Sister Phoebe Commended

16 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in aCenchrea, 2 bthat you may receive her in the Lord cin a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

Greeting Roman Saints

3 Greet dPriscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet ethe church that is in their house.

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is fthe firstfruits of 1Achaia to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the gapostles, who also hwere in Christ before me.

8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my 2countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, ichosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

16 jGreet one another with a holy kiss. 3The churches of Christ greet you.

Avoid Divisive Persons

17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those kwho cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and lavoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord 4Jesus Christ, but mtheir own belly, and nby smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For oyour obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be pwise in what is good, and 5simple concerning evil. 20 And qthe God of peace rwill crush Satan under your feet shortly.

sThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Greetings from Paul’s Friends

21 tTimothy, my fellow worker, and uLucius, vJason, and wSosipater, my countrymen, greet you.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.

23 xGaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. yErastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 zThe 6grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Benediction

25 7Now ato Him who is able to establish you baccording to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, caccording to the revelation of the mystery dkept secret since the world began 26 but enow made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for fobedience to the faith—27 to gGod, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9 I atell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 bthat I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For cI could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my 1countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, dto whom pertain the adoption, ethe glory, fthe covenants, gthe giving of the law, hthe service of God, and ithe promises; 5 jof whom are the fathers and from kwhom, according to the flesh, Christ came, lwho is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose

6 mBut it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For nthey are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 onor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, p“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but qthe children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: r“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

10 And not only this, but when sRebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of tHim who calls), 12 it was said to her, u“The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, v“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice

14 What shall we say then? wIs there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, x“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For ythe Scripture says to the Pharaoh, z“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He ahardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For bwho has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? cWill the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the dpotter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make eone vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering fthe vessels of wrath gprepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known hthe riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had iprepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He jcalled, knot of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As He says also in Hosea:

l“I will call them My people, who were not My people,

And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

26 “And mit shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,

‘You are not My people,’

There they shall be called sons of the living God.”

27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:

n“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,

oThe remnant will be saved.

28 For 2He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,

pBecause the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

29 And as Isaiah said before:

q“Unless the Lord of 3Sabaoth had left us a seed,

rWe would have become like Sodom,

And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Present Condition of Israel

30 What shall we say then? sThat Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, teven the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, upursuing the law of righteousness, vhas not attained to the law 4of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, 5by the works of the law. For wthey stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

x“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,

And ywhoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for 1Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness athat they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of bGod’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own crighteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For dChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, e“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, f“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, g“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? h“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that iif you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God …