Chapter I: BESEECH you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present

your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your rational service. (2)And be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may discern what is the will of God, the good, and well pleasing, and perfect.

(3)For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God imparted to each one the measure of faith. (4)For as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office; (5)so we, the many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another. (6)And having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, [let us prophesy] according to the proportion of our faith; (7)or ministry, [let us wait] on the ministry; or he that teaches, on the teaching; (8)or he that exhorts, on the exhortation; he that gives, [let him do it] with simplicity; he that presides, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

(9)Let love be unfeigned. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. In brotherly love, (10)be kindly affectioned one to another; in honor, preferring one another; (11)in diligence, not slothful; in spirit, fervent, serving the Lord; (12)in hope, rejoicing; in affliction, patient; in prayer, persevering; (13)communicating to the necessities of the saints[12:13]; given to hospitality. (14)Bless those who persecute you; bless, and curse not. (15)Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. (16)Be of the same mind one toward another. Aspire not to things that are high, but condescend to the lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits. (17)Recompense to no one evil for evil. Provide things honorable in the sight of all men. (18)If it be possible, as far as depends on you, be at peace with all men. (19)Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath [of God]. For it is written: To me belongs vengeance; I will recompense, saith the Lord. (20)Therefore,

If thy enemy hungers, feed him;
If he thirsts, give him drink.

For, in doing this,

Thou wilt heap coals of fire on his head.

(21)Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

XIII.

LET every soul submit himself to the higher powers. For there is no power but from God; the powers that be have been ordained by God. (2)So that he who resists the power, resists the ordinance of God; and they that resist will receive to themselves condemnation. (3)For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. And dost thou wish not to be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou wilt have praise from it; (4)for he is God's minister to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger for wrath to him that does evil. (5)Wherefore it is necessary to submit yourselves, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

(6)For, for this cause ye pay tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually to this very thing. (7)Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (8)Owe no one anything, but to love one another; for he that loves another has fulfilled the law. (9)For this: Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (10)Love works no ill to one's neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (11)And that, knowing the time, that it is high time that we already were awaked out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (12)The night is far advanced, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (13)Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lewdness and wantonness, not in strife and envying; (14)but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

XIV.

HIM that is weak in faith receive; not for the decision of disputes. (2)For one believes, that he may eat all things; but he that is weak eats herbs. (3)Let not him that eats despise him that eats not; and let not him that eats not judge him that eats; for God received him. (4)Who art thou that judgest another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. But he shall be made to stand; for God is able to make him stand.

(5)One man esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each one be fully persuaded in his own mind. (6)He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives thanks to God.

(7)For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. (8)For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (9)For to this end Christ died, and lived, that he might be Lord of both the dead and living.

(10)But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou despise thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. (11)For it is written: As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God.[14:11] (12)So then, each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

(13)Let us therefore no longer judge one another; but judge this rather, not to put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in a brother's way. (14)I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; but to him that accounts anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15)But if because of food thy brother is grieved, thou no longer walkest in accordance with love. Destroy not him by thy food, for whom Christ died. (16)Let not then your good be evil spoken of. (17)For the kingdom of God is not food and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (18)For he that in these things serves Christ, is well pleasing to God, and approved by men.

(19)So then, let us follow after the things which make for peace, and things by which one may edify another. (20)For the sake of food destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offense. (21)It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbles, or is made to offend, or is weak. (22)Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that judges not himself in that which he allows. (23)And he that doubts is condemned if he eat, because it is not of faith; and all that is not of faith is sin.

XV.

NOW we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2)Let each one of us please his neighbor, for his good, to edification. (3)For also Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written: The reproaches of those who reproached thee, fell on me. (4)For whatever things were written afore-time were for our instruction, that we through patience and consolation of the Scriptures may have hope. (5)And the God of patience and consolation grant you to be of the same mind one with another, according to Christ Jesus; (6)that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(7)Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (8)For I say that Jesus Christ has been made a minister of the circumcision, for the sake of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises made to the fathers; (9)and that the Gentiles should glorify God for his mercy; as it is written:

For this cause I will give thee praise among Gentiles.
And to thy name will sing.

(10)And again he says:

Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.

(11)And again:

Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles;
And extol him, all ye peoples.

(12)And again, Isaiah says:

There shall be the root of Jesse,
And he who rises up to rule the Gentiles;
On him will Gentiles hope.

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

(14)And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (15)But I wrote the more boldly to you, brethren, 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 to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest in the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (17)I have therefore my glorying in Christ Jesus, as to things pertaining to God. (18)For I will not dare to speak of any of the things which Christ wrought not through me, to bring the Gentiles to obedience, by word and deed, (19)in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the good news of Christ; (20)being emulous so to preach the good news, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another's foundation; (21)but as it is written:

They to whom it was not announced concerning him shall see,
And they that have not heard shall understand.

(22)For which cause also, for the most part, I was hindered from coming to you. (23)But now having no longer place in these regions, and having a great desire these many years to come to you, (24)whenever I go into Spain, I hope to see you in my journey, and to be sent forward thither by you, if first I shall be satisfied in a measure with your company.

(25)But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. (26)For Macedonia and Achaia thought it good, to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who were at Jerusalem. (27)For they thought it good; and their debtors are they. For if the Gentiles shared in their spiritual things, they ought also to minister to them in carnal things. (28)When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go by you into Spain. (29)And I know that, when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

(30)And I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; (31)that I may be delivered from the unbelieving in Judaea, and that my service which is for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; (32)that with joy I may come to you by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. (33)And the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

XVI.