Romans 15

1 And we ought—we who are strong—to bear the weaknesses of the powerless, and not to please ourselves;

We, the strong, ought to take on our own shoulders the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not merely to please ourselves.

2 for let each one of us please the neighbor for good, for edification,

Let each of us please his neighbour for his neighbour’s good, to help in the building up of his character.

3 for even the Christ did not please Himself, but according as it has been written: “The reproaches of those reproaching You fell on Me”;

Even the Christ did not please himself! On the contrary, as Scripture says of him — ‘The reproaches of those who were reproaching thee fell upon me.’

4 for as many things as were written before, for our instruction were written before, that through the endurance, and the exhortation of the Writings, we might have the hope.

Whatever was written in the Scriptures in days gone by was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance, and through the encouragement drawn from the Scriptures, we might hold fast to our hope.

5 And may the God of the endurance, and of the exhortation, give to you to have the same mind toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,

And may God, the giver of this patience and this encouragement, grant you to be united in sympathy in Christ,

6 that with one accord—with one mouth—you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;

so that with one heart and one voice you may praise the God and Father of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

7 for this reason receive one another, according as also the Christ received us, to the glory of God.

Therefore always receive one another as friends, just as the Christ himself received us, to the glory of God.

8 And I say Jesus Christ to have become a servant of circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises to the fathers,

For I tell you that Christ, in vindication of God’s truthfulness, has become a minister of the Covenant of Circumcision, so that he may fulfil the promises made to our ancestors,

9 and the nations for kindness to glorify God, according as it has been written: “Because of this I will confess to You among nations, and to Your Name I will sing praise”;

and that the Gentiles also may praise God for his mercy. As Scripture says — ‘Therefore will I make acknowledgment to thee among the Gentiles and sing in honour of thy Name.’

10 and again it says, “Rejoice you nations, with His people”;

And again it says — ‘Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with God’s People.’

11 and again, “Praise the LORD, all you nations; and laud Him, all you peoples”;

And yet again — ‘Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and let all Peoples sing his praises.’

12 and again, Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, and He who is rising to rule nations—on Him will nations hope”;

Again, Isaiah says — ‘There shall be a Scion of the house of Jesse, One who is to arise to rule the Gentiles; on him shall the Gentiles rest their hopes.’

13 and the God of the hope will fill you with all joy and peace in the believing, for your abounding in the hope in power of the Holy Spirit.

May God, who inspires our hope, grant you perfect happiness and peace in your faith, till you are filled with this hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

14 And I am persuaded, my brothers—I myself also—concerning you, that you yourselves also are full of goodness, having been filled with all knowledge, also able to admonish one another;

I am persuaded, my Brothers — yes, I Paul, with regard to you — that you are yourselves full of kindness, furnished with all Christian learning, and well able to give advice to one another.

15 and the more boldly I wrote to you, brothers, in part, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me by God,

But in parts of this letter I have expressed myself somewhat boldly — by way of refreshing your memories —

16 for my being a servant of Jesus Christ to the nations, acting as priest in the good news of God, that the offering up of the nations may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

because of the charge with which God has entrusted me, that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus to go to the Gentiles — that I should act as a priest of God’s Good News, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

17 I have, then, a boasting in Christ Jesus, in the things pertaining to God,

It is, then, through my union with Christ Jesus that I have a proud confidence in my work for God.

18 for I will not dare to speak anything of the things that Christ did not work through me, to obedience of nations, by word and deed,

For I will not dare to speak of anything but what Christ has done through me to win the obedience of the Gentiles —

19 in power of signs and wonders, in power of the Spirit of God; so that I, from Jerusalem, and in a circle as far as Illyricum, have fully preached the good news of the Christ;

by my words and actions, through the power displayed in signs and marvels, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so, starting from Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, and going as far as Illyria, I have told in full the Good News of the Christ;

20 and so counting it honor to proclaim good news, not where Christ was named—that on another’s foundation I might not build—

yet always with the ambition to tell the Good News where Christ’s name had not previously been heard, so as to avoid building upon another man’s foundations.

21 but according as it has been written: “To whom it was not told concerning Him, they will see; and they who have not heard, will understand.”

But as Scripture says — ‘They to whom he had never been proclaimed shall see; and they who have never heard shall understand!’

22 For this reason, also, I was hindered many times from coming to you,

That is why I have so often been prevented from coming to you.

23 and now, no longer having place in these parts, and having a longing to come to you for many years,

But now there are no further openings for me in these parts, and I have for several years been longing to come to you whenever I may be going to Spain.

24 when I may go on to Spain I will come to you, for I hope in going through, to see you, and by you to be set forward there, if of you first, in part, I will be filled.

For my hope is to visit you on my journey, and then to be sent on my way by you, after I have first partly satisfied myself by seeing something of you.

25 And now, I go on to Jerusalem, ministering to the holy ones;

Just now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem, to take help to Christ’s People there.

26 for it pleased Macedonia and Achaia well to make a certain contribution for the poor of the holy ones who [are] in Jerusalem;

For Macedonia and Greece have been glad to make a collection for the poor among Christ’s People at Jerusalem.

27 for it pleased well, and their debtors they are, for if the nations participated in their spiritual things, they ought also, in the fleshly things, to minister to them.

Yes, they were glad to do so; and indeed it is a duty which they owe to them. For the Gentile converts who have shared their spiritual blessings are in duty bound to minister to them in the things of this world.

28 This, then, having finished, and having sealed to them this fruit, I will return through you, to Spain;

When I have settled this matter, and have secured to the poor at Jerusalem the enjoyment of these benefits, I shall go, by way of you, to Spain.

29 and I have known that coming to you—in the fullness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I will come.

And I know that, when I come to you, it will be with a full measure of blessing from Christ.

30 And I call on you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in the prayers for me to God,

I beg you, then, Brothers, by Jesus Christ, our Lord, and by the love inspired by the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf.

31 that I may be delivered from those not believing in Judea, and that my ministry, that [is] for Jerusalem, may become acceptable to the holy ones;

Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who reject the Faith, and that the help which I am taking to Jerusalem may prove acceptable to Christ’s People;

32 that in joy I may come to you, through the will of God, and may be refreshed with you,

so that, God willing, I may be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and enjoy some rest among you.

33 and the God of peace [be] with you all. Amen.

May God, the giver of peace, be with you all. Amen.