There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. After this, we arrived in Rome.

That's why I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I'm wearing this chain."

However, we'd like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere."

They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: "The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah!

He said, "Go to this people and say, "You will listen and listen but never understand, and you will look and look but never see!

For this people's minds have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them."'

You must understand that this message about God's salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen."

For this reason, God delivered them to sexual impurity as they followed the lusts of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another.

For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural.

Now we know that God's judgment against those who act like this is based on truth.

What, then, does this mean? Are we Jews any better off? Not at all! For we have already accused everyone, both Jews and Greeks, of being under the power of sin.

whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah's blood would occur through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past.

Do we, then, abolish the Law by this faith? Of course not! Instead, we uphold the Law.

Now does this blessedness come to the circumcised alone, or also to the uncircumcised? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness."

Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," just as he had been told: "This is how many descendants you will have."

This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace by which we have been established, and we boast because of our hope in God's glory.

Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

What, then, does this mean? Should we go on sinning because we are not under Law but under grace? Of course not!

So while her husband is living, she will be called an adulterer if she lives with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from this Law, so that she is not an adulterer if she marries another man.

But sin seized the opportunity provided by this commandment and produced in me all kinds of sinful desires, since apart from the Law, sin is dead.

So I find this to be a principle: when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by death?

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.

For we were saved with this hope in mind. Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen?

What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who will separate us from the Messiah's love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent death do this?

For this is the language of the promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."

For the Scripture says about Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, to demonstrate my power through you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

On the contrary, who are you mere man that you are to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this?"

But what does it say? "The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart." This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming:

But if this is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of actions. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

What, then, does this mean? It means that Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking, but the selected group obtained it while the rest were hardened.

As it is written, "To this day God has put them into deep sleep. Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear."

For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.

In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

This is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head."

This is also why you pay taxes. For rulers are God's servants faithfully devoting themselves to their work.

For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not covet," and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: "You must love your neighbor as yourself."

This is necessary because you know the times it's already time for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers.

For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

For the person who serves the Messiah in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.

This is why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.

Yes, they were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be of service to them in material things.

So when I have completed this task and have put my seal on this contribution of theirs, I will visit you on my way to Spain.

I, Tertius, who penned this letter, greet you in the Lord.

This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah."

Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn't he?

However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.

None of the rulers of this world understood it, because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Whether a person builds on this foundation with gold, silver, expensive stones, wood, hay, or straw,

Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of this world, he must become a fool to become really wise.

For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God's sight. For it is written, "He catches the wise with their own trickery,"

Brothers, I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what the Scriptures say. Then you will stop boasting about one person at the expense of another.

I'm not writing this to make you feel ashamed, but to warn you as my dear children.

And you are being arrogant instead of being filled with grief and seeing to it that the man who did this is removed from among you.

Even though I am away from you physically, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as though I were present with you.

turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, greedy, robbers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

You know that we will rule angels, not to mention things in this life, don't you?

So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church?

I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers?

But I say this as a concession, not as a command.

I would like everyone to be unmarried, like I am. However, each person has a special gift from God, one this and another that.

To married people I give this command (not really I, but the Lord): A wife must not leave her husband.

Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

But if you do get married, you have not sinned. And if a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. However, these people will experience trouble in this life, and I want to spare you from that.

This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

But a married man is concerned about things of this world, that is, about how he can please his wife,

An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, that is, about how she can please her husband. I'm saying this for your benefit, not to put a noose around your necks, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.

However, in my opinion she will be happier if she stays as she is. And in saying this, I think that I, too, have God's Spirit.

Now concerning eating food offered to idols: We know that no idol is real in this world and that there is only one God.

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak.

When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah.

This is my defense to those who would examine me:

I am not saying this on human authority, am I? The Law says the same thing, doesn't it?

Isn't he really speaking for our benefit? Yes, this was written for our benefit, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

If others enjoy this right over you, don't we have a stronger claim? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we tolerate everything in order not to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of the Messiah.

But I have not used any of these rights, and I'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting.

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for this obligation has been entrusted to me. How terrible it would be for me if I didn't preach the gospel!

I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.

However, if someone says to you, "This was offered as a sacrifice," don't eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience.

This is why a woman should have authority over her own head: because of the angels.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God's churches.

You have homes in which to eat and drink, don't you? Or do you despise God's church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, "This is my body that is for you. Keep doing this in memory of me."

He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God's Spirit can say, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

However, our attractive parts don't need this. But God has put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it,

What does this mean? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, but I will also sing psalms with my mind.

In the Law it is written, "By means of foreign languages and through the mouths of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," declares the Lord.

What, then, does this mean, brothers? When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, foreign language, or interpretation. Everything must be done for upbuilding.

But if anyone ignores this, he should be ignored.

So, whether it was I or the others, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

If we have set our hopes on the Messiah in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.