Therefore what sort of fruit did you have then, about which you are now ashamed? For the end of those [things] [is] death.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Is it not clear, my brothers (I am using an argument to those who have knowledge of the law), that the law has power over a man as long as he is living?

For, the married woman, unto her living husband is bound by law; but, if her husband have died, she hath received a full release from the law of her husband.

Hence then, her husband being alive, an adulteress, shall she be called - if she become another man's, but, if the husband have died, she is free from the law; so that she is not an adulteress, though she become another man's.

So, my brothers, you too in the body of Christ have ended your relation to the law, so that you may be married to another husband, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

But now we have been freed from our relation to the law; we have ended our relation to that by which we once were held in bonds, so that we may serve in a new spiritual way and not in the old literalistic way.

What are we then to conclude? Is the law sin? Of course not! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have learned what sin was, for I should not have known what an evil desire was, if the law had not said, "You must not have an evil desire."

and so, in my case, the command which should have meant life turned out to mean death.

for we have known that the law is spiritual, and I am fleshly, sold by the sin;

And I have no clear knowledge of what I am doing, for that which I have a mind to do, I do not, but what I have hate for, that I do.

But, if I do that which I have no mind to do, I am in agreement with the law that the law is good.

For I know that nothing good has its home in me; that is, in my lower self; I have the will but not the power to do what is right.

For the good which I have a mind to do, I do not: but the evil which I have no mind to do, that I do.

But if I do what I have no mind to do, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin living in me.

So I see a law that, though I have a mind to do good, evil is present in me.

I have, in fact, a sympathetic pleasure in the law of God; according to the inner man.

For, they who according to flesh have their being, the things of the flesh do prefer, but, they according to the spirit, the things of the spirit;

They, moreover, who in flesh have their being, cannot please, God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

But if Christ is in your hearts, though your bodies are dead in consequence of sin, your spirits have life in consequence of uprightness.

For if you go in the way of the flesh, death will come on you; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will have life.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

And if we are children, we have a right to a part in the heritage; a part in the things of God, together with Christ; so that if we have a part in his pain, we will in the same way have a part in his glory.

Present suffering, I hold, is a mere nothing compared to the glory that we are to have revealed.

That all living things will be made free from the power of death and will have a part with the free children of God in glory.

for we have known that all the creation doth groan together, and doth travail in pain together till now.

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

For by hope we have been saved: now hope seen is not hope; for that which any man seeth how doth he yet hope for?

But if we have hope for that which we see not, then we will be able to go on waiting for it.

And, in like manner also, the Spirit doth help our weaknesses; for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth us, we have not known, but the Spirit himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable,

And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose;

As it is written, "That for thy sake we have been put to death the whole day long; we have been reckoned indeed as sheep for slaughter."

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!

For I have full assurance that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor the present nor the future

height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

I am speaking the truth in Christ, it is no lie. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have deep sorrow

That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

for I have wished that I was myself accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kindred according to the flesh,

Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:

It is not, however, as though God's word had failed! For they are not all Israel who have sprung from Israel;

Neither are all [Jewish] people children [of God], [simply] because they are Abraham's descendants. But [Gen. 21:12 says], "It is through Isaac that you [i.e., Abraham] will have descendants."

For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

And not only so, but Rebecca being about to have a child by our father Isaac--

As it is written, I have loved Jacob,

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

But who indeed are you -- a mere human being -- to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, "Why have you made me like this?"

Or does the potter not have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump a vessel that [is] for {honorable use} and [one] that [is] for {ordinary use}?

As Isaiah again has foretold, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us some descendants, we would have fared as Sodom did and would have been like Gomorrah."

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

Whereas, Israel, though in pursuit of a law of righteousness, unto a law, have not attained.

Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble,

As Scripture says-'See, I place a Stumbling-block in Zion-- a Rock which shall prove a hindrance; and he who believes in him shall have no cause for shame.'

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Now Christ is an end to law, so as to let every believer have righteousness.

For Moses describes the justice that was to be had by the law, thus : "the man who performeth the things here required, shall have life thereby."

Because, if you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have faith in your heart that God has made him come back from the dead, you will have salvation:

As the passage of Scripture says--'No one who believes in him shall have any cause for shame.'

There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

and how shall they preach unless they have been sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those that publish good news of peace, that publish good news of good things.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

But I say, did Israel fail to understand [that the gospel was to go also to the Gentiles]? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation (Gentiles);
With a nation that lacks understanding I will make you angry.”

Then Isaiah was bold enough to say: "I have been found by a people who were not searching for me; I have made known myself to people who were not asking to know me."

But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have ye not known -- in Elijah -- what the Writing saith? how he doth plead with God concerning Israel, saying,

Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all.

What are we then to conclude? Israel has failed to obtain what it is still in search for, but His chosen ones have obtained it. The rest have become insensible to it,

As it was said in the holy Writings, God gave them a spirit of sleep, eyes which might not see, and ears which have no hearing, to this day.

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

For, if by their putting away, the rest of men have been made friends with God, what will their coming back again be, but life from the dead?

If some of the branches have been broken off, and yet you, although you were wild olive suckers, have been grafted in among the native branches, and been made to share the rich sap of the native olive's root,

Then you will say, "Branches have been broken off for us to be grafted in."

Truly, because they had no faith they were broken off, and you have your place by reason of your faith. Do not be lifted up in pride, but have fear;

For, if God did not have mercy on the natural branches, he will not have mercy on you.

So take a look at the goodness and the severity of God; severity to those who have fallen, but goodness to you, on condition that you continue to live by His goodness; otherwise, you too will be pruned away.

For if you have been cut from an olive wild by nature, and grafted contrary to nature into a good olive, how much more shall they according to nature be grafted into their own olive.

For to keep you from being self-conceited, brothers, I do not want to have a misunderstanding of this uncovered secret, that only temporary insensibility has come upon Israel until the full quota of the heathen peoples comes in,

And, so, all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written - There shall have come out of Zion the Deliverer, - He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

And this is the covenant from me to them, when I shall have taken away their sins.

For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Or who has ever advanced God anything to have Him pay him back?

And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.

But I say to every one of you, through the grace given to me, not to have an over-high opinion of himself, but to have wise thoughts, as God has given to every one a measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

As we have gifts that differ in accordance with the favor God has shown us, if it is that of preaching, let it be done in proportion to our faith;

or, if we have a ministry, let us be active in our ministry; if any one teaches, let him attend to his teaching;

Let not that business which ye have in hand be tedious to you. Be fervent in the spirit. Apply yourselves to the time.

Be in harmony with one another. Do not have a high opinion of yourselves, but be in agreement with common people. Do not give yourselves an air of wisdom.

Render to no one evil for evil; have regard to what is honorable in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, howbeit of your part, have peace with all men.