Romans 12
New Living Translation
A Living Sacrifice to God
12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority[c] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[d] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[g]
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Footnotes
- 12:1a Greek brothers.
- 12:1b Or This is your spiritual worship; or This is your reasonable service.
- 12:3a Or Because of the grace; compare 1:5.
- 12:3b Or by the faith God has given you; or by the standard of our God-given faith.
- 12:10 Greek with brotherly love.
- 12:11 Or but serve the Lord with a zealous spirit; or but let the Spirit excite you as you serve the Lord.
- 12:19 Deut 32:35.
- 12:20 Prov 25:21-22.
Romans 12
International Standard Version
Dedicate Your Lives to God
12 I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.[a] 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper,[b] pleasing, and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you. 4 For we have many parts in one body, but these parts do not all have the same function. 5 In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah[c] and individual parts connected to each other. 6 We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us. So if your gift is prophecy, use your gift[d] in proportion to your faith. 7 If your gift is serving, devote yourself to serving others.[e] If it is teaching, devote yourself to teaching others.[f] 8 If it is encouraging, devote yourself to encouraging others.[g] If it is sharing, share generously.[h] If it is leading, lead enthusiastically.[i] If it is helping, help cheerfully.[j]
9 Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other. 11 Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.[k] 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer. 13 Supply the needs of the saints. Extend hospitality to strangers.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Keep on blessing them, and never curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Cry with those who are crying. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.
17 Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but[l] focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people. 19 Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s[m] wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord.”[n] 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head.”[o] 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Footnotes
- Romans 12:1 Lit. to God, your reasonable worship
- Romans 12:2 Or good
- Romans 12:5 Or Christ
- Romans 12:6 Lit. If prophecy
- Romans 12:7 Lit. If serving, in serving
- Romans 12:7 Lit. If teaching, in teaching
- Romans 12:8 Lit. If encouraging, in encouragement
- Romans 12:8 Lit. The one who shares, with generosity
- Romans 12:8 Lit. The one who leads, with enthusiasm
- Romans 12:8 Lit. The one who helps, with cheerfulness
- Romans 12:11 Other mss. read the time
- Romans 12:17 The Gk. lacks but
- Romans 12:19 The Gk. lacks God’s
- Romans 12:19 Cf. Deut 32:35; MT source citation reads Lord
- Romans 12:20 Cf. Prov 25:21-22
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