Romans 13–15

13Let every ^asoul ^bbe subject unto the higher powers. For ^cthere is no power but of God: the powers that be are ^||dordained of God. ²Whosoever therefore resisteth ^bthe power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves ^dddamnation. ³For rulers are not a terror to ^egood works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and ^fthou shalt have praise of the same: ⁴For he is ^gthe 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 ^gthe minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. ⁵Wherefore ^hye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also ⁱfor conscience sake. ⁶For for this cause pay ye ^ktribute also: for they are ^gGod’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. ^7lRender therefore to all their dues: ^ktribute to whom tribute is due; ^mcustom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. ⁸Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for ⁿhe that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. ⁹For this, ^oThou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ^opThou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, ^qThou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ¹⁰Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore ^nrlove is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹And that, knowing ^sthe time, ^sthat now it is high time ^tto awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when ^uwe believed. ¹²The night is far spent, ^vthe day is at hand: let us therefore cast off ^wthe works of darkness, and ^xlet us put on ^ythe armour of light. ^13zLet us walk ^||honestly, as in the day; not in ^arioting and ^bdrunkenness, not in ^cchambering and ^dwantonness, not in ^estrife and envying. ¹⁴But ^fput ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, ^gto fulfil the lusts thereof.

14Him that is ^aweak in the faith ^breceive ye, but ^||not to doubtful disputations. ²For one believeth ^dthat he may eat all things: another, who is ^aweak, eateth herbs. ³Let not him that eateth ^rdespise him that eateth not; and ^elet not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath ^breceived him. ^4fWho art thou that judgest another man’s ^gservant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. ^5hOne man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. ⁱLet every man be ^||kfully persuaded in his own mind. ⁶He that ^||regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for ^lhe giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. ⁷For ^mnone of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. ⁸For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For ^mto this end Christ both ⁿdied, and rose, and ^orevived, that he might be ^pLord both ^qof the dead and living.

¹⁰But ^ewhy dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou ^rset at nought thy brother? for ^swe shall all stand before ^tthe judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹For it is written, ^uAs I live, saith the Lord, ^wevery knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹²So then ^xevery one of us shall give account of himself to God. ^13eLet us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, ^ythat no man put a ^zstumblingblock or ^aan occasion to fall in his brother’s way. ¹⁴I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, ^bthat there is nothing ^†unclean of itself: but ^cto him that esteemeth any thing to be ^†unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not ^†charitably. ^dDestroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. ^16eLet not then your good be evil spoken of: ¹⁷For ^fthe kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. ¹⁸For he that in these things ^gserveth Christ is ^hacceptable to God, and ^eapproved of men. ¹⁹Let us therefore ⁱfollow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith ^kone may edify another. ^20dFor meat destroy not the work of God. ^blAll things indeed are pure; ^mbut it is evil for that man who eateth with ^zoffence. ²¹ⁿIt is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. ²²Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. ^oHappy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he ^palloweth. ²³And he that ^||qdoubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for ^lwhatsoever is not of faith is sin.

15We then ^athat are strong ought to bear the ^binfirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2cLet every one of us please his neighbour for his good ^dto edification. ^3eFor even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, ^fThe reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. ⁴For ^gwhatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our ^hlearning, that we through patience and ⁱcomfort of the scriptures might have hope. ⁵Now the God of patience and consolation grant you ^kto be likeminded one toward another ^||according to Christ Jesus: ⁶That ye may ^lwith one mind and ^mone mouth glorify ⁿGod, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷Wherefore ^oreceive ye one another, as Christ also received us ^pto the glory of God. ⁸Now I say that ^qJesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision ^rfor the truth of God, to ^sconfirm the promises made unto the fathers: ⁹And ^tthat the Gentiles might ^pglorify God for his mercy; as it is written, ^uFor this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. ¹⁰And again he saith, ^xRejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. ¹¹And again, ^yPraise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. ¹²And again, Esaias saith, ^zThere shall be ^aa root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. ¹³Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

¹⁴And ^bI myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of ^cgoodness, filled with all ^dknowledge, able also to admonish one another. ¹⁵Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you ^ein some sort, ^bas putting you in mind, ^fbecause of the grace that is given to me of God, ¹⁶That ^gI should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the ^||hoffering up of the Gentiles might be ⁱacceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. ¹⁷I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ ^kin those things which pertain to God. ¹⁸For I will not dare to speak of any of those things ^lwhich Christ hath not wrought by me, ^mto make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, ¹⁹Through ⁿmighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. ²⁰Yea, so have I ^ostrived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, ^plest I should build upon another man’s foundation: ²¹But as it is written, ^qTo whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. ²²For which cause also I have been ^||much ^rhindered from coming to you. ²³But now having no more place in these ^sparts, and ^thaving a great desire these many years to come unto you; ²⁴Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and ^uto be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be ^esomewhat filled ^†with your company. ²⁵But now I ^xgo unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. ²⁶For it hath pleased them of ^yzMacedonia and ^yaAchaia ^bto make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. ²⁷It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For ^cif the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, ^dtheir duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. ²⁸When therefore I have performed this, and have ^esealed to them this ^ffruit, I will come by you into Spain. ²⁹And I am sure that, ^gwhen I come unto you, I shall come in the ^hfulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. ³⁰Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye ⁱstrive together with me in your prayers to God for me; ^31kThat I may be delivered from them that ^||do not believe in Judaea; and that my ^lservice which I have for Jerusalem may be ^llaccepted of the saints; ³²That I may come unto you with joy ^mby the will of God, and may with you be ⁿrefreshed. ³³Now ^othe God of peace be with you all. Amen.