1 Brothers,^{1 v}my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a ^wzeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the ^xrighteousness of God, and ^yseeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For ^zChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.²

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^athe person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the ^brighteousness based on faith says, ^c“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, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you ^dconfess with your mouth that ^eJesus is Lord and ^fbelieve in your heart that ^gGod raised him from the dead, you will be saved.