Romans 8:18-16:27

English Standard Version

Future Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ^(A)are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for ^(B)the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation ^(C)was subjected to futility, not willingly, but ^(D)because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that ^(E)the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that ^(F)the whole creation ^(G)has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ^(H)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(I)groan inwardly as ^(J)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ^(K)the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For ^(L)in this hope we were saved. Now ^(M)hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we ^(N)wait for it with patience.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For ^(O)we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but ^(P)the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And ^(Q)he who searches hearts knows what is ^(R)the mind of the Spirit, because^[a] the Spirit ^(S)intercedes for the saints ^(T)according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together ^(U)for good,^[b] for ^(V)those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he ^(W)foreknew he also ^(X)predestined ^(Y)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(Z)the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also ^(AA)justified, and those whom he justified he also ^(AB)glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(AC)If God is for us, who can be^[c] against us? ^32 (AD)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(AE)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(AF)It is God who justifies. ^34 (AG)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(AH)who is at the right hand of God, ^(AI)who indeed is interceding for us.^{[d] 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(AL)conquerors through ^(AM)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's Sovereign Choice

9 ^(AN)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For ^(AO)I could wish that I myself were ^(AP)accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,^[e] my kinsmen ^(AQ)according to the flesh. ⁴ They are ^(AR)Israelites, and to them belong ^(AS)the adoption, ^(AT)the glory, ^(AU)the covenants, ^(AV)the giving of the law, ^(AW)the worship, and ^(AX)the promises. ⁵ To them belong ^(AY)the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, ^(AZ)who is God over all, ^(BA)blessed forever. Amen.

⁶ But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷ and not all are children of Abraham ^(BB)because they are his offspring, but ^(BC)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^(BD)the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹ For this is what the promise said: ^(BE)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁰ And not only so, but ^(BF)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^(BG)him who calls— ¹² she was told, ^(BH)“The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, ^(BI)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

¹⁴ What shall we say then? ^(BJ)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, ^(BK)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it depends not on human will or exertion,^[f] but on God, who has mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^(BL)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^(BM)who can resist his will?” ²⁰ But who are you, O man, ^(BN)to answer back to God? ^(BO)Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ^21 (BP)Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^(BQ)one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? ²² What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience ^(BR)vessels of wrath ^(BS)prepared for destruction, ²³ in order to make known ^(BT)the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he ^(BU)has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us whom he ^(BV)has called, ^(BW)not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? ²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ^(CA)“Though the number of the sons of Israel^[g] be as the sand of the sea, ^(CB)only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” ²⁹ And as Isaiah predicted,

Israel's Unbelief

³⁰ What shall we say, then? ^(CF)That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, ^(CG)a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but that Israel ^(CH)who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness^{[h] (CI)}did not succeed in reaching that law. ³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^(CJ)stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

10 Brothers,^[i] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that ^(CO)they have a zeal for God, ^(CP)but not according to knowledge. ³ For, being ignorant of ^(CQ)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ For ^(CR)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[j]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵ For ^(CS)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(CT)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶ But ^(CU)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(CV)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the ^(CW)abyss?’” (that is, ^(CX)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(CY)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if ^(CZ)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(DA)believe in your heart ^(DB)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(DC)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ^12 (DD)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(DE)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(DF)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For ^(DG)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(DH)of whom they have never heard?^[k] And how are they to hear ^(DI)without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(DJ)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But ^(DK)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(DL)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So ^(DM)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

²¹ But of Israel he says, ^(DT)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(DU)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(DV)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[l] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2 (DW)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(DX)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ^3 (DY)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God's reply to him? ^(DZ)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is ^(EA)a remnant, chosen by grace. ^6 (EB)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? ^(EC)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(ED)were hardened, ⁸ as it is written,

⁹ And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(EH)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[m] mean!

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(EI)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(EJ)thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means ^(EK)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ^16 (EL)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ But if ^(EM)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(EN)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[n] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(EO)stand fast through faith. So ^(EP)do not become proud, but ^(EQ)fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(ER)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(ES)you too will be cut off. ²³ And ^(ET)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

^25 (EU)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^{[o] (EV)}a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(EW)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

²⁸ As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(FB)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and ^(FC)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as ^(FD)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[p] receive mercy. ³² For God ^(FE)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(FF)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(FG)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁶ For ^(FK)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(FL)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(FM)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[q] by the mercies of God, ^(FN)to present your bodies ^(FO)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[r] 2 (FP)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[s] but be transformed by ^(FQ)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(FR)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[t]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(FS)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(FT)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(FU)each according to ^(FV)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(FW)as in one body we have many members,^[u] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(FX)though many, ^(FY)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(FZ)members one of another. ^6 (GA)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(GB)prophecy, ^(GC)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(GD)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(GE)the one who leads,^[v] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(GF)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (GG)Let love be genuine. ^(GH)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (GI)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(GJ)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(GK)be fervent in spirit,^{[w] (GL)}serve the Lord. ^12 (GM)Rejoice in hope, ^(GN)be patient in tribulation, ^(GO)be constant in prayer. ^13 (GP)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(GQ)seek to show hospitality.

^14 (GR)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (GS)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (GT)Live in harmony with one another. ^(GU)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[x] (GV)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (GW)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(GX)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(GY)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(GZ)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[y] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(HA)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(HB)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submission to the Authorities

13 Let every person ^(HC)be subject to the governing authorities. For ^(HD)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you ^(HE)will receive his approval, ⁴ for ^(HF)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ^(HG)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also ^(HH)for the sake of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. ^7 (HI)Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

^8 (HJ)Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for ^(HK)the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, ^(HL)“You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ^(HM)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore ^(HN)love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you ^(HO)to wake from sleep. ^(HP)For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ^12 (HQ)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ^(HR)cast off ^(HS)the works of darkness and ^(HT)put on the armor of light. ^13 (HU)Let us walk properly as in the daytime, ^(HV)not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, ^(HW)not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But ^(HX)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, ^(HY)to gratify its desires.

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

14 As for ^(HZ)the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ^2 (IA)One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and ^(IB)let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ^4 (IC)Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master^[z] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

^5 (ID)One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. ^(IE)Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since ^(IF)he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For ^(IG)none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, ^(IH)whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For to this end Christ ^(II)died and lived again, that he might be Lord both ^(IJ)of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For ^(IK)we will all stand before ^(IL)the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written,

¹² So then ^(IN)each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

^13 (IO)Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide ^(IP)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(IQ)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(IR)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(IS)you are no longer walking in love. ^(IT)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ^16 (IU)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ^17 (IV)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^(IW)of righteousness and ^(IX)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is ^(IY)acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us ^(IZ)pursue what makes for peace and for ^(JA)mutual upbuilding.

^20 (JB)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^(JC)Everything is indeed clean, but ^(JD)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ^21 (JE)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^{[ab] 22} The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^(JF)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[ac]

The Example of Christ

15 ^(JG)We who are strong ^(JH)have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (JI)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For ^(JJ)Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ^(JK)“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” ⁴ For ^(JL)whatever was written in former days was written for our ^(JM)instruction, that through endurance and through ^(JN)the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. ⁵ May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you ^(JO)to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify ^(JP)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

⁸ For I tell you that Christ ^(JQ)became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order ^(JR)to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹ and in order ^(JS)that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

¹⁰ And again it is said,

¹¹ And again,

¹² And again Isaiah says,

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all ^(JZ)joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

^14 (KA)I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers,^[ad] that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with ^(KB)all knowledge and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵ But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, ^(KC)because of the grace given me by God ¹⁶ to be ^(KD)a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ^(KE)in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that ^(KF)the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ In Christ Jesus, then, I have ^(KG)reason to be proud of ^(KH)my work for God. ¹⁸ For I will not venture to speak of anything except ^(KI)what Christ has accomplished through me ^(KJ)to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, ^19 (KK)by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that ^(KL)from Jerusalem and all the way around ^(KM)to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ²⁰ and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, ^(KN)lest I build on someone else's foundation, ²¹ but as it is written,

Paul's Plan to Visit Rome

²² This is the reason why ^(KP)I have so often been hindered from coming to you. ²³ But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and ^(KQ)since I have longed for many years to come to you, ²⁴ I hope to see you in passing as I go ^(KR)to Spain, and ^(KS)to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵ At present, however, ^(KT)I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. ²⁶ For ^(KU)Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷ For they were pleased to do it, and indeed ^(KV)they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. ²⁸ When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected,^[ae] I will leave ^(KW)for Spain by way of you. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing^[af] of Christ.

³⁰ I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by ^(KX)the love of the Spirit, ^(KY)to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, ^31 (KZ)that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that ^(LA)my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³² so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and ^(LB)be refreshed in your company. ³³ May ^(LC)the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Personal Greetings

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant^[ag] of the church at ^(LD)Cenchreae, ² that you ^(LE)may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

³ Greet ^(LF)Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, ⁴ who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. ⁵ Greet also ^(LG)the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was ^(LH)the first convert^[ah] to Christ in Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia,^[ai] my kinsmen and my ^(LI)fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles,^[aj] and they were in Christ before me. ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those ^(LJ)who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹² Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers^[ak] who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. ^16 (LK)Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Final Instructions and Greetings

¹⁷ I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles ^(LL)contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; ^(LM)avoid them. ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but ^(LN)their own appetites,^[al] and ^(LO)by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. ¹⁹ For ^(LP)your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you ^(LQ)to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. ^20 (LR)The God of peace ^(LS)will soon crush Satan under your feet. ^(LT)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

^21 (LU)Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

²² I Tertius, ^(LV)who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

^23 (LW)Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.^[am]

Doxology

^25 (LX)Now to him who is able to strengthen you ^(LY)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, ^(LZ)according to the revelation of the mystery ^(MA)that was kept secret for ^(MB)long ages ²⁶ but ^(MC)has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, ^(MD)to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to ^(ME)the only wise God ^(MF)be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.