Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

So God abandoned them, with their heart's cravings, to impurity, and let them degrade their own bodies.

And as it seemed not good unto them to be a known of God, even so God delivered them up unto a lewd mind, that they should do those things which were not comely,

Hated by God, full of pride, without respect, full of loud talk, given to evil inventions, not honouring father or mother,

or the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, dost thou despise? -- not knowing that the goodness of God doth lead thee to reformation!

And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

a light to them that are in the darkness, an instructor of the simple, a teacher of babes, having the form of the knowledge and of the truth which is in the law.

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

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?

let it not be! since how shall God judge the world?

And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;

But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it--

Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment;

Law then do we make useless through the faith? let it not be! yea, we do establish law.

In respect, however, of the promise of God, he was not led to hesitate by unbelief, but received power by his faith, giving glory unto God,

But also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;

Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].

And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;

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.

So then as through one trespass [Adam’s sin] there resulted condemnation for all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

For as through the one man's disobedience the many were led sinful, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be led righteous.

What shall we say then? Let us continue in sin, that grace may abound still more?

let it not be! we who died to the sin -- how shall we still live in it?

So let it be with you-regard yourselves as dead to sin, but as living for God, through union with Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

you must not let sin have your members for the service of vice, you must dedicate yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, dedicating your members to God for the service of righteousness.

Let not sin have power over you. For ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then? shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? let it not be!

I am using human reasoning because of your human weakness. For just as you once offered the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to wickedness, which led to further wickedness; so now [you should] offer the parts of your body as slaves to do what is right, which leads to holy living.

For when we were in the flesh [i.e., before conversion], our sinful desires, aroused by [the restrictions of] the law of Moses, worked in our bodies to produce activity that led to [spiritual] death.

What, then, shall we say? the law is sin? let it not be! but the sin I did not know except through law, for also the covetousness I had not known if the law had not said:

That command gave sin an opening, and it led me to all sorts of covetous ways, for sin is lifeless without law.

and I died, and this commandment which [was] to [lead to] life was found with respect to me to [lead to] death.

That which is good then, to me hath it become death? let it not be! but the sin, that it might appear sin, through the good, working death to me, that the sin might become exceeding sinful through the command,

Sentence of death therefore shall not pass upon those christians who do not lead a vicious life.

For they who are after the flesh, mind the things of the flesh; but they who are led by the Spirit, do mind spiritual things.

now sensual inclinations lead to death; but spiritual affections to a life of tranquillity.

for if you lead a sensual life, you will be miserable: but if through the spirit you mortify the affections of corrupted nature, you will be happy.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

For nature did not of its own accord give up to failure; it was for the sake of Him who let it thus be given up, in the hope

What are we to say, then, in the light of all this? If God is on our side, who can there be against us?

To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to His natural descent, came the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), He who is exalted and supreme over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

What, then, shall we say? unrighteousness is with God? let it not be!

What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:

What, then, shall we say? That, they of the nations, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have laid hold of righteousness, - a righteousness, however, which is by faith;

Now Christ is an end to law, so as to let every believer have righteousness.

what does it say "more? the word is nigh thee, let it be in thy mouth and in thy heart:" that is the word of faith which we preach.

I say, then, Did God cast away His people? let it not be! for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin:

And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

I say, then, Did they stumble that they might fall? let it not be! but by their fall the salvation is to the nations, to arouse them to jealousy;

You will say, "But branches were broken off to let me be grafted in!"

well, be it so, for their incredulity they were broken off, and you by faith stand firm: be not then elated, but let this be your fear,

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.

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

And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

as to brotherly love, kindly affectioned towards one another: as to honour, each taking the lead in paying it to the other:

Let not that business which ye have in hand be tedious to you. Be fervent in the spirit. Apply yourselves to the time.

let your hope be a joy to you; be stedfast in trouble, attend to prayer,

Have full sympathy with one another. Do not give your mind to high things, but let humble ways content you. Do not be wise in your own conceits.

Do not give evil for evil to any man. Let all your business be well ordered in the eyes of all men.

Never revenge yourselves, beloved, but let the Wrath of God have its way; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital ??the Lord has said it. No,

But [Prov. 25:21-25 says], "Feed your enemy if he is hungry; give him something to drink if he is thirsty. For when you do this, it will be [like] heaping burning coals on his head." [i.e., it can cause him burning shame that can lead to his repentance and ultimate forgiveness].

Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Magistrates are no terror to an honest man, though they are to a bad man. If you want to avoid being alarmed at the government-authorities, lead an honest life and you will be commended for it;

And this let us observe, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

If your brother is being hurt or offended because of food [that you insist on eating], you are no longer walking in love [toward him]. Do not let what you eat destroy and spiritually harm one for whom Christ died.

Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Do not let the work of God come to nothing on account of food. All things are certainly clean; but it is evil for that man who by taking food makes it hard for another.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

And let the gentiles praise God for his mercy. As it is written, "For this cause I will praise thee among the gentiles, and sing in thy name."

And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

by the force of miracles and marvels, by the power of the Spirit of God. Thus from Jerusalem right round to Illyricum, I have been able to complete the preaching of the gospel of Christ ??20 my ambition always being to preach it only in places where there had been no mention of Christ's name, that I might not build on foundations laid by others,

In all this it has been my ambition to preach the good news only where Christ's name was unknown, so as not to build on foundations other men had laid.

For this cause I have been oft let to come unto you:

Let me introduce our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae;

Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

Now to him who is able to make you strong in agreement with the good news which I gave you and the preaching of Jesus Christ, in the light of the revelation of that secret which has been kept through times eternal,

but has now been brought fully to light, and by the command of the God of the Ages has been made known by the writings of the Prophets among all the Gentiles to win them to obedience to the faith--