Greeting
1 Paul, a servant1 of Christ Jesus, acalled to be an apostle, bset apart for the cgospel of God, 2 which he dpromised beforehand ethrough his prophets fin the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was gdescended from David2 according to the flesh 4 and was hdeclared to be the iSon of God jin power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 kthrough whom we have received grace and lapostleship to bring about the mobedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are ncalled to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and ocalled to be psaints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Longing to Go to Rome
8 First, qI thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because ryour faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For sGod is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that twithout ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 uFor I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual vgift to wstrengthen you— 12 that is, that we may xbe mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,3 that I have often intended to come to you (but ythus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some zharvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 aI am under obligation both to Greeks and to bbarbarians,4 cboth to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager dto preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not eashamed of the gospel, for it is the fpower of God for salvation to everyone who believes, gto the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the hrighteousness of God is irevealed from faith for faith,5 as it is written, j“The righteous shall live by faith.”6
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21 But now the nrighteousness of God has been omanifested apart from the law, palthough the Law and the Prophets qbear witness to it— 22 the rrighteousness of God through sfaith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is tno distinction: 23 for uall have vsinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are wjustified xby his grace as a ygift, through the zredemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a apropitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine bforbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of cthe one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of our dboasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the elaw of faith. 28 For fwe hold that one is gjustified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 hOr is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since iGod is one—jwho will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an qapostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus rsave some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the sreconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as tfirstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 uBut if some of the branches were broken off, and you, valthough a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root1 of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then 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 fast through faith. wSo do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, xprovided you continue in his kindness. yOtherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were 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, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
The Mystery of Israel’s Salvation
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this zmystery, brothers:2 a partial ahardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
b“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
cwhen I take away their sins.”
28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are dbeloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the egifts and the fcalling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now3 receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned gall to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! hHow unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 i“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 j“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For kfrom him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
A Living Sacrifice
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,4 by the mercies of God, to lpresent your bodies as a mliving sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.5 2 nDo not be conformed to this world,6 but be otransformed by the prenewal of your mind, that by testing you may qdiscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.7
Gifts of Grace
3 For by rthe grace given to me I say to everyone among you snot to tthink of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each uaccording to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Personal Greetings
1 jI commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant1 of the church at kCenchreae, 2 that you may lwelcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
3 Greet mPrisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who nrisked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also othe church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert2 to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,3 my kinsmen and my pfellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles,4 and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow 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 kinsman 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; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers5 who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 qGreet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Final Instructions and Greetings
17 rI appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who scause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own tappetites,6 and by usmooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For vyour obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and winnocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon xcrush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21 yTimothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22 zI Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 aGaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.7
Doxology
25 bNow to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept csecret for long ages 26 but has now been ddisclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the eobedience of faith— 27 fto the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
