Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For [although they] knew God, they did not honor [him] as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

And just as they did not see fit {to recognize God}, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things [that are] not proper,

who, [although they] know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same [things], but also they approve of those who do [them].

Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

For it is not the hearers of the law [who are] righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.

For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, [although they] do not have the law, are a law to themselves,

Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal?

The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples?

Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision?

For the Jew is not {one outwardly}, nor [is] circumcision {outwardly}, in the flesh.

But the Jew {is one inwardly}, and circumcision [is] of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter, whose praise [is] not from people but from God.

{What is the result} if some refused to believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, [will it]?

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, [is] not unjust, [is he]? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.)

And [why] not (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil, in order that good may come [of it]? Their condemnation is just!

What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin,

just as it is written, "[There] is no one righteous, not even one;

All have turned aside together; they have become worthless; [There] is no one who practices kindness; [there] is not even one.

and they have not known the way of peace.

The fear of God is not before their eyes."

Or [is God] the God of the Jews only? [Is he] not also [the God] of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles,

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited according to grace, but according to his due.

But to the one who does not work, but who believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness,

How then was it credited? [While he] was {circumcised} or {uncircumcised}? Not {while circumcised} but {while uncircumcised}!

and the father {of those who are circumcised} to those who are not only from the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham {which he had while uncircumcised}.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, [that] he would be heir of the world, [was] not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith.

Because of this, [it is] by faith, in order that [it may be] according to grace, so that the promise may be secure to all the descendants, not only to those of the law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all

(just as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") before God, in whom he believed, the one who makes the dead alive and who calls the things that are not as [though] they are,

And not being weak in faith, he considered his own body as good as dead, [because he] was approximately a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God

But it was not written for the sake of him alone that it was credited to him,

And not only [this], but we also boast in our afflictions, [because we] know that affliction produces patient endurance,

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

And not only [this], but also [we are] boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not charged to one's account [when there] is no law.

But death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who is to come.

{But the gift is not like the trespass}, for if by the trespass of the one, the many died, by much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, multiply to the many.

And the gift [is] not as through the one who sinned, for on the one hand, judgment from the one [sin] [led] to condemnation, but the gift, from many trespasses, [led] to justification.

Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that [you] obey its desires,

and do not present your members to sin [as] instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members to God [as] instruments of righteousness.

For sin will not be master 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!

Do you not know that to whomever you present yourselves [as] slaves for obedience, you are slaves to whomever you obey, whether sin, [leading] to death, or obedience, [leading] to righteousness?

Or do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is master of a person for as long a time [as] he lives?

Therefore as a result, if she belongs to another man [while] her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress [if she] belongs to another man.

But now we have been released from the law, [because we] have died [to that] by which we were bound, so that we may serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter [of the law].

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."

For what I am doing I do not understand, because what I want [to do], this I do not practice, but what I hate, this I do.

But if what I do not want [to do], this I do, I agree with the law that [it is] good.

For I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my flesh. For the willing is present in me, but the doing [of] the good [is] not.

For the good that I want [to do], I do not do, but the evil that I do not want [to do], this I do.

But if what I do not want [to do], this I am doing, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that lives in me.

in order that the requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

because the mindset of the flesh [is] enmity toward God, for [it is] not subjected to the law of God, for [it is] not able [to do so],

and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person {does not belong to him}.

So then, brothers, we are obligated not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery [leading] to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy [to be compared] with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.

For the creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected [it], in hope

Not only [this], but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves [while we] await eagerly [our] adoption, the redemption of our body.

For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we await [it] eagerly with patient endurance.

And likewise also, the Spirit helps [us] in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes [for us] [with] unexpressed groanings.

Indeed, [he] who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all [things]?

I am telling the truth in Christ--[I am] not lying; my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit--

But [it is] not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those [who are descended] from Israel [are truly] Israel,

That is, [it is] not the children {by human descent} [who are] children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.

And not only [this], but also [when] Rebecca conceived children by one [man], Isaac our father--

for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain,

not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger,"

Consequently therefore, {it does not depend on the} one who wills or on the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy.

Or does the potter not have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump a vessel that [is] for {honorable use} and [one] that [is] for {ordinary use}?

us whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

As he also says in Hosea, "I will call those [who were] not my people, 'My people,' and those [who were] not loved, 'Loved.'

And it will be in the place where it was said to them, 'You [are] not my people,' there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

And just as Isaiah foretold, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have resembled Gomorrah."

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness--even the righteousness [that is] by faith.

But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law.

Why that? Because [they did] not [pursue it] by faith, but as [if] by works. They stumbled over the {stone that causes people to stumble},

just as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion {a stone that causes people to stumble}, and {a rock that causes them to fall}, and the one who believes in him will not be put to shame."

For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

For ignoring the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

But the righteousness from faith speaks like this: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down),

For the scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

How then will they call upon [him] in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe [in him] about whom they have not heard? And how will they hear about [him] without one who preaches [to them]?

But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"

But I say, they have not heard, have they? On the contrary, "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world."

But I say, Israel did not know, did they? First, Moses says, "I will provoke you [to jealousy] by [those who are] not a nation; by a senseless nation I will provoke you [to anger]."

And Isaiah is very bold and says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I became known to those who did not ask for me."

Therefore I say, God has not rejected his people, has he? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, from the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

God has not rejected his people, whom he foreknew! Or do you not know, in [the passage about] Elijah, what the scripture says--how he appeals to God against Israel?

But what does the divine response say to him? "I have left for myself seven thousand people who have not bent the knee to Baal."

What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained [it], and the rest were hardened,

just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, until this very day."

let their eyes be darkened so that they do not see, and cause their backs to bend {continually}."

I say then, they did not stumble so that they fell, [did they]? May it never be! But by their trespass, salvation [has come] to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them [to jealousy].