Romans 1-9

Contemporary English Version

1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.

God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news ² that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. ^3-4 This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit^[a] proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God,^[b] because he was raised from death.

⁵ Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle,^[c] so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. ⁶ You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ.

⁷ This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.

I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

A Prayer of Thanks

⁸ First, I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ for all of you. I do this because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith. ⁹ God has seen how I never stop praying for you, while I serve him with all my heart and tell the good news about his Son.

¹⁰ In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you. ¹¹ I want to see you and share with you the same blessings that God's Spirit has given me. Then you will grow stronger in your faith. ¹² What I am saying is that we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.

^13 (A) My friends, I want you to know that I have often planned to come for a visit. But something has always kept me from doing it. I want to win followers to Christ in Rome, as I have done in many other places. ^14-15 It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone. That's why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome.

The Power of the Good News

^16 (B) I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ^17 (C) The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith.^[d] It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”^[e]

Everyone Is Guilty

¹⁸ From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth. ¹⁹ They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them. ^20 (D) God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. ^21 (E) They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. ²² They claim to be wise, but they are fools. ^23 (F) They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.

²⁴ So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. ²⁵ They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.

²⁶ God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. ²⁷ Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.

^28 (G) Since these people refused even to think about God, he let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things. ²⁹ They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip, ³⁰ say cruel things about others, and hate God. They are proud, conceited, and boastful, always thinking up new ways to do evil.

These people don't respect their parents. ³¹ They are stupid, unreliable, and don't have any love or pity for others. ³² They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and they even encourage others to do them.

God's Judgment Is Fair

2 ^(H) Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. ² We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. ³ Do you really think God won't punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? ^4 (I) You surely don't think much of God's wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don't you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?

⁵ But you are stubborn and refuse to turn to God. So you are making things even worse for yourselves on that day when he will show how angry he is and will judge the world with fairness. ^6 (J) God will reward each of us for what we have done. ⁷ He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever. ⁸ But he will show how angry and furious he can be with every selfish person who rejects the truth and wants to do evil. ⁹ All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles. ¹⁰ But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ^11 (K) God doesn't have any favorites!

¹² Those people who don't know about God's Law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says. ¹³ God accepts those who obey his Law, but not those who simply hear it.

¹⁴ Some people naturally obey the Law's commands, even though they don't have the Law. ¹⁵ This proves that the conscience is like a law written in the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned, ¹⁶ when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone's secret thoughts, just as my message says.

The Jews and the Law

¹⁷ Some of you call yourselves Jews. You trust in the Law and take pride in God. ¹⁸ By reading the Scriptures you learn how God wants you to behave, and you discover what is right. ¹⁹ You are sure that you are a guide for the blind and a light for all who are in the dark. ²⁰ And since there is knowledge and truth in God's Law, you think you can instruct fools and teach young people.

²¹ But how can you teach others when you refuse to learn? You preach it is wrong to steal. But do you steal? ²² You say people should be faithful in marriage. But are you faithful? You hate idols, yet you rob their temples. ²³ You take pride in the Law, but you disobey the Law and bring shame to God. ^24 (L) It is just as the Scriptures tell us, “You have made foreigners say insulting things about God.”

²⁵ Being circumcised is worthwhile, if you obey the Law. But if you don't obey the Law, you are no better off than people who are not circumcised. ²⁶ In fact, if they obey the Law, they are as good as anyone who is circumcised. ²⁷ So everyone who obeys the Law, but has never been circumcised, will condemn you. Even though you are circumcised and have the Law, you still don't obey its teachings.

²⁸ Just because you live like a Jew and are circumcised doesn't make you a real Jew. ^29 (M) To be a real Jew you must obey the Law. True circumcision is something that happens deep in your heart, not something done to your body. And besides, you should want praise from God and not from humans.

3 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? ² It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. ³ It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? ^4 (N) No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,

⁵ If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. ⁶ But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? ⁷ Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. ⁸ You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.

No One Is Good

⁹ What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off^[f] than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. ^10 (O) The Scriptures tell us,

¹⁹ We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. ^20 (T) God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.

God's Way of Accepting People

²¹ Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets^[g] tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. ^22 (U) God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. ²³ All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. ²⁴ But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. ^25-26 (V) God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.

²⁷ What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. ²⁸ We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. ²⁹ Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! ^30 (W) There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. ³¹ Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.

The Example of Abraham

4 Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? ² If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. ^3 (X) The Scriptures say, “God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.”

⁴ Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. ⁵ But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. ⁶ In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,

⁹ Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. ¹⁰ But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.

^11 (Z) Abraham let himself be circumcised to show he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. ¹² This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.

The Promise Is for All Who Have Faith

^13 (AA) God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. ^14 (AB) If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.

¹⁵ God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken. ^16 (AC) Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his gift of undeserved grace. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. ^17 (AD) The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.

^18 (AE) God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. ^19 (AF) Abraham's faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. ²⁰ But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.

²¹ Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. ²² So God accepted him, ²³ just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. ²⁴ They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. ^25 (AG) God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.

What It Means To Be Acceptable to God

5 By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace^[h] with God. ² Christ has also introduced us^[i] to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. ³ But that's not all! We gladly suffer,^[j] because we know that suffering helps us to endure. ⁴ And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope ⁵ that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.

⁶ Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. ⁷ No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. ⁸ But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

⁹ But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. ¹⁰ Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. ¹¹ And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.

Adam and Christ

^12 (AH) Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. ¹³ Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. ¹⁴ Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.

In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. ¹⁵ But the gift of God's undeserved grace was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of undeserved grace to many people.

¹⁶ There is a lot of difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. ¹⁷ Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has treated us with undeserved grace, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.

^18 (AI) Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. ¹⁹ Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.

²⁰ The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God's gift of undeserved grace was even more powerful. ²¹ Sin ruled by means of death. But God's gift of grace now rules, and God has accepted us because of Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that we will have eternal life.

Dead to Sin but Alive because of Christ

6 What should we say? Should we keep on sinning, so that God's gift of undeserved grace will show up even better? ² No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? ³ Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? ^4 (AJ) When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.

⁵ If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. ⁶ We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. ⁷ We know sin doesn't have power over dead people.

⁸ As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. ¹⁰ When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. ¹¹ In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.

¹² Don't let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don't obey its desires ¹³ or let any part of it become a slave of evil. Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God. ¹⁴ Don't let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God's undeserved grace and not by the Law.

Slaves Who Do What Pleases God

¹⁵ What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God's gift of undeserved grace and not by the Law? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Don't you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. ¹⁷ You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you followed the example set forth in the teaching you received. ¹⁸ Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.

¹⁹ I am using these everyday examples, because in some ways you are still weak. You used to let the different parts of your body be slaves of your evil thoughts. But now you must make every part of your body serve God, so that you will belong completely to him.

²⁰ When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God. ²¹ But what good did you receive from the things you did? All you have to show for them is your shame, and they lead to death. ²² Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. ²³ Sin pays off with death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.

An Example from Marriage

7 My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. ² For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free ³ to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.

⁴ That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so we could serve God. ⁵ When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. ⁶ But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.

The Battle with Sin

^7 (AK) Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do this. ⁸ It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.

⁹ Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, ¹⁰ and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. ^11 (AL) Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. ¹² Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.

¹³ Am I saying something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. ¹⁴ We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. ^15 (AM) In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. ¹⁶ Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.

¹⁸ I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. ¹⁹ Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. ²⁰ And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.

²¹ The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. ²² With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. ²³ But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. ²⁴ What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? ²⁵ Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.

So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.

Living by the Power of God's Spirit

8 If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. ² The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you^[k] free from sin and death. ³ The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin. ⁴ He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires.

⁵ People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. ⁶ If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. ⁷ Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. ⁸ If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.

⁹ You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him. ¹⁰ But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. ^11 (AN) Yet God raised Jesus to life! God's Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit.

¹² My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. ¹³ If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God's Spirit you say “No” to your desires. ¹⁴ Only those people who are led by God's Spirit are his children. ^15 (AO)(AP) God's Spirit doesn't make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.^{[l] 16} God's Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. ¹⁷ His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.

A Wonderful Future for God's People

^18 (AQ) I am sure what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. ¹⁹ In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. ^20 (AR) Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope ²¹ that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. ²² We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.

^23 (AS) The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children.^[m] This means that our bodies will also be set free. ²⁴ And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. ²⁵ However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it.

²⁶ In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. ^27 (AT) All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people. ²⁸ We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.^[n] They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, ²⁹ and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children. ³⁰ God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.

God's Love

³¹ What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? ³² God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? ³³ If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? ³⁴ Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side,^[o] speaking to him for us. ³⁵ Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? ^36 (AU) It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

³⁷ In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. ³⁸ I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, ³⁹ and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

God's Choice of Israel

9 I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say ² my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. ³ I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. ^4 (AV) They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. ⁵ They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of the Christ.^[p] I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever!^[q] Amen.

⁶ It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. ^7-8 (AW) In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised ^9 (AX) Sarah, “At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son.”

¹⁰ Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. ^11-12 (AY) Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show he makes his own choices and it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. ^13 (AZ) That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.

¹⁴ Are we saying God is unfair? Certainly not! ^15 (BA) The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. ¹⁶ Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. ^17 (BB) In the Scriptures the Lord says to the king of Egypt, “I let you become king, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth.” ¹⁸ Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.

God's Anger and Mercy

¹⁹ Someone may ask, “How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?” ^20 (BC) But, my friend, I ask, “Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? ^21 (BD) Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?”

^22 (BE) God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. ²³ He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. ²⁴ Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, ^25 (BF) just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea,

“Although they are not
my people,
    I will make them my people.
I will treat with love
those nations
    that have never been loved.

^26 (BG) “Once they were told,
    ‘You are not my people.’
But in that very place
they will be called
    children of the living God.”

^27 (BH) And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel,

“The people of Israel
    are as many
as the grains of sand
    along the beach.
But only a few who are left
    will be saved.
²⁸ The Lord will be quick
    and sure to do on earth
what he has warned
    he will do.”

^29 (BI) Isaiah also said,

“If the Lord All-Powerful
had not spared some
    of our descendants,
we would have been destroyed
like the cities of Sodom
    and Gomorrah.”^[r]

Israel and the Good News

³⁰ What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. ^31-32 It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying^[s] to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, ^33 (BJ) just as God says in the Scriptures,

“Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
    stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one will never
    be disappointed.”

Footnotes

1. 1.3-4 the Holy Spirit: Or “his own spirit of holiness.”
2. 1.3-4 proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God: Or “proved in a powerful way that Jesus is the Son of God.”
3. 1.5 Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle: Or “Jesus was kind to us and chose us to be his apostles.”
4. 1.17 but only those who have faith: Or “and faith is all that matters.”
5. 1.17 The people God accepts because of their faith will live: Or “The people God accepts will live because of their faith.”
6. 3.9 better off: Or “worse off.”
7. 3.21 The Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
8. 5.1 we have peace: Some manuscripts have “let us have peace.”
9. 5.2 introduced us: Some manuscripts add “by faith.”
10. 5.3 We gladly suffer: Or “Let us gladly suffer.”
11. 8.2 you: Some manuscripts have “me.”
12. 8.15 our Father: The Greek text uses the Aramaic word “Abba” (meaning “father”), which shows the close relation between the children and their father.
13. 8.23 to show that we are his children: These words are not in some manuscripts. The translation of the remainder of the verse would then read, “while we wait for God to set our bodies free.”
14. 8.28 God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him: Or “All things work for the good of everyone who loves God” or “God's Spirit always works for the good of everyone who loves God.”
15. 8.34 right side: The place of power and honor.
16. 9.5 Christ: Or “Messiah.”
17. 9.5 Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever: Or “Christ, who rules over all. I pray that God will be praised forever” or “Christ. And I pray that Christ, who is God and rules over all, will be praised forever.”
18. 9.29 Sodom and Gomorrah: During the time of Abraham the Lord destroyed these two cities because their people were so sinful.
19. 9.31,32 because they were trying: Or “while they were trying” or “even though they were trying.”

Cross references

1. 1.13 : Ac 19.21.
2. 1.16 : Mk 8.38.
3. 1.17 : Hb 2.4.
4. 1.20 : Ws 13.1-9; Si 17.8.
5. 1.21 : Eph 4.17,18.
6. 1.23 : Dt 4.16-18; Ws 11.15; 12.24; 13.10-19.
7. 1.28 : 3 Macc 4.16; 4 Macc 1.20,21.
8. 2.1 : Mt 7.1; Lk 6.37.
9. 2.4 : Ws 11.23.
10. 2.6 : Ps 62.12; Pr 24.12.
11. 2.11 : Dt 10.17.
12. 2.24 : Is 52.5 (LXX).
13. 2.29 : Dt 30.6.
14. 3.4 : Ps 51.4 (LXX).
15. 3.10-12 : Ps 14.1-3 (LXX); Ps 53.1-3 (LXX).
16. 3.13 a : Ps 5.9 (LXX); b Ps 140.3.
17. 3.14 : Ps 10.7 (LXX).
18. 3.15-17 : Is 59.7,8.
19. 3.18 : Ps 36.1.
20. 3.20 : Ps 143.2; Ga 2.16.
21. 3.22 : Ga 2.16.
22. 3.25,26 : 4 Macc 17.21.
23. 3.30 : Dt 6.4; Ga 3.20.
24. 4.3 : Gn 15.6; Ga 3.6.
25. 4.7,8 : Ps 32.1,2.
26. 4.11 : Gn 17.10,11.
27. 4.13 : Gn 17.4-6; 22.17,18; Ga 3.29.
28. 4.14 : Ga 3.18.
29. 4.16 : Ga 3.7.
30. 4.17 : Gn 17.4,5.
31. 4.18 : Gn 15.5.
32. 4.19 : Gn 17.17.
33. 4.25 : Is 53.4,5.
34. 5.12 : Gn 3.6; Ws 2.24.
35. 5.18 : 2 Esd 7.11.
36. 6.4 : Col 2.12.
37. 7.7 : Ex 20.17; Dt 5.21.
38. 7.11 : Gn 3.13.
39. 7.15 : Ga 5.17.
40. 8.11 : 1 Co 3.16.
41. 8.15-17 : Ga 4.5-7.
42. 8.15 : Mk 14.35,36; Ga 4.6.
43. 8.18 : Ws 3.5,6.
44. 8.20 : Gn 3.17-19.
45. 8.23 : 2 Co 5.2-4.
46. 8.27 : 4 Macc 10.18.
47. 8.36 : Ps 44.22.
48. 9.4 : Ex 4.22.
49. 9.7,8 : Gn 21.12.
50. 9.9 : Gn 18.10.
51. 9.11,12 : Gn 25.23.
52. 9.13 : Ml 1.2,3.
53. 9.15 : Ex 33.19.
54. 9.17 : Ex 9.16 (LXX); 3 Macc 2.6.
55. 9.20 : Is 29.16; 45.9; Ws 12.12.
56. 9.21 : Ws 15.7; Si 33.13.
57. 9.22 : Ws 12.20,21.
58. 9.25 : Ho 2.23.
59. 9.26 : Ho 1.10.
60. 9.27,28 : Is 10.21-23 (LXX).
61. 9.29 : Is 1.9 (LXX).
62. 9.33 : Is 28.16 (LXX).