Bible (American Standard)/Romans

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans
==Chapter 1==
 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an
apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 
 which he
promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David
according to the flesh, 
 who was declared [to be] the Son
of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead; [even] Jesus Christ our Lord, 
 through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience
of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake; 
 among
whom are ye also called [to be] Jesus Christ's: 
 To all
that are in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 
 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel
of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my
prayers 
 making request, if by any means now at length I
may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you. 
 For
I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual
gift, to the end ye may be established; 
 that is, that I
with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's
faith, both yours and mine. 
 And I would not have you
ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you
(and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you
also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles. 
 I am debtor
both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the
foolish. 
 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach
the gospel to you also that are in Rome. 
 For I am not
ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. 
 For therein is revealed a righteousness of God
from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall
live by faith. 
 For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who
hinder the truth in unrighteousness; 
 because that which
is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto
them. 
 For the invisible things of him since the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the
things that are made, [even] his everlasting power and divinity;
that they may be without excuse: 
 because that, knowing
God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but
became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was
darkened. 
 Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools, 
 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for
the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and
four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 
 Wherefore God
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that
their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: 
 for
that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped
and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
for ever. Amen. 
 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
passions: for their women changed the natural use into that
which is against nature: 
 and likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one
toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving
in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.
 And even as they refused to have God in [their]
knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those
things which are not fitting; 
 being filled with all
unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full
of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 
 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 
 without
understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection,
unmerciful: 
 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they
that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the
same, but also consent with them that practise them.
==Chapter 2==
 Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever
thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judges another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same
things. 
 And we know that the judgment of God is according
to truth against them that practise such things. 
 And
reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practise such
things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God? 
 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance? 
 but after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of
wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 
 who
will render to every man according to his works: 
 to them
that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and
incorruption, eternal life: 
 but unto them that are
factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
[shall be] wrath and indignation, 
 tribulation and anguish,
upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and
also of the Greek; 
 but glory and honor and peace to every
man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek:
 for there is no respect of persons with God. 
 For
as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the
law: and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by
the law; 
 for not the hearers of the law are just before
God, but the doers of the law shall be justified: 
 (for
when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of
the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
 in that they show the work of the law written in their
hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their
thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing [them]);
 in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men,
according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ. 
 But if thou
bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and
gloriest in God, 
 and knowest his will, and approvest the
things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
 and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the
blind, a light of them that are in darkness, 
 a corrector
of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form
of knowledge and of the truth; 
 thou therefore that
teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest
a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 
 thou that sayest
a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples? 
 thou
who gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law
dishonorest thou God? 
 For the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written. 
 For circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law:
but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is
become uncircumcision. 
 If therefore the uncircumcision
keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be
reckoned for circumcision? 
 and shall not the
uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge
thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of
the law? 
 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh:
 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise
is not of men, but of God.
==Chapter 3==
 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit
of circumcision? 
 Much every way: first of all, that they
were entrusted with the oracles of God. 
 For what if some
were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none
effect the faithfulness of God? 
 God forbid: yea, let God
be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written,
That thou mightest be justified in thy words,
And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
 But if our righteousness commendeth the righteousness
of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who visiteth with
wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.) 
 God forbid: for
then how shall God judge the world? 
 But if the truth of
God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still
judged as a sinner? 
 and why not (as we are slanderously
reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that
good may come? whose condemnation is just. 
 What then? are
we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the
charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;
 as it is written,
There is none righteous, no, not one;
 There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God;
 They have all turned aside, they are together become
unprofitable;
There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:
 Their throat is an open sepulchre;
With their tongues they have used deceit:
The poison of asps is under their lips:
 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
 And the way of peace have they not known:
 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it
speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of
God: 
 because by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified in his sight; for through the law [cometh] the
knowledge of sin. 
 But now apart from the law a
righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by
the law and the prophets, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; 
 even the righteousness of God through faith in
Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no
distinction; 
 for all have sinned, and fall short of the
glory of God; 
 being justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 
 whom God set
forth [to be] a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to
show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins
done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; 
 for the
showing, [I say], of his righteousness at this present season:
that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that
hath faith in Jesus. 
 Where then is the glorying? It is
excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of
faith. 
 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by
faith apart from the works of the law. 
 Or is God [the
God] of Jews only? is he not [the God] of Gentiles also? Yea, of
Gentiles also: 
 if so be that God is one, and he shall
justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision
through faith. 
 Do we then make the law of none effect
through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law.
==Chapter 4==
 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather,
hath found according to the flesh? 
 For if Abraham was
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward
God. 
 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed
God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 
 Now
to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but
as of debt. 
 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for
righteousness. 
 Even as David also pronounceth blessing
upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from
works, 
 [saying],
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered.
 Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin.
 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision,
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his
faith was reckoned for righteousness. 
 How then was it
reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not
in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: 
 and he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the
faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision; that he might
be the father of all them that believe, though they be in
uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them;
 and the father of circumcision to them who not only are
of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that
faith of our father Abraham which he had in uncircumcision.
 For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to
his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the
righteousness of faith. 
 For if they that are of the law
are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of none
effect: 
 for the law worketh wrath; but where there is no
law, neither is there transgression. 
 For this cause [it
is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace; to the end
that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only
which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of
Abraham, who is the father of us all 
 (as it is written, A
father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he
believed, [even] God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth
the things that are not, as though they were. 
 Who in hope
believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father
of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So
shall thy seed be. 
 And without being weakened in faith he
considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a
hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 
 yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through
unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God,
 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was
able also to perform. 
 Wherefore also it was reckoned unto
him for righteousness. 
 Now it was not written for his
sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; 
 but for our
sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him
that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 
 who was
delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our
justification.
==Chapter 5==
 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ; 
 through whom also we
have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand;
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
 And not only
so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that
tribulation worketh stedfastness; 
 and stedfastness,
approvedness; and approvedness, hope: 
 and hope putteth not
to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our
hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us. 
 For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the
ungodly. 
 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:
for peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to
die. 
 But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
 Much more
then, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from
the wrath [of God] through him. 
 For if, while we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life;
 and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the
reconciliation. 
 Therefore, as through one man sin entered
into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto
all men, for that all sinned:-- 
 for until the law sin was
in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's
transgression, who is a figure of him that was to come. 
 But not as the trespass, so also [is] the free gift. For if by
the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace
of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,
abound unto the many. 
 And not as through one that sinned,
[so] is the gift: for the judgment [came] of one unto
condemnation, but the free gift [came] of many trespasses unto
justification. 
 For if, by the trespass of the one, death
reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in
life through the one, [even] Jesus Christ. 
 So then as
through one trespass [the judgment came] unto all men to
condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness [the free
gift came] unto all men to justification of life. 
 For as
through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,
even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made
righteous. 
 And the law came in besides, that the trespass
might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more
exceedingly: 
 that, as sin reigned in death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
==Chapter 6==
 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound? 
 God forbid. We who died to sin, how
shall we any longer live therein? 
 Or are ye ignorant that
all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
his death? 
 We were buried therefore with him through
baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in
newness of life. 
 For if we have become united with [him]
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness]
of his resurrection; 
 knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be done away,
that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; 
 for he
that hath died is justified from sin. 
 But if we died with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; 
 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more;
death no more hath dominion over him. 
 For the death that
he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he
liveth unto God. 
 Even so, reckon ye also yourselves to be
dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. 
 Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey
the lusts thereof: 
 neither present your members unto sin
[as] instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto
God, as alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments
of righteousness unto God. 
 For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace.
 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law,
but under grace? God forbid. 
 Know ye not, that to whom ye
present yourselves [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye
are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness? 
 But thanks be to God, that, whereas
ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to
that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; 
 and
being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.
 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity
of your flesh: for as ye presented your members [as] servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present
your members [as] servants to righteousness unto sanctification.
 For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard
of righteousness. 
 What fruit then had ye at that time in
the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those
things is death. 
 But now being made free from sin and
become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification,
and the end eternal life. 
 For the wages of sin is death;
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
==Chapter 7==
 Or are ye ignorant, brethren (for I speak to men who
know the law), that the law hath dominion over a man for so long
time as he liveth? 
 For the woman that hath a husband is
bound by law to the husband while he liveth; but if the husband
die, she is discharged from the law of the husband. 
 So
then if, while the husband liveth, she be joined to another man,
she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband die, she
is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she
be joined to another man. 
 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye
should be joined to another, [even] to him who was raised from
the dead, that we might bring forth fruit unto God. 
 For
when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were
through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit
unto death. 
 But now we have been discharged from the law,
having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in
newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. 
 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I
had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known
coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet: 
 but sin, finding occasion, wrought in me through the commandment
all manner of coveting: for apart from the law sin [is] dead.
 And I was alive apart from the law once: but when the
commandment came, sin revived, and I died; 
 and the
commandment, which [was] unto life, this I found [to be] unto
death: 
 for sin, finding occasion, through the commandment
beguiled me, and through it slew me. 
 So that the law is
holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. 
 Did then that which is good become death unto me? God forbid.
But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to
me through that which is good; --that through the commandment
sin might become exceeding sinful. 
 For we know that the
law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
 For
that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I
practise; but what I hate, that I do. 
 But if what I would
not, that I do, I consent unto the law that it is good. 
 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me.
 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which
is good [is] not. 
 For the good which I would I do not:
but the evil which I would not, that I practise. 
 But if
what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin
which dwelleth in me. 
 I find then the law, that, to me
who would do good, evil is present. 
 For I delight in the
law of God after the inward man: 
 but I see a different
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my
members. 
 Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out
of the body of this death? 
 I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed,
serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
==Chapter 8==
 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are
in Christ Jesus. 
 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.
 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 
 that the
ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
 For they that are
after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are
after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 
 For the mind of
the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and
peace: 
 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
it be: 
 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 
 And if Christ is
in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life
because of righteousness. 
 But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up
Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal
bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 
 So then,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the
flesh: 
 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but
if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. 
 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these
are sons of God. 
 For ye received not the spirit of
bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
 The Spirit himself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 
 and
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also
glorified with [him]. 
 For I reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed to us-ward. 
 For the earnest
expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the
sons of God. 
 For the creation was subjected to vanity,
not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in
hope 
 that the creation itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of
the children of God. 
 For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 
 And
not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for [our] adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body. 
 For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope:
for who hopeth for that which he seeth? 
 But if we hope
for that which we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for
it. 
 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the
Spirit himself maketh intercession for [us] with groanings which
cannot be uttered; 
 and he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.
 And we know that to them that love God all things work
together for good, [even] to them that are called according to
[his] purpose. 
 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained
[to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren: 
 and whom he foreordained,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 
 What then
shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is]
against us? 
 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us
all things? 
 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth; 
 who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was
raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us. 
 Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day
long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
 Nay,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. 
 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, 
 nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
==Chapter 9==
 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience
bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 
 that I have
great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 
 For I could
wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren's
sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 
 who are
Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the
covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God],
and the promises; 
 whose are the fathers, and of whom is
Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for
ever. Amen. 
 But [it is] not as though the word of God hath
come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel:
 neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all
children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 
 That is,
it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God;
but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. 
 For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I
come, and Sarah shall have a son. 
 And not only so; but
Rebecca also having conceived by one, [even] by our father
Isaac-- 
 for [the children] being not yet born, neither
having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that
calleth, 
 it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the
younger. 
 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I
hated. 
 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? God forbid. 
 For he saith to Moses, I will have
mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion. 
 So then it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. 
 For
the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I
raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my
name might be published abroad in all the earth. 
 So then
he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth.
 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault?
For who withstandeth his will? 
 Nay but, O man, who art
thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? 
 Or hath
not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make
one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? 
 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power
known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted
unto destruction: 
 and that he might make known the riches
of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto
glory, 
 [even] us, whom he also called, not from the Jews
only, but also from the Gentiles? 
 As he saith also in
Hosea,
I will call that my people, which was not my people;
And her beloved, that was not beloved.
 And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said
unto them, Ye are not my people,
There shall they be called sons of the living God.
 And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of
the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the
remnant that shall be saved: 
 for the Lord will execute
[his] word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short.
 And, as Isaiah hath said before,
Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.
 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who
followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness,
even the righteousness which is of faith: 
 but Israel,
following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at [that]
law. 
 Wherefore? Because [they sought it] not by faith,
but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of
stumbling; 
 even as it is written,
Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence:
And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
==Chapter 10==
 Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God
is for them, that they may be saved. 
 For I bear them
witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge. 
 For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and
seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves
to the righteousness of God. 
 For Christ is the end of the
law unto righteousness to every one that believeth. 
 For
Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is
of the law shall live thereby. 
 But the righteousness
which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall
ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:) 
 or,
Who shall descend into the abyss? (That is, to bring Christ up
from the dead.) 
 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee,
in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach: 
 because if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: 
 for with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. 
 For the scripture
saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for
the same [Lord] is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call
upon him: 
 for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. 
 How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him
whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? 
 and how shall they preach, except they be
sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them
that bring glad tidings of good things! 
 But they did not
all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who
hath believed our report? 
 So belief [cometh] of hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ. 
 But I say, Did they
not hear? Yea, verily,
Their sound went out into all the earth,
And their words unto the ends of the world.
 But I say, Did Israel not know? First Moses saith,
I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation,
With a nation void of understanding will I anger you.
 And Isaiah is very bold, and saith,
I was found of them that sought me not;
I became manifest unto them that asked not of me.
 But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I
spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
==Chapter 11==
 I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid.
For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe
of Benjamin. 
 God did not cast off his people which he
foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? how
he pleadeth with God against Israel: 
 Lord, they have
killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I
am left alone, and they seek my life. 
 But what saith the
answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand
men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 
 Even so, then at
this present time also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. 
 But if it is by grace, it is no more
of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. 
 What then?
that which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the
election obtained it, and the rest were hardened: 
 according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not
hear, unto this very day. 
 And David saith,
Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,
And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:
 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,
And bow thou down their back always.
 I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall?
God forbid: but by their fall salvation [is come] unto the
Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. 
 Now if their
fall, is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of
the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 
 But I speak
to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of
Gentiles, I glorify my ministry; 
 if by any means I may
provoke to jealousy [them that are] my flesh, and may save some
of them. 
 For if the casting away of them [is] the
reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them
be], but life from the dead? 
 And if the firstfruit is
holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the
branches. 
 But if some of the branches were broken off,
and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and
didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of
the olive tree; 
 glory not over the branches: but if thou
gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root
thee. 
 Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that
I might be grafted in. 
 Well; by their unbelief they were
broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded,
but fear: 
 for if God spared not the natural branches,
neither will he spare thee. 
 Behold then the goodness and
severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward
thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 
 And they also, if
they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for
God is able to graft them in again. 
 For if thou wast cut
out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast
grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more
shall these, which are the natural [branches], be grafted into
their own olive tree? 
 For I would not, brethren, have
you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own
conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; 
 and so all
Israel shall be saved: even as it is written,
There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;
He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
 And this is my covenant unto them,
When I shall take away their sins.
 As touching the gospel, they are enemies for your
sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the
fathers' sake. 
 For the gifts and the calling of God are
not repented of. 
 For as ye in time past were disobedient
to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
 even so have these also now been disobedient, that by
the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy. 
 For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have
mercy upon all. 
 O the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 
 For who hath
known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be
recompensed unto him again? 
 For of him, and through him,
and unto him, are all things. To him [be] the glory for ever.
Amen.
==Chapter 12==
 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
to God, [which is] your spiritual service. 
 And be not
fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. 
 For I say, through
the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to
think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each
man a measure of faith. 
 For even as we have many members
in one body, and all the members have not the same office:
 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and
severally members one of another. 
 And having gifts
differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether
prophecy, [let us prophesy] according to the proportion of our
faith; 
 or ministry, [let us give ourselves] to our
ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 
 or he
that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, [let him do
it] with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that
showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 
 Let love be without
hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is
good. 
 In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned
one to another; in honor preferring one another; 
 in
diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
 rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing
stedfastly in prayer; 
 communicating to the necessities
of the saints; given to hospitality. 
 Bless them that
persecute you; bless, and curse not. 
 Rejoice with them
that rejoice; weep with them that weep. 
 Be of the same
mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but
condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own
conceits. 
 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought
for things honorable in the sight of all men. 
 If it be
possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the
wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me;
I will recompense, saith the Lord. 
 But if thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so
doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. 
 Be
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
==Chapter 13==
 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers:
for there is no power but of God; and the [powers] that be are
ordained of God. 
 Therefore, he that resisteth the power,
withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall
receive to themselves judgment. 
 For rulers are not a
terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have
no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have
praise from the same: 
 for he is a minister of God to thee
for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an
avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 
 Wherefore [ye]
must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but
also for conscience' sake. 
 For this cause ye pay tribute
also; for they are ministers of God's service, attending
continually upon this very thing. 
 Render to all their
dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom;
fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. 
 Owe no man
anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his
neighbor hath fulfilled the law. 
 For this, Thou shalt not
commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou
shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is
summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. 
 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love
therefore is the fulfilment of the law. 
 And this,
knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out
of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we [first]
believed. 
 The night is far spent, and the day is at
hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let
us put on the armor of light. 
 Let us walk becomingly, as
in the day; not in revelling and drunkenness, not in chambering
and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. 
 But put ye
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh,
to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].
==Chapter 14==
 But him that is weak in faith receive ye, [yet] not
for decision of scruples. 
 One man hath faith to eat all
things: but he that is weak eateth herbs. 
 Let not him
that eateth set at nought him that eateth not; and let not him
that eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received
him. 
 Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to
his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to
stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand. 
 One man
esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day
[alike]. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. 
 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he
that eateth, eateth unto the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and
he that eateth not, unto the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God
thanks. 
 For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth
to himself. 
 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;
or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 
 For to this end
Christ died and lived [again], that he might be Lord of both the
dead and the living. 
 But thou, why dost thou judge thy
brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother?
for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. 
 For it is written,
As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow,
And every tongue shall confess to God.
 So then each one of us shall give account of himself
to God. 
 Let us not therefore judge one another any more:
but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock in
his brother's way, or an occasion of falling. 
 I know,
and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of
itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean,
to him it is unclean. 
 For if because of meat thy brother
is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy
meat him for whom Christ died. 
 Let not then your good be
evil spoken of: 
 for the kingdom of God is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit. 
 For he that herein serveth Christ is
well-pleasing to God, and approved of men. 
 So then let
us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby
we may edify one another. 
 Overthrow not for meat's sake
the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil
for that man who eateth with offence. 
 It is good not to
eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor [to do anything] whereby thy
brother stumbleth. 
 The faith which thou hast, have thou
to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in
that which he approveth. 
 But he that doubteth is
condemned if he eat, because [he eateth] not of faith; and
whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
==Chapter 15==
 Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities
of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 
 Let each one of
us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying.
 For Christ also pleased not himself; but, as it is
written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon
me. 
 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that through patience and through
comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. 
 Now the God
of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one
with another according to Christ Jesus: 
 that with one
accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Wherefore receive ye one another, even
as Christ also received you, to the glory of God. 
 For I
say that Christ hath been made a minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises [given]
unto the fathers, 
 and that the Gentiles might glorify God
for his mercy; as it is written,
Therefore, will I give praise unto thee among the Gentiles,
And sing unto thy name.
 And again he saith,
Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
 And again,
Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles;
And let all the peoples praise him.
 And again, Isaiah saith,
There shall be the root of Jesse,
And he that ariseth to rule over the Gentiles;
On him shall the Gentiles hope.
 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the
Holy Spirit. 
 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my
brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 
 But I
write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as putting you
again in remembrance, because of the grace that was given me of
God, 
 that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto
the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering
up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by
the Holy Spirit. 
 I have therefore my glorifying in
Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God. 
 For I will not
dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought
through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,
 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the
Holy Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto
Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ; 
 yea, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ
was [already] named, that I might not build upon another man's
foundation; 
 but, as it is written,
They shall see, to whom no tidings of him came,
And they who have not heard shall understand.
 Wherefore also I was hindered these many times from
coming to you: 
 but now, having no more any place in
these regions, and having these many years a longing to come
unto you, 
 whensoever I go unto Spain (for I hope to see
you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by
you, if first in some measure I shall have been satisfied with
your company)-- 
 but now, I [say], I go unto Jerusalem,
ministering unto the saints. 
 For it hath been the good
pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution
for the poor among the saints that are at Jerusalem. 
 Yea, it hath been their good pleasure; and their debtors they
are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their
spiritual things, they owe it [to them] also to minister unto
them in carnal things. 
 When therefore I have
accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go
on by you unto Spain. 
 And I know that, when I come unto
you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ.
 Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me
in your prayers to God for me; 
 that I may be delivered
from them that are disobedient in Judaea, and [that] my
ministration which [I have] for Jerusalem may be acceptable to
the saints; 
 that I may come unto you in joy through the
will of God, and together with you find rest. 
 Now the
God of peace be with you all. Amen.
==Chapter 16==
 I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant
of the church that is at Cenchreae: 
 that ye receive her
in the Lord, worthily of the saints, and that ye assist her in
whatsoever matter she may have need of you: for she herself also
hath been a helper of many, and of mine own self. 
 Salute
Prisca and Aquila my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus, 
 who
for my life laid down their own necks; unto whom not only I give
thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles: 
 and
[salute] the church that is in their house. Salute Epaenetus my
beloved, who is the first-fruits of Asia unto Christ. 
 Salute Mary, who bestowed much labor on you. 
 Salute
Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who
are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ
before me. 
 Salute Ampliatus my beloved in the Lord.
 Salute Urbanus our fellow-worker in Christ, and Stachys
my beloved. 
 Salute Apelles the approved in Christ.
Salute them that are of the [household] of Aristobulus. 
 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Salute them of the [household] of
Narcissus, that are in the Lord. 
 Salute Tryphaena and
Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute Persis the beloved, who
labored much in the Lord. 
 Salute Rufus the chosen in the
Lord, and his mother and mine. 
 Salute Asyncritus,
Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brethren that are
with them. 
 Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his
sister, and Olympas, and all the saints that are with them.
 Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of
Christ salute you. 
 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark
them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling,
contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from
them. 
 For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ,
but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they
beguile the hearts of the innocent. 
 For your obedience
is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore over you: but I
would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto
that which is evil. 
 And the God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. 
 Timothy my fellow-worker saluteth
you; and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 
 I
Tertius, who write the epistle, salute you in the Lord. 
 Gaius my host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus
the treasurer of the city saluteth you, and Quartus the brother.
 [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.] 
 Now to him that is able to establish you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery which hath been kept
in silence through times eternal, 
 but now is manifested,
and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the
commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the
nations unto obedience of faith: 
 to the only wise God,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever. Amen.