⁶ You see, at just the right time,^(A) when we were still powerless,^(B) Christ died for the ungodly.^{(C) 7} Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.^(D)

⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?^{(A) 5} And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’^(B)

² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig^(A) tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.^(B)

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

⁷ All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”^(C)

⁸ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,^(D) “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,^(E) I will pay back four times the amount.”^(F)

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.^(G)

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?^(A) Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?^{(B) 36} As it is written:

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^(D) through him who loved us.^{(E) 38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future,^(F) nor any powers,^{(G) 39} neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God^(H) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(I)

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.^{(A) 15} And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves^(B) but for him who died for them^(C) and was raised again.

¹⁸ All this is from God,^(A) who reconciled us to himself through Christ^(B) and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.^(C) And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness^(A) and brought us into the kingdom^(B) of the Son he loves,^{(C) 14} in whom we have redemption,^(D) the forgiveness of sins.^(E)

The Supremacy of the Son of God

¹⁵ The Son is the image^(F) of the invisible God,^(G) the firstborn^(H) over all creation.

⁴ For he chose us^(A) in him before the creation of the world^(B) to be holy and blameless^(C) in his sight. In love^{(D) 5} he^[a] predestined^(E) us for adoption to sonship^[b](F) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure^(G) and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace,^(H) which he has freely given us in the One he loves.^{(I) 7} In him we have redemption^(J) through his blood,^(K) the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches^(L) of God’s grace

⁴ But because of his great love for us,^(A) God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions^(B)—it is by grace you have been saved.^{(C) 6} And God raised us up with Christ^(D) and seated us with him^(E) in the heavenly realms^(F) in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,^(G) expressed in his kindness^(H) to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace^(I) you have been saved,^(J) through faith^(K)—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works,^(L) so that no one can boast.^{(M) 10} For we are God’s handiwork,^(N) created^(O) in Christ Jesus to do good works,^(P) which God prepared in advance for us to do.