through whom I have received the favour of my commission to promote obedience to the faith for his sake among all the Gentiles,

To all God's loved ones who are in Rome, called to be saints. May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you.

For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that many times I have planned to come to you, (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some fruit [of my labors] among you, even as I have among the rest of the Gentiles.

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:

For they exchanged God's truth for the [devil's] lie, and worshiped and served what was created instead of the Creator, who is to be praised forever. May it be so.

in the day when God shall judge the secret works of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

For, when nations that have not a law, by nature may do the things of the law, these not having a law -- to themselves are a law;

and they show the work of the law written in their minds, their consciences testifying with them, and their judgments mutually acusing or defending one another;??16 in the day when God shall judge the secret [doings] of men according to my gospel through Jesus Christ.

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

You who give teaching to others, do you give it to yourself? you who say that a man may not take what is not his, do you take what is not yours?

You who say that a man may not be untrue to his wife, are you true to yours? you who are a hater of images, do you do wrong to the house of God?

If, therefore the uncircumcision the righteousness of the law may keep, shall not his uncircumcision for circumcision be reckoned?

The true Jew is not one who is only so publicly, and circumcision is not that which may be seen in the flesh:

Certainly not! Let God be found true [as He will be], though every person be found a liar, just as it is written [in Scripture],

“That You may be justified in Your words,
And prevail when You are judged [by sinful men].”

But if the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)?

May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

This is because no human being can be considered right with God by [obeying] the requirements of a law. [Note: It is difficult to determine the exact sense in which "law" is used in these verses. It may be law generally, or the law of Moses specifically. See Bruce, pages 52-58]. For the knowledge of what sin is comes from the law of Moses.

And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus:

with a view to demonstrating, at the present time, His righteousness, that He may be shown to be righteous Himself, and the giver of righteousness to those who believe in Jesus.

For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the works of the law.

Therefore, do we nullify the law through faith? May it never be! But we uphold the law.

What, then, may we say that Abraham, our father after the flesh, has got?

happy the man to whom the Lord may not reckon sin.'

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.

For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

Why, a man will hardly give his life for an upright person, though perhaps for a really good man some may be brave enough to die.

So then, just as [God's] judgment came, condemning all people [to physical death] because of one sin [i.e., Adam's]; even so the free gift of being made right with God and [resulting in] life may be received by all people because of one man's [i.e., Christ's] act of righteousness. [Note: This "life" may refer to spiritual life now, or to being made alive in the resurrection, which would reverse the curse of physical death caused by Adam's sin].

For just as by that man's disobedience the whole race of men were constituted sinners, so by this One's obedience the whole race of men may be brought into right standing with God.

Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

that even as the sin did reign in the death, so also the grace may reign, through righteousness, to life age-during, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we may live {a new way of life}.

this knowing, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of the sin may be made useless, for our no longer serving the sin;

For sin may not have rule over you: because you are not under law, but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

your human infirmity leads me to employ these familiar figures--and just as you once surrendered your faculties into bondage to Impurity and ever-increasing disregard of Law, so you must now surrender them into bondage to Righteousness ever advancing towards perfect holiness.

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 to the living husband hath been bound by law, and if the husband may die, she hath been free from the law of the husband;

so, then, the husband being alive, an adulteress she shall be called if she may become another man's; and if the husband may die, she is free from the law, so as not to be an adulteress, having become another man's.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

and now we have ceased from the law, that being dead in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.

What then shall we say? [Is] the law sin? May it never be! But I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness if the law had not said, "Do not covet."

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

And there was a time when I was living without the law: but when the law gave its orders, sin came to life and put me to death;

And the commandment, which was for life, was found, as to me, itself to be unto death:

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

For we know that the Law is spiritual; but as for me, I am a creature of flesh, bought and sold under the dominion of sin.

For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness—my sinful capacity].

Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent).

Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

I cannot be good as I want to be, and I do wrong against my wishes.

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

For I joyfully delight in the law of God in my inner self [with my new nature],

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Thanks [be] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself with my mind am enslaved to the law of God, but with my flesh [I am enslaved] to the law of sin.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

So then, my brothers, we are in debt, not to the flesh to be living in the way of the flesh:

For you have not again received the spirit of bondage, that you may fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father.

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

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,

For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he may be a first-born among many brothers;

What may we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

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

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

They are descended from our forefathers; they are the ones from whom Christ was born physically. He is God over everything [Note: Or this may be "God is over everything"] and should be praised forever! May it be so.

As it is written and forever remains written, “Jacob I loved (chose, protected, blessed), but Esau I hated (held in disregard compared to Jacob).”

What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be!

For he says to Moses, I will be merciful to him to whom I may be merciful, and I will compassionate him whom I may compassionate.

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.

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

if the divine Being has patiently bore with those objects of his displeasure, that had been working out their own destruction, why may he not reveal himself to make them feel his vindictive power,

As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

And Isaiah doth cry concerning Israel, 'If the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved;

What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

For Christ is the end of the Law, so that every one that believeth may obtain righteousness.

That if you may confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and may believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved:

For every one who may call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

But how, it may be asked, are they to invoke one in whom they have not learned to believe? And how are they to believe in one whose words they have not heard? And how are they to hear his words unless some one proclaims him?

and how shall they preach, if they may not be sent? according as it hath been written, 'How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!'

Still, it may be said, every one did not give heed to the Good News. No, for Isaiah asks--'Lord, who has believed our teaching?'