1. Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.
2. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up.
3. For even the Messiah did not please Himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.
4. For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.
5. Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6. so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice.
7. Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
8. Now I say that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises to the fathers,
9. and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles, and I will sing psalms to Your name.
10. Again it says: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people!
11. And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; all the peoples should praise Him!
12. And again, Isaiah says: The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will hope.
13. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14. Now, my brothers, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
15. Nevertheless, to remind you, I have written to you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God
16. to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God's good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17. Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God.
18. For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed,
19. by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the good news about the Messiah from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.
20. So my aim is to evangelize where Christ has not been named, in order that I will not be building on someone else's foundation,
21. but, as it is written: Those who had no report of Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.
22. That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.
23. But now I no longer have any work to do in these provinces, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you
24. whenever I travel to Spain. For I do hope to see you when I pass through, and to be sent on my way there by you, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.
25. Now, however, I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints;
26. for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution to the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
27. Yes, they were pleased, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to Jews in material needs.
28. So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will go by way of you to Spain.
29. But I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30. Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf:
31. that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
32. and that, by God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
33. The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.