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Romans English Standard Version (ESV)
Chapter 1
Greeting
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised
beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was descended from David
according to the flesh 4and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by
his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship
to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6including you who are
called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Longing to Go to Rome
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention
you 10always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-- 12that is, that we
may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13I want you to know, brothers,
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 well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am under obligation both to Greeks and to
barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in
Rome.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it
is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by
their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God
has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are
without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but
they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they
became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and
animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies
among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the
creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations
for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were
consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves
the due penalty for their error.
28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought
not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent,
haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though
they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give
approval to those who practice them.
Chapter 2
God's Righteous Judgment
1Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another
you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2We know that the judgment
of God rightly falls on those who do such things. 3Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who do such
things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of God? 4Or do you presume on the
riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to
repentance? 5But because of 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.
6He will render to each one according to his works: 7to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory
and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9There will be tribulation and distress for every
human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10but glory and honor and peace for everyone
who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11For God shows no partiality.
God's Judgment and the Law
12For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the
law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the
doers of the law who will be justified. 14For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the
law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the
work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting
thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets
of men by Christ Jesus.
17But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18and know his will and approve what is
excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the
blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the
law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- 21you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you
commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the law dishonor God by
breaking the law. 24For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you."
25For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes
uncircumcision. 26So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision
be regarded as circumcision? 27Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you
who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28For no one is a Jew who is merely one
outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter
of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Chapter 3
God's Righteousness Upheld
1Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2Much in every way. To begin
with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3What if some were unfaithful? Does their
faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as
it is written, "That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged."
5But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is
unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6By no means! For then how could God judge
the world? 7But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
8And why not do evil that good may come?--as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their
condemnation is just.
No One Is Righteous
9What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and
Greeks, are under sin, 10as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
11no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
13"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
14"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16in their paths are ruin and misery,
17and the way of peace they have not known."
18"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth
may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20For by works of the law no human
being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the
Prophets bear witness to it-- 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace
as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his
blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he
had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the
law of faith. 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29Or is God the God of
Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since God is one. He will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By
no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Chapter 4
Abraham Justified by Faith
1What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2For if Abraham was
justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say?
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 4Now to the one who works, his wages
are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom
God counts righteousness apart from works:
7"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."
9Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted
to Abraham as righteousness. 10How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been
circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11He 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 father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as
well, 12and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in
the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the
law but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs,
faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no
transgression.
16That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his
offspring--not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all, 17as 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.
18In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told,
"So shall your offspring be." 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as
good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's
womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he
gave glory to God, 21fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22That is why his faith
was "counted to him as righteousness." 23But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake
alone, 24but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our
Lord, 25who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Chapter 5
Peace with God Through Faith
1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in
hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to
shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a
righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- 8but God shows his love
for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by
his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved
by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have
now received reconciliation.
Death in Adam, Life in Christ
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to
all men because all sinned-- 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not
counted where there is no law. 14Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was
not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the
grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16And the free
gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought
condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17If, because of one man's
trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and
the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to
justification and life for all men. 19For 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. 20Now the law came in to increase the trespass,
but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might
reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter 6
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who
died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection
like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to
nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin.
8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ being
raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he
died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to
sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13Do not present your
members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been
brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14For sin will have no
dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Do 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? 17But thanks be to God,
that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to
which you were committed, 18and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19I
am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your
members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members
as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21But what fruit were you getting
at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22But now
that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification
and its end, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Chapter 7
Released from the Law
1Or do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a
person only as long as he lives? 2Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if
her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3Accordingly, 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.
4Likewise, my brothers, you also 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. 5For 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. 6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve
not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
The Law and Sin
7What then shall 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."
8But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart
from the law, sin lies dead. 9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came
alive and I died. 10The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11For sin, seizing an
opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12So the law is holy, and the
commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing 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. 14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15I do not
understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I
do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells
within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what
is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is
what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within
me.
21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of
God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and
making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver
me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the
law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Chapter 8
Life in the Spirit
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life
has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For 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 for sin, he condemned sin in
the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according
to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For 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. 6To
set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is
set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in
the flesh cannot please God.
9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who
does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead
because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit who dwells in you.
Heirs with Christ
12So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For 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.
14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to
fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then
heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be
glorified with him.
Future Glory
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the
creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of
God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we
wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope
that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait
for it with patience.
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what
is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we
know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in
order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called,
and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God's Everlasting Love
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare
his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall
bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one
who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor 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
God's Sovereign Choice
1I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit-- 2that
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and
cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4They are Israelites, and
to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
5To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all,
blessed forever. Amen.
6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to
Israel, 7and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your
offspring be named." 8This 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 offspring. 9For this is what the promise said: "About this time next
year I will return and Sarah shall have a son." 10And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived
children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either
good or bad--in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his
call-- 12she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15For he says to Moses, "I will have
mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16So then it depends
not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very
purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in
all the earth." 18So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" 20But who are you, O
man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" 21Has
the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for
dishonorable use? 22What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with
much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23in order to make known the riches of his glory for
vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- 24even us whom he has called, not from the
Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25As 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 will be called 'sons of the living God.'"
27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will be saved, 28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and
without delay." 29And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah."
Israel's Unbelief
30What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a
righteousness that is by faith; 31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not
succeed in reaching that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on
works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone
of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
Chapter 10
1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2I bear them witness that
they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For, being ignorant of the righteousness that
comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
The Message of Salvation to All
5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the
commandments shall live by them. 6But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart,
'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that
is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But 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); 9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is
Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one
believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, "Everyone
who believes in him will not be put to shame." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same
Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For "everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved."
14But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of
whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to
preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good
news!" 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has
heard from us?" 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18But 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."
19But 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."
20Then 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."
21But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."
Chapter 11
The Remnant of Israel
1I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of
Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not
know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3"Lord, they have killed your
prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." 4But what is God's
reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5So too at
the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of
works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
8as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day."
9And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever."
Gentiles Grafted In
11So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass
salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12Now if their trespass means riches for the
world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
14in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15For if their rejection
means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16If the dough
offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among
the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches.
If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19Then you will say,
"Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20That is true. They were broken off because of
their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21For if God did
not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the severity of God:
severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.
Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted
in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24For 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
25Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial
hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And in this way all Israel will
be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";
27"and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
28As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for
the sake of their forefathers. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30Just as you were at
one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they too have
now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32For God
has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33Oh, 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
that he might be repaid?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Chapter 12
A Living Sacrifice
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect.
Gifts of Grace
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we,
though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Having gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our
serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who
contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Marks of the True Christian
9Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly
affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the
Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the
saints and seek to show hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with
those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Never be conceited. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but
leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20To the
contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you
will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Chapter 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and
those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God
has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to
bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his
approval, 4for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the
sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For
the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect
to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9The
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: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer
to us now than when we first believed. 12The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off
the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies
and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14But put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Chapter 14
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2One person believes he
may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3Let not the one who eats despise the one
who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed
him. 4Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or
falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should
be fully convinced in his own mind. 6The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one
who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in
honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8If
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. 9For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of
the living.
10Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand
before the judgment seat of God; 11for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God."
12So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling
block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is
unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15For if your brother is grieved by what
you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
16So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of
eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18Whoever thus serves Christ is
acceptable to God and approved by men. 19So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual
upbuilding.
20Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for
anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything
that causes your brother to stumble. 22The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is
the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23But whoever has doubts is
condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Chapter 15
The Example of Christ
1We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For Christ did not please himself, but as it
is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4For whatever was written in former
days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the
Scriptures we might have hope. 5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such
harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6that together you may with one voice glorify the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the
glory of God.
Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles
8For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm
the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is
written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name."
10And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
11And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him."
12And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope."
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you
may abound in hope.
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all
knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way
of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16to 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. 17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18For I will not venture to
speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience--by
word and deed, 19by 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 fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20and thus I
make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone
else's foundation, 21but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand."
Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
22This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23But now, since I no longer
have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24I hope to
see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your
company for a while. 25At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26For
Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at
Jerusalem. 27They were pleased to do it, 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 blessings. 28When
therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by
way of you. 29I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me
in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my
service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32so that by God's will I may come to you with joy
and be refreshed in your company. 33May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Chapter 16
Personal Greetings
1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2that you may welcome 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.
3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their necks for my life, to whom not
only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5Greet also the church in their
house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6Greet Mary, who has
worked hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known
to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet
Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.
Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord
who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the
beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has
been a mother to me as well. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who
are with them. 15Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with
them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Final Instructions and Greetings
17I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the
doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their
own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19For your obedience is
known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to
what is evil. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you.
21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother
Quartus, greet you.
Doxology
25Now 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 secret for long ages 26but has now been disclosed
and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the
eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith-- 27to the only wise God be glory forevermore through
Jesus Christ! Amen.