11:1 I say then, Has God cast away his people? By no means. For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
11:2 God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah? how he appealed to God against Israel, saying,
11:3 Lord, they have killed your prophets, and pulled down your altars; and I alone am left, and they seek my life.
11:4 But what is the answer God gives to him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
11:5 Even so, at this present time, there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works: otherwise grace is no longer grace.
11:7 What then? Israel has not obtained that which it sought; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
11:8 As it is written, God has given them the spirit of stupor, eyes that should not see, and ears that should not hear; down to this day.
11:9 And David says, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a retribution to them:
11:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their backs forever.
11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled to fall beyond recovery? By no means: but rather through their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
11:12 Now if their fall means riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles; how much more will their fullness bring?
11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry:
11:14 That I might provoke to envy my own people, and might save some of them.
11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what shall their acceptance be, but life from the dead?
11:16 For if the piece of dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole lump is also holy: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them, and with them partake in the rich root of the olive tree;
11:18 Do not boast over the branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
11:19 You will say, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
11:20 That is true; because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand only by faith. Do not be conceited, but fear:
11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you.
11:22 Therefore behold the kindness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, kindness, if you continue in his kindness: otherwise you shall also be cut off.
11:23 And they also, if they do not persist in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
11:24 For if you were cut off from an olive tree which is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted onto a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
11:25 Brethren, I would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that a hardening in part has happened to Israel, until the full number of Gentiles has come in.
11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, who shall banish ungodliness from Jacob:
11:27 For this is my covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.
11:28 Concerning the gospel, they are enemies of God, for your sakes: but concerning election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are never revoked.
11:30 For as you in times past have not obeyed God, yet have now obtained mercy because of their disobedience:
11:31 Even so they have now become disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they may now also obtain mercy.
11:32 For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.
11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counsellor?
11:35 Or who has first given to him, that he might be repaid?
11:36 For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship.
12:2 And do not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect.
12:3 For through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according to the measure of faith God has given him.
12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all the members do not have the same function:
12:5 So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually are members one of another.
12:6 Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, according to the proportion of our faith;
12:7 If service, in our serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
12:8 Or he who exhorts, in exhortation: he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor that which is evil; cling to that which is good.
12:10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; honour one another more than yourselves;
12:11 Not lacking in zeal; aglow with the spirit; serving the Lord;
12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; faithful in prayer;
12:13 Contributing to the saints who are in need; practicing hospitality.
12:14 Bless those who persecute you: bless, and do not curse.
12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
12:16 Be in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own conceits.
12:17 Do not repay any man evil for evil, but take thought of those things that are right in the sight of all men.
12:18 If it is possible, as much as it lies with you, live peaceably with all men.
12:19 Dearly beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place for the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.
12:20 Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire upon his head.
12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
13:1 Let every man be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority but from God: and those authorities that exist have been ordained by God.
13:2 Therefore, whoever resists the authorities, resists the ordinance of God: and those who resist shall bring condemnation upon themselves.
13:3 For rulers are not a terror for those who do good works, but to those who do evil. Do you want to have no fear of the one in authority? do that which is good, and you shall have his praise:
13:4 For he is a minister of God for your good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God to execute wrath upon the one who does evil.
13:5 Therefore you must be subject, not only to avoid wrath, but also for conscience sake.
13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes: for they are God's ministers, attending continually to this very service.
13:7 Therefore, give to all men what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; revenue to whom revenue; respect to whom respect; honour to whom honour.
13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he who loves others has fulfilled the law.
13:9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet; and any other commandments, are summed up in this saying, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour: therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13:11 And besides that, you know the hour, that it is now high time to awaken from sleep: for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed.
13:12 The night is far gone, the day is at hand: therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13:13 Let us conduct ourselves properly, as in the day; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in debauchery and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its lusts.
14:1 Accept him who is weak in the faith, and do not dispute over his opinions.
14:2 For one believes that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.
14:3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat; and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats: for God has accepted him.
14:4 Who are you to judge another man's servant? to his own master he stands or falls. And he shall be upheld: for the Lord is able to make him stand.
14:5 One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
14:6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord; He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, abstains for the Lord, and gives God thanks.
14:7 For none of us lives for himself, and none of us dies for himself.
14:8 For if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord: therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
14:10 Why do you judge your brother? or why do you despise your brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.
14:11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
14:12 So then, every one of us shall give an account of himself to God.
14:13 Therefore, let us not judge one another any more: but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle in a brother's way.
14:14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
14:15 But if your brother is hurt because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.
14:16 Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil:
14:17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
14:18 For he who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God, and approved by men.
14:19 Therefore, let us follow after the things which make for peace, and things which edify one another.
14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for food. All things indeed are pure; but it is wrong for a man to cause another to fall by what he eats.
14:21 It is good not to eat meat, or to drink wine, or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
14:22 Do you have a conviction? keep it for yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in that thing which he approves.
14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith: and whatever is not from faith is sin.
15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good, to edify him.
15:3 For even Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached you fell upon me.
15:4 For whatever things were written in the past were written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.
15:5 Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus:
15:6 That you may with one heart and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:7 Therefore welcome one another, as Christ welcomed us to the glory of God.
15:8 Now I say that Christ became a minister to the circumcised for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers:
15:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.
15:10 And again he says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.
15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; and praise him, all you people.
15:12 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse shall come, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope.
15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
15:14 And I myself am also convinced about you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another.
15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as a reminder, because of the grace given to me by God,
15:16 That I should be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, in the priestly service of the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
15:17 Therefore, through Jesus Christ I have reason to glory in my work for God.
15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any work except what Christ has done through me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
15:19 Through the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
15:20 So I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:
15:21 But as it is written, Those who were not told of him shall see: and those who have not heard shall understand.
15:22 This is why I have been often hindered from coming to you.
15:23 But now, having no more opportunity for work in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you;
15:24 I hope to see you on my way to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
15:25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
15:26 For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem.
15:27 It has truly pleased them to do this; and indeed they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is to minister to them in material things.
15:28 Therefore, when I have completed this, and have made certain they have received this fruit, I will come visit you on my way to Spain.
15:29 And I am sure that, when I come to you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of [the gospel of] Christ.
15:30 Now I urge you, brethren, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
15:31 That I may be delivered from those who do not believe in Judaea; and that my service for Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints;
15:32 That I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may together with you be refreshed.
15:33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
16:1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchreae:
16:2 That you receive her in the Lord, in a manner befitting the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may have need of you: for she has been a help to many, and to myself as well.
16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus:
16:4 Who have for my life risked their own necks: to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
16:5 Also greet the church that is in their house. Greet my well-beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ.
16:6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour upon you.
16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
16:8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
16:9 Greet Urban, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.
16:10 Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who are of Aristobulus' household.
16:11 Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
16:12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who laboured much in the Lord.
16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brethren who are with them.
16:15 Greet Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, take note of those who cause divisions and difficulties, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them.
16:18 For they do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own bellies; and by smooth words and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the simple.
16:19 For your obedience is known to all, and therefore I am glad on your behalf: yet I would have you be wise regarding that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
16:20 And the God of peace shall soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
16:21 Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, greet you.
16:22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
16:23 Gaius, host to me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
16:24 [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]
16:25 Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages past,
16:26 But now has been made manifest, and through the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith:
16:27 To the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.