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Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]? But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]:(A) to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life. But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another].(B)

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Or do you think lightly of (A)the riches of His (B)kindness and [a](C)restraint and (D)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But [b]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart (E)you are storing up wrath for yourself (F)on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (G)who will repay each person according to his deeds: to those who by (H)perseverance in doing good seek (I)glory, honor, and (J)immortality, He will give (K)eternal life; but to those who are (L)self-serving and (M)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. There will be (N)tribulation and distress [c]for every soul of mankind who does evil, [d]for the Jew (O)first and also [e]for the Greek, 10 but (P)glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew (Q)first and also to the Greek. 11 For (R)there is no partiality with God.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 2:4 I.e., from inflicting punishment
  2. Romans 2:5 Or in accordance with
  3. Romans 2:9 Lit upon
  4. Romans 2:9 Lit of the
  5. Romans 2:9 Lit of the

3-4 You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

5-8 You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!

9-11 If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you’re from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.

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