For I have a strong desire to see you, and to give you some grace of the spirit, so that you may be made strong;

That is to say, that all of us may be comforted together by the faith which is in you and in me.

You may be certain, my brothers, that it has frequently been in my mind to come to you (but till now I was kept from it), so that I might have some fruit from you in the same way as I have had it from the other nations.

For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made, so that men have no reason for wrongdoing:

Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

So you have no reason, whoever you are, for judging: for in judging another you are judging yourself, for you do the same things.

But you who are judging another for doing what you do yourself, are you hoping that God's decision will not take effect against you?

Or is it nothing to you that God had pity on you, waiting and putting up with you for so long, not seeing that in his pity God's desire is to give you a change of heart?

But by your hard and unchanged heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of the revelation of God's judging in righteousness;

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?

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

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)?

In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world?

Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.

They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:

Now, we have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by God:

And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.

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

But what does it say in the holy Writings? And Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

Is this blessing, then, for the circumcision only, or in the same way for those who have not circumcision? for we say that the faith of Abraham was put to his account as righteousness.

And he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;

For God's word, that the earth would be his heritage, was given to Abraham, not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

For this reason it is of faith, so that it may be through grace; and so that the word of God may be certain to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

Who without reason for hope, in faith went on hoping, so that he became the father of a number of nations, as it had been said, So will your seed be.

Who was put to death for our evil-doing, and came to life again so that we might have righteousness.

And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;

And not only so, but we have joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we are now at peace with God.

For this reason, as through one man sin came into the world, and death because of sin, and so death came to all men, because all have done evil:

And the free giving has not the same effect as the sin of one: for the effect of one man's sin was punishment by the decision of God, but the free giving had power to give righteousness to wrongdoers in great number.

So then, as the effect of one act of wrongdoing was that punishment came on all men, even so the effect of one act of righteousness was righteousness of life for all men.

Because, as numbers of men became sinners through the wrongdoing of one man, even so will great numbers get righteousness through the keeping of the word of God by one man.

That, as sin had power in death, so grace might have power through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What may we say, then? are we to go on in sin so that there may be more grace?

We have been placed with him among the dead through baptism into death: so that as Christ came again from the dead by the glory of the Father, we, in the same way, might be living in new life.

Being conscious that our old man was put to death on the cross with him, so that the body of sin might be put away, and we might no longer be servants to sin.

Even so see yourselves as dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.

For this cause do not let sin be ruling in your body which is under the power of death, so that you give way to its desires;

What then? are we to go on in sin because we are not under law but under grace? Let it not be so.

I am using words in the way of men, because your flesh is feeble: as you gave your bodies as servants to what is unclean, and to evil to do evil, so now give them as servants to righteousness to do what is holy.

So if, while the husband is living, she is joined to another man, she will get the name of one who is untrue to her husband: but if the husband is dead, she is free from the law, so that she is not untrue, even if she takes another man.

In the same way, my brothers, you were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, even to him who came again from the dead, so that we might give fruit to God.

But now we are free from the law, having been made dead to that which had power over us; so that we are servants in the new way of the spirit, not in the old way of the letter.

What then is to be said? is the law sin? in no way. But I would not have had knowledge of sin but for the law: for I would not have been conscious of desire if the law had not said, You may not have a desire for what is another's.

Was then that which is good, death to me? In no way. But the purpose was that sin might be seen to be sin by working death to me through that which is good; so that through the orders of the law sin might seem much more evil.

So 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.

But I see another law in my body, working against the law of my mind, and making me the servant of the law of sin which is in my flesh.

I give praise to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So with my mind I am a servant to the law of God, but with my flesh to the law of sin.

So that what was ordered by the law might be done in us, who are living, not in the way of the flesh, but in the way of the Spirit.

So that those who are in the flesh are not able to give pleasure to God.

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

For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, 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.

I am of the opinion that there is no comparison between the pain of this present time and the glory which we will see in the future.

For every living thing was put under the power of change, not by its desire, but by him who made it so, in hope

And not only so, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we have sorrow in our minds, waiting for the time when we will take our place as sons, that is, the salvation of our bodies.

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

And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;

Because those of whom he had knowledge before they came into existence, were marked out by him to be made like his Son, so that he might be the first among a band of brothers:

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

Who will say anything against the saints of God? It is God who makes us clear from evil;

I say what is true in Christ, and not what is false, my mind giving witness with me in the Holy Spirit,

Whose are the fathers, and of whom came Christ in the flesh, who is over all, God, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

That is, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of God's undertaking, who are named as the seed.

For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.

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

Before the children had come into existence, or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose and his selection might be effected, not by works, but by him whose purpose it is,

What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said.

So then, it is not by the desire or by the attempt of man, but by the mercy of God.

For the holy Writings say to Pharaoh, For this same purpose did I put you on high, so that I might make my power seen in you, and that there might be knowledge of my name through all the earth.

So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.

But you will say to me, Why does he still make us responsible? who is able to go against his purpose?

But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?

And Isaiah says about Israel, Even if the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea, only a small part will get salvation:

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

As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.

Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is, that they may get salvation.

Because, not having knowledge of God's righteousness, and desiring to give effect to their righteousness, they have not put themselves under the righteousness of God.

But the righteousness which is of faith says these words, Say not in your heart, Who will go up to heaven? (that is, to make Christ come down:)

But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart: that is, the word of faith of which we are the preachers:

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:

So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

But I say, Did not the word come to their ears? Yes, certainly: Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

But I say, Had Israel no knowledge? First Moses says, You will be moved to envy by that which is not a nation, and by a foolish people I will make you angry.

So I say, Has God put his people on one side? Let there be no such thought. For I am of Israel, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

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.

Let their eyes be made dark so that they may not see, and let their back be bent down at all times.

So I say, Were their steps made hard in order that they might have a fall? In no way: but by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, so that they might be moved to envy.

But I say to you, Gentiles, in so far as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I make much of my position:

If in any way those who are of my flesh may be moved to envy, so that some of them may get salvation by me.

And if the first-fruit is holy, so is the mass: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

You will say, Branches were broken off so that I might be put in.

See then that God is good but his rules are fixed: to those who were put away he was hard, but to you he has been good, on the condition that you keep in his mercy; if not, you will be cut off as they were.

For it is my desire, brothers, that this secret may be clear to you, so that you may not have pride in your knowledge, that Israel has been made hard in part, till all the Gentiles have come in;

And so all Israel will get salvation: as it is said in the holy Writings, There will come out of Zion the One who makes free; by him wrongdoing will be taken away from Jacob:

Because God's selection and his mercies may not be changed.

So in the same way these have gone against the orders of God, so that by the mercy given to you they may now get mercy.

For God has let them all go against his orders, so that he might have mercy on them all.

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. So be it.