15Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength,^al and not to please ourselves. ²Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.^am ³For even Christ did not please himself.^an On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.^C^ao ⁴For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction,^ap so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. ⁵Now may the God who gives^D endurance and encouragement^aq grant you to live in harmony with one another,^ar according to Christ Jesus, ⁶so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ^as with one mind and one voice.

GLORIFYING GOD TOGETHER

⁷Therefore welcome one another,^at just as^E Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God. ⁸For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised^F on behalf of God’s truth,^au to confirm the promises to the fathers,^av ⁹and so that Gentiles^aw may glorify God for his mercy.^a As it is written,

Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and I will sing praise to your name.^G^b

¹⁰Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!^H^c ¹¹And again,

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

let all the peoples praise him!^I^d

¹²And again, Isaiah says,

The root of Jesse^e will appear,

the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

the Gentiles will hope in him.^J^f

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe^g so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.^h

FROM JERUSALEM TO ILLYRICUM

¹⁴My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness,ⁱ filled with all knowledge,^j and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points^K because of the grace given me by God^k ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,^l serving as a priest of the gospel of God.^m God’s purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering,ⁿ sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus^o regarding what pertains to God.^p ¹⁸For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me^q by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles, ¹⁹by the power of miraculous signs and wonders,^r and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem^s all the way around to Illyricum.^A^t ²⁰My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named,^u so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation,^v ²¹but, as it is written,

Those who were not told about him will see,

and those who have not heard will understand.^B^w

PAUL’S TRAVEL PLANS

²²That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.^x ²³But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions,^C and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you^y ²⁴whenever I travel to Spain.^D For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there,^z once I have first enjoyed your company^aa for a while. ²⁵Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem^ab to serve the saints,^ac ²⁶because Macedonia^ad and Achaia^ae were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits,^af then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs. ²⁸So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds^E to them,^F^ag I will visit you on the way to Spain. ²⁹I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing^G of Christ.

³⁰Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit,^ah to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf.^ai ³¹Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea,^aj that my ministry to^H Jerusalem^ak may be acceptable to the saints,^al ³²and that, by God’s will,^am I may come to you with joy^an and be refreshed together with you.

³³May the God of peace be with all of you.^ao Amen.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

D God of
EOr because
FThe Jews
KOther add brothers
AA Roman province northwest of Greece on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea
C now, having no longer a place in these parts
DOther add I will come to you.
E delivered this fruit
FOr and placed my seal of approval on this fruit for them
GOther add of the gospel
H that my service for

Cross references

al Rm 14:1; Gl 6:2; 1Th 5:14
am 1Co 9:22; 10:24,33; 2Co 13:9
an 2Co 8:9
C Ps 69:9
ao Ps 69:9
ap Rm 4:23; 2Tm 3:16
aq 2Co 1:3
ar Rm 12:16
as Rv 1:6
at Rm 14:1
au Mt 15:24; Ac 3:26
av Rm 4:16; 2Co 1:20
aw Rm 3:29; 11:30
a Mt 9:8
G 2Sm 22:50; Ps 18:49
b 2Sm 22:50; Ps 18:49
H Dt 32:43
c Dt 32:43
I Ps 117:1
d Ps 117:1
e Rv 5:5; 22:16
J Is 11:10
f Is 11:10; Mt 12:21
g Rm 14:17
h 1Co 2:4; 1Th 1:5
i Eph 5:9; 2Th 1:11
j 1Co 1:5; 8:1,7,10; 12:8; 13:2
k Rm 12:3
l Ac 9:15; Rm 11:13
m Rm 1:1
n Rm 12:1; Eph 5:2; Php 2:17
o Php 3:3
p Heb 2:17; 5:1
q Ac 15:12; 21:19; Rm 1:5; 2Co 3:5
r Jn 4:48
s Ac 22:17–21
t Ac 20:1
u Rm 1:15; 10:15
v 1Co 3:10; 2Co 10:15–16
B Is 52:15
w Is 52:15
x Rm 1:13; 1Th 2:18
y Ac 19:21; Rm 1:10
z Ac 15:3
aa Rm 1:12
ab Ac 19:21
ac Ac 24:17
ad Ac 16:9; 1Co 16:5; 2Co 1:16; 2:13; 7:5; 8:1; 9:2,4; 11:9; Php 4:15; 1Th 1:7; 4:10; 1Tm 1:3
ae Ac 18:12; 19:21
af 1Co 9:11
ag Jn 3:33
ah Gl 5:22; Col 1:8
ai 2Co 1:11; Col 4:12
aj 2Co 1:10; 2Th 3:2; 2Tm 3:11; 4:17
ak 2Co 8:4; 9:1
al Ac 9:13; Rm 15:15
am Ac 18:21; Rm 1:10
an Rm 15:23
ao Rm 16:20; 2Co 13:11; Php 4:9; 1Th 5:23; 2Th 3:16; Heb 13:20