Never revenge yourselves, beloved, but let the Wrath of God have its way; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital ??the Lord has said it. No,

Let, every soul, unto protecting authorities be in subjection; for there is no authority save by God, and, they that are in being, have by God been arranged, -

So that he who resists the office of authority has opposed the ordinance of God, and those who have opposed will receive condemnation to themselves.

For rulers are not a cause of fear to the good work but to the evil. If you would have no fear of the authority, do good and you will have praise;

For he is the servant of God to you for good. But if you do evil, have fear; for the sword is not in his hand for nothing: he is God's servant, making God's punishment come on the evil-doer.

So put yourselves under the authority, not for fear of wrath, but because you have the knowledge of what is right.

Be in debt for nothing, but to have love for one another: for he who has love for his neighbour has kept all the law.

And this, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not put to death, Do not take what is another's, Do not have desire for what is another's, and if there is any other order, it is covered by this word, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.

This I say, because you know the crisis that we have reached, for the time has already come for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; our Salvation is nearer now than when we accepted the Faith.

The night is almost gone; the day is near. Therefore let us have done with the deeds of Darkness, and arm ourselves with the weapons of Light.

Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions.

Let not him who takes food have a low opinion of him who does not: and let not him who does not take food be a judge of him who does; for he has God's approval.

As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord's.

For, to this end, Christ died and lived, in order that, both of dead and living, he might have lordship.

But you, why do you make yourself your brother's judge? or again, why have you no respect for your brother? because we will all have to take our place before God as our judge.

So every one of us will have to give an account of himself to God.

I have known, and am persuaded, in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself, except to him who is reckoning anything to be unclean -- to that one it is unclean;

If your brother is being hurt or offended because of food [that you insist on eating], you are no longer walking in love [toward him]. Do not let what you eat destroy and spiritually harm one for whom Christ died.

The thing you have a right to do must not become a cause of reproach.

The faith which you have, have it to yourself before God. Happy is the man who is not judged by that to which he gives approval.

We who are strong have to be a support to the feeble, and not give pleasure to ourselves.

For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.

Now those things which were put down in writing before our time were for our learning, so that through quiet waiting and through the comfort of the holy Writings we might have hope.

And may the God of the endurance, and of the exhortation, give to you to have the same mind toward one another, according to Christ Jesus;

For I affirm Christ to have become a minister of circumcision in behalf of the truth of God, - to confirm the promises of the fathers,

and that the Gentiles also have glorified God in acknowledgment of His mercy. So it is written, "For this reason I will praise Thee among the Gentiles, and sing psalms in honour of Thy name."

May God, [the source] of hope, fill you with complete joy and peace as you believe [in Christ], so that you may have an abundance of hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And I, myself, am convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, and have been filled with all kinds of knowledge and are capable of counseling one another.

But I have, in some measure, less fear in writing to you to put these things before you again, because of the grace which was given to me by God,

in making me a minister of Christ Jesus to the heathen peoples, to have me act as a sacrificing minister of the good news, in order that my offering of the heathen peoples to God may be acceptable, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

So I have pride in Christ Jesus in the things which are God's.

By signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have given all the good news of Christ;

Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:

But as it is said in the holy Writings, They will see, to whom the news of him had not been given, and those to whose ears it had not come will have knowledge.

Wherefore, also, I have been hindered these many times from coming unto you;

But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

Whenever I go to Spain (for it is my hope to see you on my way, and to be sent on there by you, if first I may in some measure have been comforted by your company)--

For Macedonia and Achaia have been well-pleased to make a certain fellowship for the destitute of the saints who are in Jerusalem, -

Yes, it has been their good pleasure; and they are in their debt. For if the Gentiles have had a part in the things of the Spirit which were theirs, it is right for them, in the same way, to give them help in the things of the flesh.

So when I have done this, and have given them this fruit of love, I will go on by you into Spain.

and I have known that coming unto you -- in the fulness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I shall come.

So that I may be kept safe from those in Judaea who have not put themselves under the rule of God, and that the help which I am taking for Jerusalem may be pleasing to the saints;

So that I may come to you in joy by the good pleasure of God, and have rest with you.

That you will take her in kindly, after the way of the saints, as one who is the Lord's, and give her help in anything in which she may have need of you: because she has been a help to a great number and to myself.

Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

salute Andronicus and Junias, my kindred, and my fellow-captives, who are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me.

salute Herodion my kinsman. salute the family of Narcissus, who have embraced the gospel.

Salute Tryphaena and Tryphosa, sisters who have toiled in the Lord. Salute Persis, the beloved sister , who, indeed, hath toiled much in the Lord.

But I beseech you, brethren, to keep an eye upon them who are causing divisions and occasions of stumbling, aside from the teaching which, ye, have learned, - and be turning away from them;

For such people are not servants of the Lord Christ, but of their stomachs; and by their smooth and well-said words the hearts of those who have no knowledge of evil are tricked.

For all have knowledge of how you do what you are ordered. For this reason I have joy in you, but it is my desire that you may be wise in what is good, and without knowledge of evil.

I, Tertius, who have done the writing of this letter, send love in the Lord.