Christ, and Stachys my beloved. 10Greet Apelles, the approved ain Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, my akinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who labored much in the Lord. 13Greet aRufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. 15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all athe 1saints who are with them. 16aGreet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. 17Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and stumblings acontrary to the teaching which you learned, and bturn away from them. 18For such men are aslaves, not of our Lord Christ but of btheir own 1stomach, and by their csmooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19For the report of your obedience ahas reached to all. Therefore I am rejoicing over you, but bI want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 20aAnd the God of peace will soon crush bSatan under your feet. cThe grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
22I, Tertius, who awrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23aGaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. bErastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. 241[The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
25aNow to Him who is able to strengthen you baccording to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of cthe mystery which has been kept secret for dlong ages past, 26but now is manifested, and by athe Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles, leading to bobedience of faith; 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, abe the glory forever. Amen.