Instructions and Greetings

16 Now concerning the money collected for [the relief of] the saints [in Jerusalem], you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do. ² On the first day of every week each one of you is to put something aside, in proportion to his prosperity, and save it so that no collections [will need to] be made when I come. ³ When I arrive, I will send whomever you approve with letters [of authorization] to take your gift [of charity and love] to Jerusalem; ⁴ and if it is fitting for me to go too, they will accompany me.

⁵ I will visit you after I go through Macedonia, for I am only passing through Macedonia; ⁶ but it may be that I will stay with you [for a while], or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way to wherever I may go afterward. ⁷ For I do not wish to see you right now just in passing, but I hope to remain with you for some time [later on], if the Lord permits. ⁸ But I will stay in Ephesus until ^[a]Pentecost, ⁹ because a wide door for effective service has opened to me [in Ephesus, a very promising opportunity], and there are many adversaries.^(A)

¹⁰ If Timothy comes, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he has nothing to fear in regard to you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. ¹¹ So allow no one to treat him with disdain [as if he were inconsequential]. But send him off [cordially, and speed him on his way] in peace, so that he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other brothers.

¹² As for our brother Apollos, I have strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. It was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.

¹³ Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.^{(B) 14} Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, you know that those of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to ^[b]God’s people—now I urge you ¹⁶ to be subject to such leaders [treating them with courtesy and respect], and to everyone who helps in the work and labors [for the benefit of yourselves and the church]. ¹⁷ I rejoice because Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have arrived, for they have made up for your absence. ¹⁸ They have refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So fully acknowledge such men and deeply appreciate them.

¹⁹ The churches of Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their warm greetings in the Lord. ²⁰ All the believers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹ This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. ²² If anyone does not love the Lord [does not obey and respect and believe in Jesus Christ and His message], he is to be accursed. Maranatha (O our Lord, come)! ²³ The grace of our Lord Jesus [His unmerited favor, His spiritual blessing, His profound mercy] be with you. ²⁴ My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

²¹ Now after these events, Paul determined in the Spirit that he would travel through ^[a]Macedonia and Achaia (most of the Greek mainland), and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome [and preach the good news of salvation].” ²² And after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and ^[b]Erastus, to Macedonia [ahead of him], he stayed on in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor] for a while.

²³ About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way (Jesus, Christianity). ²⁴ Now a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis (Diana), was bringing no small profit to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These [craftsmen] he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you are well aware that we make a good living from this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost all over [the province of] Asia, this Paul has persuaded [people to believe his teaching] and has misled a large number of people, claiming that gods made by [human] hands are not really gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] ^[c]temple of the great goddess ^[d]Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were filled with rage, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Then the city was filled with confusion; and people rushed together [as a group] into the amphitheater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Paul wanted to go into the [pagan] assembly, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the Asiarchs (officials) who were his friends sent word to him and repeatedly warned him not to venture into the amphitheater. ³² Now some shouted one thing and some another, for the gathering was in confusion and most of the people did not know ^[e]why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd advised Alexander [to speak], since the Jews had pushed him forward; and Alexander motioned with his hand [for attention] and intended to make a defense to the people. ³⁴ But when they realized that he was a Jew, a single outcry went up from the crowd as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ³⁵ After the town ^[f]clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of that [^[g]sacred stone image of her] which fell from the sky? ³⁶ So, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and stay calm and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another there. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. ⁴⁰ For we are running the risk of being accused of rioting in regard to today’s events, and since there is no reason for it, we will be unable to give an account and justify this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had encouraged them he told them goodbye, and set off to go to ^[h]Macedonia. ² After he had gone through those districts and had encouraged the believers, he came to Greece. ³ And he stayed three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia (northern Greece). ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and by Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and were waiting for us (including Luke) at Troas. ⁶ We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread (Passover week), and within five days we reached them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a ^[a]bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the ^[b]gospel of God [the good news of salvation], ² which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures— ³ [the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises], ⁴ and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ It is through Him that we have received grace and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the Gentiles, ⁶ and you also are among those who are called of Jesus Christ to belong to Him;

⁷ [I am writing] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, [that is, set apart for God and His purpose]: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you ¹⁰ in my prayers; always pleading that somehow, by God’s will, I may now at last come to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift, to strengthen and establish you; ¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, ^[c]brothers and sisters, that many times I have planned to come to you, (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some fruit [of my labors] among you, even as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I have a duty to perform and a debt to pay both to Greeks and to barbarians [the cultured and the uncultured], both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am ready and eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes [in Christ as Savior], to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.”^(A)

Unbelief and Its Consequences

¹⁸ For [God does not overlook sin and] the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who in their wickedness suppress and stifle the truth, ¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them [in their inner consciousness], for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.^{(B) 21} For even though ^[d]they knew God [as the Creator], they did not ^[e]honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for ^[f]an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin], ²⁵ because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.^(C)

²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to degrading and vile passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural [a function contrary to nature], ²⁷ and in the same way also the men turned away from the natural function of the woman and were consumed with their desire toward one another, men with men committing shameful acts and in return receiving in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive, ²⁹ until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors], ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors [of new forms] of evil, disobedient and disrespectful to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful [without pity]. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree and His judgment, that those who do such things deserve death, yet they not only do them, but they even [enthusiastically] approve and tolerate others who practice them.