For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

But a hope that is seen is not real hope, for who hopes for what he actually sees? But if we hope for something we do not see, we keep on patiently waiting for it.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

and He who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit thinks, for He pleads for His people in accordance with God's will.

We know that in everything God works with those who love him, whom he has called in accordance with his purpose, to bring about what is good.

What are we then to say to facts like these? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who condemns [us]? Certainly not Jesus, for He is the One who died [i.e., to save us], and what is more, He was raised from the dead and is [now] at the right side of God. He also goes [to God] on our behalf [i.e., as we pray].

What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall anguish, or calamity, or persecution, or famine? Shall nakedness, or peril, or sword?

nor [things] above, nor [things] below, nor any [other] created thing will be able to separate us from God's love [for us], revealed through Christ Jesus our Lord [Note: The idea of this passage is "Regardless of what happens to us, God still loves us"].

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

For this is what the promise said: "When I come back at this time next year, Sarah will have a son."

For before the children were born or had done anything either good or bad, in order to carry out God's purpose of selection, which depends not on what men do but on his calling them,

For even before the twins were born, and therefore had not done anything good or bad, Rebecca was told [Gen. 25:23], "The older one [i.e., Esau] will serve the younger one [i.e., Jacob]." This was so that God's purpose of choosing and calling [whomever He wanted to] might prevail, instead of [it depending on] what a person did.

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

So then, it does not depend on what a person wants or does, but on God, who shows pity [i.e., to whomever He wants].

But you [i.e., probably an objecting Jew] will say to me, "Why does God still find fault [with people]? For who can [successfully] resist what God wants to do?"

On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded [it], "Why did you make me like this"?

A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn't he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay.

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

And what if he thus purposed to make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he had before prepared for glory?

Whom he also called, even us, not only from among Jews, but also from among the nations, what then?

as also in Hosea He saith, 'I will call what is not My people -- My people; and her not beloved -- Beloved,

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble,

But here is what the faith-way to right standing says, "Do not say to yourself, 'Who will go up to heaven?'" that is, to bring Christ down;

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

However, they have not all given heed to the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has put faith in what we told?"

So faith comes from hearing what is told, and hearing through the message about Christ.

But I say, Did not Israel know? Moses first saith, "I will excite your jealousy by what is no nation, and by an ignorant people will I provoke you to wrath."

Then Isaiah broke out boldly and said, "I have been found by men who were not looking for me, I have shown myself to men who were not asking what my will was."

No, God has not disowned His people, on whom He set His heart beforehand. Do you know what the Scripture says in Elijah's case, how he pleaded with God against Israel?

But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all.

What are we then to conclude? Israel has failed to obtain what it is still in search for, but His chosen ones have obtained it. The rest have become insensible to it,

So I say, have they stumbled so as to fall [to spiritual ruin]? Certainly not! But by their transgression [their rejection of the Messiah] salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous [when they realize what they have forfeited].

Now if Israel’s transgression means riches for the world [at large] and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment and reinstatement be!

For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

After all, if you were cut off from what is naturally a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier it will be for these natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree!

What a fathomless wealth lies in the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable his judgments! How mysterious his methods!

[Note: The following are rhetorical questions raised from their reading of the Old Testament]. For who has known [what goes on in] the Lord's mind? Or, who has been His advisor?

Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.

For I say, through the grace that was given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think above what it behoveth to think; but to think so as to think wisely, as to each God did deal a measure of faith,

Your love must be true. You must always turn in horror from what is wrong, but keep on holding to what is right.

in what requires diligence, be not slothful; in spirit, be fervent; in service, be devoted to the Lord;

Be of one mind among yourselves. Set not your minds on high things, but content yourselves with what is humble. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people.

so that anyone who resists the authorities sets himself against what God has established, and those who set themselves against Him will get the penalty due them.

For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval.

for it is God's servant to you for what [is] good. But if you do what [is] bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God's servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does [what is] bad.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience.

Pay all of them what is due them -- tribute to the officer to receive it, taxes to the officer to receive them, respect to the man entitled to it, and honor to the man entitled to it.

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.

Do this, knowing that this is a critical time. It is already the hour for you to awaken from your sleep [of spiritual complacency]; for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed [in Christ].

The person who can eat anything should not look down on the person who cannot eat [what was used in idolatrous worship]; and the person who cannot eat [such things] should not pass judgment on the person who can. For God accepts that person, too.

What art thou that judgest another man's servant? Whether he stand or fall, that pertaineth unto his master. Yea, he shall stand. For God is able to make him stand.

The person who observes a certain day [as specially sacred], does so out of devotion to the Lord. And the person who eats [only certain foods] does so out of devotion to the Lord, for he is thankful to God [for what he eats]. And the person who refuses to eat [certain foods], does so out of devotion to the Lord and he is thankful to God [for what he does eat].

What business have you to criticize your brother? What business have you to look down upon your brother? We shall all have to stand before God for judgment.

For if your brother is hurt because of the food you eat, you are not living by the standard of love. Stop ruining, by what you eat, the man for whom Christ died.

Do not allow what seems good to you to be spoken of as evil.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in what we eat and drink, but in doing right, in peace and joy through the Holy Spirit;

So then, let us pursue {what promotes peace} and {what edifies one another}.

Do not destroy God's action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat.

Good not to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor in what thy brother stumbles, or is offended, or is weak.

Thou hast faith! to thyself have it before God; happy is he who is not judging himself in what he doth approve,

But the person who has doubts about eating [a certain food] is self-condemned if he [goes ahead and] eats it, because his action is not based on faith [i.e., if he lacks the conviction that he is doing what is right]. And whatever is not done with such a conviction is a sin.

Now those of us who are strong [spiritually] should put up with [or, help] the failings of [spiritually] weak people, and not [simply] do what pleases ourselves.

Let, each one of us, unto his neighbour give pleasure - for what is good unto upbuilding;

And I myself am certain of you, brothers, that you are full of what is good, complete in all knowledge, able to give direction to one another.

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,

In Christ Jesus, then, I have found [legitimate] reason for boasting in things related [to my service] to God.

For I would venture to mention only what Christ has accomplished through me in bringing the heathen peoples to obedience, by word and by work,

Therefore, when I have finished this [mission] and have safely given to them what has been raised, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

Yes, your obedience has been told to everybody; so I am delighted about you, but I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is bad.

Now I beg you all, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be harmonious in what you say and not to have factions among you, but to be perfectly harmonious in your minds and judgments.

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."

For, since in the wisdom of God the world by it's wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by what they called the folly of preaching to save those that believe.

Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men.

For consider, brothers, what happened when God called you. Not many of you were what men call wise, not many of you were influential, not many were of high birth.

Just the opposite: God chose what the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame, what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame,

what the world calls of low degree, yea, what it counts as nothing and what it thinks does not exist, God chose to put a stop to what it thinks exists,

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do];

And, my discourse, and what I proclaimed, were not in suasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of Spirit and power:

Yet there is a wisdom that we impart when we are with people who have a mature faith, but it is not what this world calls wisdom, nor what the authorities of this world, doomed as they are to pass away, would call so.

but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence].

but, according as it hath been written, 'What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and upon the heart of man came not up, what God did prepare for those loving Him -- '

this is what God has revealed to us by his spirit: for the spirit penetrates into all things, even the profound counsels of God.

For what man can understand his own inner thoughts except by his own spirit within him? Just so no one but the Spirit of God can understand the thoughts of God.

now the spirit which we have received, is not the spirit of this world, but that which comes from God; that we might know what he has graciously bestowed upon us.

this is what we declare, not in the words which human wisdom, but which the holy spirit dictates; explaining spiritual things in a spiritual language.

A material man will not accept what the Spirit of God offers. It seems mere folly to him, and he cannot understand it, because it takes spiritual insight to see its true value.

The spiritual man, again, can read the meaning of everything; and yet no one can read what he is.

For what man understands the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him?

When one cries, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," what are you but men of the world?

Then what is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Mere servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave each of us his task.

In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.

For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If what a person has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

Do you not know what you are God's sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God is dwelling within you?

If any one tear down God's sanctuary, God will tear him down; for the sanctuary of God is holy, and that is what you are.