Romans 15

1 As for us who are strong, our duty is to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not seek our own pleasure.

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

2 Let each of us endeavour to please his fellow Christian, aiming at a blessing calculated to build him up.

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

3 For even the Christ did not seek His own pleasure. His principle was, "The reproaches which they addressed to Thee have fallen on me."

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

4 For all that was written of old has been written for our instruction, so that we may always have hope through the power of endurance and the encouragement which the Scriptures afford.

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.

5 And may God, the giver of power of endurance and of that encouragement, grant you to be in full sympathy with one another in accordance with the example of Christ Jesus,

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,

6 so that with oneness both of heart and voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

7 Habitually therefore give one another a friendly reception, just as Christ also has received you, and thus promote the glory of God.

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

8 My meaning is that Christ has become a servant to the people of Israel in vindication of God's truthfulness-- in showing how sure are the promises made to our forefathers--

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

9 and that the Gentiles also have glorified God in acknowledgment of His mercy. So it is written, "For this reason I will praise Thee among the Gentiles, and sing psalms in honour of Thy name."

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”;

10 And again the Psalmist says, "Be glad, ye Gentiles, in company with His People."

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

11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and let all the people extol Him."

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

12 And again Isaiah says, "There shall be the Root of Jesse and One who rises up to rule the Gentiles. On Him shall the Gentiles build their hopes."

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

13 May God, the giver of hope, fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him--so that you may have abundant hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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.

14 But as to you, brethren, I am convinced-- yes, I Paul am convinced--that, even apart from my teaching, you are already full of goodness of heart, and enriched with complete Christian knowledge, and are also competent to instruct one another.

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;

15 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,

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,

16 that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles, doing priestly duties in connexion with God's Good News so that the sacrifice--namely the Gentiles--may be acceptable to Him, being (as it is) an offering which the Holy Spirit has made holy.

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.

17 I can therefore glory in Christ Jesus concerning the work for God in which I am engaged.

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

18 For I will not presume to mention any of the results that Christ has brought about by other agency than mine in securing the obedience of the Gentiles by word or deed,

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,

19 with power manifested in signs and marvels, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. But--to speak simply of my own labours--beginning in Jerusalem and the outlying districts, I have proclaimed without reserve, even as far as Illyricum, the Good News of the Christ;

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;

20 making it my ambition, however, not to tell the Good News where Christ's name was already known, for fear I should be building on another man's foundation.

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

21 But, as Scripture says, "Those shall see, to whom no report about Him has hitherto come, and those who until now have not heard shall understand."

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.”

22 And it is really this which has again and again prevented my coming to you.

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

23 But now, as there is no more unoccupied ground in this part of the world, and I have for years past been eager to pay you a visit,

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

24 I hope, as soon as ever I extend my travels into Spain, to see you on my way and be helped forward by you on my journey, when I have first enjoyed being with you for a time.

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.

25 But at present I am going to Jerusalem to serve God's people,

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

26 for Macedonia and Greece have kindly contributed a certain sum in relief of the poor among God's people, in Jerusalem.

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

27 Yes, they have kindly done this, and, in fact, it was a debt they owed them. For seeing that the Gentiles have been admitted in to partnership with the Jews in their spiritual blessings, they in turn are under an obligation to render sacred service to the Jews in temporal things.

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.

28 So after discharging this duty, and making sure that these kind gifts reach those for whom they are intended, I shall start for Spain, passing through Rome on my way there;

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

29 and I know that when I come to you it will be with a vast amount of blessing from Christ.

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

30 But I entreat you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love which His Spirit inspires, to help me by wrestling in prayer to God on my behalf,

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,

31 asking that I may escape unhurt from those in Judaea who are disobedient, and that the service which I am going to Jerusalem to render may be well received by the Church there,

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;

32 in order that if God be willing I may come to you with a glad heart, and may enjoy a time of rest with you.

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

33 May God, who gives peace be with you all! Amen.

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