First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of you; for the report of your faith is spreading through the whole world.

because what may be known about Him is plain to their inmost consciousness; for He Himself has made it plain to them.

For they had bartered the reality of God for what is unreal, and had offered divine honours and religious service to created things, rather than to the Creator--He who is for ever blessed. Amen.

whereas glory, honour and peace will be given to every one who does what is good and right--to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.

What special privilege, then, has a Jew? Or what benefit is to be derived from circumcision?

For what if some Jews have proved unfaithful? Shall their faithlessness render God's faithfulness worthless?

But if our unrighteousness sets God's righteousness in a clearer light, what shall we say? (Is God unrighteous--I speak in our everyday language-- when He inflicts punishment?

What then? Are we Jews more highly estimated than they? Not in the least; for we have already charged all Jews and Gentiles alike with being in thraldom to sin.

All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right--no, not so much as one."

Where then is there room for your boasting? It is for ever shut out. On what principle? On the ground of merit? No, but on the ground of faith.

What then shall we say that Abraham, our earthly forefather, has gained?

For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness."

What then were the circumstances under which this took place? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before?

What follows? This comparison. Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and so death passed to all mankind in turn, in that all sinned.

To what conclusion, then, shall we come? Are we to persist in sinning in order that the grace extended to us may be the greater?

At that time, then, what benefit did you get from conduct which you now regard with shame? Why, such things finally result in death.

What follows? Is the Law itself a sinful thing? No, indeed; on the contrary, unless I had been taught by the Law, I should have known nothing of sin as sin. For instance, I should not have known what covetousness is, if the Law had not repeatedly said, "Thou shalt not covet."

Did then a thing which is good become death to me? No, indeed, but sin did; so that through its bringing about death by means of what was good, it might be seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown.

For what I do, I do not recognize as my own action. What I desire to do is not what I do, but what I am averse to is what I do.

For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do.

I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me.

For what was impossible to the Law--powerless as it was because it acted through frail humanity--God effected. Sending His own Son in a body like that of sinful human nature and as a sacrifice for sin, He pronounced sentence upon sin in human nature;

Why, what we now suffer I count as nothing in comparison with the glory which is soon to be manifested in us.

In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit Himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words,

and the Searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit's meaning is, because His intercessions for God's people are in harmony with God's will.

What then shall we say to this? If God is on our side, who is there to appear against us?

What then are we to infer? That there is injustice in God?

And what if God, while choosing to make manifest the terrors of His anger and to show what is possible with Him, has yet borne with long-forbearing patience with the subjects of His anger who stand ready for destruction,

To what conclusion does this bring us? Why, that the Gentiles, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have overtaken it--a righteousness, however, which arises from faith;

And why? Because they were pursuing a righteousness which should arise not from faith, but from what they regarded as merit. They stuck their foot against the stone which lay in their way;

But what does it say? "The Message is close to you, in your mouth and in your heart;" that is, the Message which we are publishing about the faith--

God has not cast off His People whom He knew beforehand. Or are you ignorant of what Scripture says in speaking of Elijah--how he pleaded with God against Israel, saying,

But what did God say to him in reply? "I have reserved for Myself 7,000 men who have never bent the knee to Baal."

For if their having been cast aside has carried with it the reconciliation of the world, what will their being accepted again be but Life out of death?

And do not follow the customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God's will is--that will which is good and beautiful and perfect.

Let your love be perfectly sincere. Regard with horror what is evil; cling to what is right.

Pay back to no man evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and seemly in every one's esteem.

For he is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid. He does not wear the sword to no purpose: he is God's servant--an administrator to inflict punishment upon evil-doers.

Pay promptly to all men what is due to them: taxes to those to whom taxes are due, toll to those to whom toll is due, respect to those to whom respect is due, honour to those to whom honour is due.

As for you and your faith, keep your faith to yourself in the presence of God. The man is to be congratulated who does not pronounce judgement on himself in what his actions sanction.

But I write to you the more boldly--partly as reminding you of what you already know--because of the authority graciously entrusted to me by God,

Your fidelity to the truth is everywhere known. I rejoice over you, therefore, but I wish you to be wise as to what is good, and simple-minded as to what is evil.