Romans 15:16–30

¹⁶to be ^pa minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ^qin the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that ^rthe offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷In Christ Jesus, then, I have ^sreason to be proud of ^tmy work for God. ¹⁸For I will not venture to speak of anything except ^uwhat Christ has accomplished through me ^vto bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, ^19wby the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that ^xfrom Jerusalem and all the way around ^yto Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ²⁰and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, ^zlest I build on someone else’s foundation, ²¹but as it is written,

^a“Those who have never been told of him will see,

and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²²This is the reason why ^bI have so often been hindered from coming to you. ²³But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and ^csince I have longed for many years to come to you, ²⁴I hope to see you in passing as I go ^dto Spain, and ^eto be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵At present, however, ^fI am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. ²⁶For ^gMacedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷For they were pleased to do it, and indeed ^hthey owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. ²⁸When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected,² I will leave ⁱfor Spain by way of you. ²⁹I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing³ of Christ.

³⁰I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by ^jthe love of the Spirit, ^kto strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,