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15 We who have strong faith should help the weak with their problems. We should not please only ourselves. 2We should all please our neighbors. Let us do what is good for them. Let us build them up.
3Even Christ did not please himself. It is written, “Those who make fun of you have made fun of me also.” (Psalm 69:9) 4Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us strength to go on. They cheer us up and give us hope.
5Our God is a God who strengthens you and cheers you up. May he help you agree with each other as you follow Christ Jesus. 6Then you can give glory to God with one heart and voice. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Christ has accepted you. So accept one another in order to bring praise to God.
8I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews. He teaches us that God is true. He shows us that God will keep the promises he made to the founders of our nation. 9Jesus became a servant of the Jews so that people who are not Jews could give glory to God for his mercy. It is written,
“I will praise you among those who aren’t Jews.
I will sing praises to you.” (2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)
“You non-Jews, be full of joy.
Be joyful together with God’s people.” (Deuteronomy 32:43)
“All you non-Jews, praise the Lord.
All you nations, sing praises to him.” (Psalm 117:1)
“The Root of Jesse will grow up quickly.
He will rule over the nations.
Those who aren’t Jews will put their hope in him.” (Isaiah 11:10)
13May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.
14My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. What you know is complete. You are able to teach one another.
15I have written to you very boldly about some things. I wanted you to think about them again. The grace of God has allowed me 16to serve Christ Jesus among those who aren’t Jews. My duty as a priest is to preach God’s good news. Then the non-Jews will become an offering that pleases God. The Holy Spirit will make the offering holy.
17Because I belong to Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my work for God. 18I will not try to speak of anything except what Christ has done through me. He has been leading those who aren’t Jews to obey God. He has been doing this by what I have said and done.
19He has given me power to do signs and miracles. He has given me the power of the Holy Spirit.
From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the good news about Christ. 20I have always wanted to preach the good news where Christ was not known. I don’t want to build on what someone else has started. 21It is written,
“Those who were not told about him will understand.
Those who have not heard will know what it all means.” (Isaiah 52:15)
22That’s why I have often been kept from coming to you.
23Now there is no more place for me to work in those areas. For many years I have been longing to see you. 24So I plan to see you when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while I am passing through. And I hope you will help me on my journey there. But first I want to enjoy being with you for a while.
25Now I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve God’s people there. 26The believers in Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to take an offering for those who were poor among God’s people in Jerusalem. 27They were happy to do it. And of course they owe it to them. Those who aren’t Jews have shared from the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So the non-Jews should share their earthly blessings with the Jews.
28I want to finish my task. I want to make sure that the poor in Jerusalem have received the offering. Then I will go to Spain. On my way I will visit you. 29I know that when I come to you, I will come with the full blessing of Christ.
30Brothers and sisters, I am asking you through the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray for me with the love the Holy Spirit provides. 31Pray that I will be saved from those in Judea who do not believe. Pray that my work in Jerusalem will be accepted by God’s people there. 32Then, as God has planned, I will come to you with joy. Together we will be renewed.
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About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
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Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England. Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |
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