Romans 10-16

Worldwide English (New Testament)

10 My brothers, with all my heart I want the Jews to be saved. And I ask God to save them.

² I can say this about them, they want very much to obey God. But they do not know the right way.

³ They did not know the way God makes people right with him. They tried to make themselves good people. So they did not obey God's way to become right with him.

⁴ Christ has made an end to the law as a way of getting right with God. Everyone who believes in him is put right with God.

⁵ Moses wrote this: `A man who obeys the law will live by it.'

⁶ But the holy writings also speak about those who are put right by believing: `Do not say in your heart, "Who will go up into heaven?" ' (That means, `Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?')

⁷ `Do not say, "Who will go down into the hole that has no bottom?" ' (That means, `Who will go down to bring Christ up from the dead people?')

⁸ But what do the holy writings say? They say, `The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.' That means, the word to believe which we tell people.

⁹ If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe in your heart that God has raised Christ from death, you will be saved.

¹⁰ A person believes with his heart, and he is made right with God. He speaks with his mouth and so is saved from his wrong ways.

¹¹ The holy writings say, `Anyone who believes in him will not be let down.'

¹² The Jews and other people are alike. The same Lord is Lord of all people. He richly blesses all who call out to him.

¹³ The holy writings say, `Everyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.'

¹⁴ But how can people call someone if they have not believed in him? And how can they believe in him if they have not heard about him? And how can they hear about him if no one tells them about him?

¹⁵ And how can people tell about him if no one sends them? The holy writings say, `How good are the feet of those who bring the good news of peace and happiness.'

¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the good news. It is as Isaiah said it would be, `Lord, who has believed what we have told them?'

¹⁷ So people believe because they hear. They hear because people tell them about Christ.

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have. The holy writings say, `Their voice has gone out all over the earth. And their words have gone out all over the world.'

¹⁹ But I ask, did not the Jews know? First the book of Moses says, `I will make you jealous through people who are not a nation like the Jews. I will make you angry through people who do not even know or understand these things.'

²⁰ But the book of Isaiah says even stronger words. `The people who did not look for me have found me. I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.'

²¹ But he says about the Jews, `All day I held out my hands to a people who did not obey me, who said wrong things against me.'

11 So I ask, has God left his people? No, he has not! I myself am a Jew. I was born in Abraham's family. I belong to the tribe of Benjamin.

² God has not left his people whom he knew from the first. Do you not know what the holy writings say about the prophet Elijah? He talked to God against the people of Israel.

³ He said, `Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have pulled down your holy places. I am the only one that is left, and they are trying to kill me.'

⁴ But what did God answer him? He said, `I have seven thousand men who have not kneeled down to the idol god Baal.'

⁵ So now some are left because God was kind to them, and chose them.

⁶ But if it was a gift because he was kind to them, then it was no longer because of the things they did. Or else a gift would no longer be a gift.

⁷ So what does that mean? The Jews did not get what they tried to get. Only the people God chose got it. The hearts of the rest of the people became hard.

⁸ The holy writings say, `God made them dull with sleep. He gave them eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear. They have been like that until today.'

⁹ And David said long ago, `May the table where they eat be like a net and like a trap. May it make them fall down. May it punish them.

¹⁰ Make their eyes become blind so that they cannot see. Make their backs bent all the time.'

¹¹ So I ask, `Have their feet been caught so that they have really fallen down?' No. But because they began to fall, the people who are not Jews were told how to be saved. That would make the Jews jealous.

¹² The people who are not Jews have been richly blessed because the Jews failed. So it will be even better for them when the Jews no longer fail God.

¹³ Now I say this to you who are not Jews. I am an apostle to those who are not Jews, so I think highly of the work I have been sent to do.

¹⁴ I want the people of my own nation, the Jews, to be jealous. Then I may be able to save some of them.

¹⁵ God turned away from the Jews in order to bring the world back to himself. Then if that is true, when he takes the Jews back to himself, will not that be like making dead people live?

¹⁶ If the first piece of bread is holy, so is all the rest which came from the same bread mix. If the root of a tree is holy, the branches are holy also.

¹⁷ Maybe some of the tree's branches were broken off. And you, a branch from a wild olive tree, were made to grow on the tree among the branches. You then have the good water that comes from the root of the olive tree.

¹⁸ But do not think that you are better than the tree's own branches. If you do, remember it is not you that holds the root in place. But it is the root that holds you.

¹⁹ Then you will say, `The branches were broken off so that I might be joined to the tree.'

²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe. And you have your place only because you believe. So do not be proud, but fear.

²¹ If God punished the tree's own branches, he will punish you also.

²² See how kind God is. And see how hard he is. He is hard on those who have fallen. But God is kind to you if you go on following in his ways. If you do not, you also will be broken off.

²³ God will also put back the other branches if they believe. God is able to put the Jews back where they belong.

²⁴ You were cut off from a wild olive tree. And you were put on a good olive tree. That is not the way trees grow. But it can be done. And so, even more, the Jewish branches will be put back on their own olive tree.

²⁵ My brothers, I want you to know something that has been a secret. Then you will not be proud of yourselves. The secret is this. Some Jews will have hard hearts until the right number of other people have come in.

²⁶ Then all the Jews will be saved. The holy writings say, `Someone will come from Zion to save people. He will take away the wrong ways of our father Jacob.'

²⁷ This will be my agreement with them when I take away the wrong things they have done.

²⁸ The Jews make themselves enemies of God because they do not want the good news of Jesus Christ. That helps you since the good news has then come to you. But God still loves the Jews because of the promise he made to their fathers long ago.

²⁹ God does not change his gifts or his call to people.

³⁰ At one time you did not obey God. But now he has been kind to you because the Jews did not obey him.

³¹ So now, they also have not obeyed him. But he will also be kind to them because he was kind to you.

³² God allowed people to disobey him. He did it so that he might be kind and forgive all people.

³³ God is very kind. He is very wise. He knows much. No one can understand why he judges the way he does. No one can find out why he does the things he does.

³⁴ The holy writings say, `Who has known what the Lord thinks? Who has ever told him what to do?

³⁵ Who has given a gift to God first, so that God would give him something also?'

³⁶ All things come from God, through God, and return to God. Praise him for ever! Yes, it is so!

12 God has been kind to you. So I ask you, brothers, give your bodies to him like a living sacrifice. That is, a holy sacrifice. It will please God. And it is what you should do for him.

² Do not be like the people of this world, but have a new mind. Then you will prove for yourselves what God wants you to do. That will be good. It will please God. And it will be all right.

³ God has given me this gift. So I say this to every one of you. Do not think you are better than you really are. But think of yourself as you are. You are what you are because God has given you something when you believed.

⁴ In a body there are many parts, but all the parts do not do the same thing.

⁵ In the same way, we are many people. But we are one body because we are all joined together in Christ. Each one of us is a part of all the others.

⁶ We have different gifts because God has blessed us in different ways. If a person can speak words from God, he must say what he believes he should say.

⁷ If a person can help others, he must help others. If a person can teach, he must teach.

⁸ If a person can talk to others, he must talk to others. If a person can give something, he must give it gladly. If a person can be a leader, he must try to be a good leader. If a person can help someone, he must do it gladly.

⁹ Your love must be real love. Hate what is wrong. Hold to what is good.

¹⁰ Love one another very much, like brothers. Honour other people more than you honour yourself.

¹¹ Do not hold back in what you do. Let the Spirit burn in you. Work hard for the Lord.

¹² Be very happy because you have a hope. Be strong when you have trouble. Keep on talking with God.

¹³ Give to God's people who need it. Be glad to take care of strangers in your house.

¹⁴ Bless those who do wrong things to you. Bless them. Do not curse them.

¹⁵ Be happy with people who are happy. Cry with people who cry.

¹⁶ Agree with one another. Do not be proud, but be friends with anybody. Do not think you are wiser than you are.

¹⁷ When people do wrong things to you, do not do wrong things to them also. But try to do good things for all people.

¹⁸ As much as you can, live in peace with everyone.

¹⁹ My dear brothers, do not punish people who do wrong to you. But let God's anger punish them. In the holy writings the Lord says, `I myself will punish people. If they have done wrong things, I will do wrong things to them also.'

²⁰ But, `If your enemy is hungry, give him food. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. When you do that, it will be as if you put a pile of coals from the fire on his head.'

²¹ Do not let wrong things win a victory over you. But win a victory over wrong things by the good things you do.

13 Every person must obey the rulers over him. Every ruler has his power from God. And the rulers are put there by God.

² So anyone who fights against the ruler, fights against what God put there. And those who fight will be punished.

³ The rulers do not bring fear to a good man, but they bring fear to a bad man. If you do not want to be afraid of a ruler, do what is good and he will praise you.

⁴ Such a person is God's servant and will do what is good for you. But if you do what is wrong, you should fear him. He has great power and he will use it. He is God's servant and will punish those who do wrong.

⁵ So you must obey, not only because of the punishment, but because you know it is right.

⁶ That is why you also pay taxes. The rulers serve God and they give all their time to their work.

⁷ Pay them all that they should have. Pay taxes to the person who should have the taxes. Pay money to the person who should have the money. Respect the people who should be respected. Honour a person who should be honoured.

⁸ Do not have any debts, but love each other. Anyone who loves his neighbour has done all that the law says we should do.

⁹ The law says, `Do not commit adultery. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not want things that belong to other people.' These laws and others are all in this one law: `Love your neighbour as you love yourself.'

¹⁰ Anyone who loves his neighbour will do no wrong to him. So love does all that the law says to do.

¹¹ In all this you know what a special time it is. It is time now for you to wake up from your sleep. The time when we will be saved is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

¹² The night is almost past. Morning is near. Let us stop doing the wrong things people do in the dark. Let us do the good things that people do in the light.

¹³ Let us live in the right way like people who are in the light. We must not take part in noisy feasting with dancing, or get drunk. We must not do any kind of wrong thing with sex. We must not quarrel or be jealous.

¹⁴ But you must take the Lord Jesus Christ into your hearts. And do not plan to do the wrong things your bodies want to do.

14 Be ready to take a person into the church even if he does not know and believe all you believe. Do not judge what he thinks about things.

² One person believes he may eat anything. Another person, who does not believe that, eats only things that grow in the garden.

³ The one who eats anything must not despise the one who does not eat everything. And the one who does not eat must not judge the person who does. God has accepted him as he is.

⁴ Why do you judge another person's servant? He stands or he falls before his own master. But he will stand because the Lord can give him power to stand.

⁵ One man thinks, `This day is better than that day.' But another man thinks, `All days are alike.' Every man should be sure in his own mind what he believes.

⁶ One man honours the day to honour the Lord; another man does not honour the day to honour the Lord. The person who eats everything, eats it because he honours the Lord. And he thanks God. And the person who will not eat every kind of food also does so to honour the Lord. And he still gives thanks to God.

⁷ Not one of us lives for himself. And not one of us dies for himself.

⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord. And if we die, we die for the Lord. So then, if we live or if we die we belong to the Lord.

⁹ Christ wanted to be Lord, both of dead people and of living people. That is why he died and lived again.

¹⁰ Why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? We shall all stand before God to be judged.

¹¹ The holy writings say, `The Lord says, "As sure as I live, every knee will bow to me. Every tongue will praise God." '

¹² So each of us will tell God about what he has done.

¹³ So we must not judge each other any longer. But it is better for us to judge this. Never put anything in a brother's way that will hurt him or that will make him fall down.

¹⁴ As a Christian, I know and believe that nothing in itself is not right to eat. But it is not right for anyone to eat who thinks it is not right to eat.

¹⁵ Does what you eat trouble your brother? If it does, you are no longer living in love. Do not destroy the faith of someone because of what you eat. Christ died for him.

¹⁶ What is good for you must not be something that other people say is wrong.

¹⁷ The kingdom of God is not about what a person eats and drinks. But it is about living in a way which is right with God. It is peace. It is joy because a person has the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ A person who does the work of Christ in this way pleases God. And people like him.

¹⁹ But we must do the things that make peace and that help each other to do better.

²⁰ Do not spoil what God has done because you want some food. Everything is right. But it is wrong for anyone to eat anything if that will make his brother fall.

²¹ The right thing is to eat no meat, and drink no wine, and not do anything that makes your brother fall.

²² Keep to yourself and God what you believe about these things. God blesses a man who does not feel he has done wrong when he did what he thought was right.

²³ But a man who is not sure that he should eat something, does wrong if he eats it. That is because he does not believe the thing he is doing is right to do. And it is wrong to do what you do not believe is right.

15 We who are strong must help those who are not strong. We must not do what pleases us.

² But each of us must please his neighbour. He must do what is good for him and what will help him do better.

³ Christ did not please himself. But the holy writings say, `I took upon myself the wrong things that people said against you.'

⁴ Everything that is in the holy writings was written to teach us. They give hope and strength when we have troubles. The holy writings comfort our hearts.

⁵ God gives people power to take their troubles and he comforts their hearts. I ask him to help you to think the same way as Christ did.

⁶ Then, together you will praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ So, accept one another, as Christ has accepted you. Then people will know that God is great.

⁸ What I say is this. Christ came to serve the Jews. He did this to prove that what God said was true. He proved that God kept his promises to the fathers.

⁹ He did this so that people who are not Jews would praise God because he is kind. The holy writings say, `So I will praise you among the people who are not Jews. I will sing songs to your name.'

¹⁰ The holy writings also say, `People who are not Jews, be glad with those who are God's people.'

¹¹ And they also say, `People who are not Jews, praise the Lord. All peoples should praise him.'

¹² Also, Isaiah says, `Someone from Jesse's family will come. He will come to rule the people who are not Jews. People who are not Jews will have hope in him.'

¹³ God gives hope. May he make you very happy. May he give you peace because you believe. Then the power of the Holy Spirit will give you much hope.

¹⁴ My brothers, I myself believe that you are very good people. I believe that you know many things and are able to teach one another.

¹⁵ I have written strong words to you. There are some things I want you to remember. I have written because of the gift God has given to me.

¹⁶ I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the people who are not Jews. I am like a priest to them, to tell them God's good news. Then I offer the people to God. That pleases God. They have been accepted by him and made holy by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ So, because of Christ Jesus, I am proud of my work for God.

¹⁸ I will speak only of what Christ has done through me. People who are not Jews have obeyed the good news. They have obeyed because of what I told them and because of what I did.

¹⁹ I had the power to do signs and wonderful things through the power of the Holy Spirit. So I have told the good news of Christ all the way from the city of Jerusalem to the country of Illyricum.

²⁰ I have wanted to tell the good news where people have not heard the name of Christ. I did not want to work where another man had started to work.

²¹ The holy writings say, `They were not told about him, but they will see him. And the people who have not heard of him will understand.'

²² So I have been stopped many times from coming to you.

²³ But now, I am no longer needed to work in these places. And I have wanted for many years to come to you.

²⁴ When I go to the country of Spain, I hope to see you on my way there. I hope you will help me on my way to that place. But first I will be happy to be with you for a little while.

²⁵ But now I am going to Jerusalem with a gift to help God's people.

²⁶ The people of Macedonia and Achaia wanted to send a gift to help God's people in Jerusalem who are poor.

²⁷ They wanted to do it, and they should do it for them. The Jews gave the people who were not Jews the good things their spirits need. So the people who were not Jews should give the Jews the good things their bodies need.

²⁸ I will finish doing this, and I will give them what the people send them. Then I will go by you on my way to Spain.

²⁹ And I know that when I come to you, I will bring great blessings from Christ.

³⁰ My brothers, I ask you to do this for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and because the Spirit has given you love. Talk to God for me. And I also will talk to him.

³¹ Ask him to save me from the people in Judea who do not believe. Ask him that the gift I take to Jerusalem may please God's people there.

³² Ask him to let me come to you and have a good time with you.

³³ God gives peace. I ask that he will be with you all. He will!

16 I want to tell you good things about our sister Phoebe. She helps in the church in Cenchrea.

² I want you to take her in because she is a Christian. That is what God's people should do. Help her in any way she needs help. She has helped many people and has helped me too.

³ I send greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, who worked with me for Christ Jesus.

⁴ They almost died to save me. I am not the only one who thanks them. All the churches who are not Jews thank them also.

⁵ Give my greetings also to the church in their house. Give my greetings also to dear Epaenetus. He was the first person in Asia Minor to believe in Christ.

⁶ Give my greetings to Mary. She worked hard to help us.

⁷ Give my greetings to Andronicus and Junia. They belong to my family. We were in prison together. The apostles think they are good men. They were Christians before I was.

⁸ Give my greetings to Amplias. I love him because he is a Christian.

⁹ Give my greetings to Urbanus. He worked with us for Christ. Give my greetings to dear Stachys also.

¹⁰ Give my greetings to Apelles. He has proved himself to be a Christian. Give my greetings to the family of Aristobulus.

¹¹ Give my greetings to Herodion. He belongs to my family. Give my greetings to the family of Narcissus. They are Christians.

¹² Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa. They worked for the Lord. Give my greetings to dear Persis. She has worked hard for the Lord.

¹³ Give my greetings to Rufus. The Lord chose him. Give my greetings also to his mother who is like a mother to me.

¹⁴ Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brothers who are with them.

¹⁵ Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all God's people who are with them.

¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Christian churches send greetings to you.

¹⁷ Brothers, I ask you to do this. Watch the people who make quarrels. They make people do wrong because they teach things you have not been taught. Have nothing to do with those people.

¹⁸ Those people do not work for our Lord Jesus Christ. They work only for themselves. With their words of praise they fool people who do not know what is wrong.

¹⁹ People everywhere know that you obey. I am very happy about you. I want you to be wise and know what is right. I want you to know nothing about what is wrong.

²⁰ God gives peace. He will soon crush Satan under your feet. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

²¹ Timothy sends you greetings. He worked with me. Luke, Jason, and Sosipater send you greetings. They belong to my family.

²² (I, Tertius, send you Christian greetings. I am writing this letter for Paul.)

²³ Gaius sends you greetings. I am staying in his house. The whole church that meets in his house sends you greetings too. Erastus sends greetings to you. He takes care of the money for the city. Our brother Quartus sends you greetings.

²⁴ I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to show you his loving kindness. He will!

²⁵ Praise God! He is able to make you stand firm. That is the good news that I tell. That is what the message about Jesus Christ says. The message was kept secret for a long time in the past. But it has now been made known.

²⁶ The books of the prophets have told this message. The God who lives for ever told the prophets to write this message so that all the people who are not Jews will believe and obey.

²⁷ God is the only one who is wise. Praise him for ever because of Jesus Christ. Yes, it is so!