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Personal Greetings

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant[a] of the church at (A)Cenchreae, that you (B)may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

Greet (C)Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also (D)the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was (E)the first convert[b] to Christ in Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia,[c] my kinsmen and my (F)fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles,[d] and they were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those (G)who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers[e] who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 (H)Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Final Instructions and Greetings

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles (I)contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; (J)avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but (K)their own appetites,[f] and (L)by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For (M)your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you (N)to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 (O)The God of peace (P)will soon crush Satan under your feet. (Q)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

21 (R)Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

22 I Tertius, (S)who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 (T)Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.[g]

Doxology

25 (U)Now to him who is able to strengthen you (V)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (W)according to the revelation of the mystery (X)that was kept secret for (Y)long ages 26 but (Z)has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, (AA)to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to (AB)the only wise God (AC)be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 16:1 Or deaconess
  2. Romans 16:5 Greek firstfruit
  3. Romans 16:7 Or Junias
  4. Romans 16:7 Or messengers
  5. Romans 16:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 17
  6. Romans 16:18 Greek their own belly
  7. Romans 16:23 Some manuscripts insert verse 24: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Paul Has Some Final Things to Say

16 I want you to know that you can trust our sister in Christ, Phoebe. She is a special servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to accept her in the Lord. Accept her the way God’s people should. Help her with anything she needs from you. She has helped me very much, and she has helped many others too.

Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked together with me for Christ Jesus. They risked their own lives to save mine. I am thankful to them, and all the non-Jewish churches are thankful to them.

Also, give greetings to the church that meets in their house.

Give greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus. He was the first person to follow Christ in Asia.

Greetings also to Mary. She worked very hard for you.

And greet Andronicus and Junia. They are my relatives, and they were in prison with me. They were followers of Christ before I was. And they are some of the most important of the ones Christ sent out to do his work.[a]

Give my greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord, and to Urbanus. He has worked together with me for Christ.

Give greetings also to my dear friend Stachys 10 and to Apelles, who has proved himself to be a true follower of Christ.

Give greetings to everyone in the family of Aristobulus 11 and to Herodion, my relative.

Greetings to all those in the family of Narcissus who belong to the Lord 12 and to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who work very hard for the Lord.

Greetings to my dear friend Persis. She has also worked very hard for the Lord.

13 Greetings also to Rufus, one of the Lord’s chosen people, and to his mother, who has been a mother to me too.

14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the brothers in Christ who are with them.

15 Give greetings to Philologus and Julia, to Nereus and his sister, to Olympas, and to all of God’s people with them.

16 Give each other the special greeting of God’s people.[b]

All the churches that belong to Christ send their greetings to you.

17 Brothers and sisters, I want you to be very careful of those who cause arguments and hurt people’s faith by teaching things that are against what you learned. Stay away from them. 18 People like that are not serving our Lord Christ. They are only pleasing themselves. They use fancy talk and say nice things to fool those who don’t know about evil. 19 Everyone has heard that you do what you were taught, and I am very happy about that. But I want you to be wise about what is good and to know nothing about what is evil.

20 The God who brings peace will soon defeat Satan and give you power over him.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, a worker together with me, sends you his greetings. Also Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater (these are my relatives) send their greetings.

22 I am Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul. I send you my own greetings as one who belongs to the Lord.

23 Gaius is letting me and the whole church here use his home. He sends his greetings to you. Erastus and our brother Quartus also send their greetings. Erastus is the city treasurer here. 24 [c]

25 Praise God! He is the one who can make you strong in faith. He can use the Good News that I teach to make you strong. It is the message about Jesus Christ that I tell people. That message is the secret truth that was hidden for ages and ages but has been made known. 26 It has now been shown to us. It was made known by what the prophets wrote, as God commanded. And it has now been made known to all people so that they can believe and obey God, who lives forever. 27 Glory forever to the only wise God through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 16:7 most important … work Literally, “important among (or to) the apostles.”
  2. Romans 16:16 the special greeting of God’s people Literally, “a holy kiss.”
  3. Romans 16:24 Some Greek copies add verse 24: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Paul Greets His Friends

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. Greet Andronicus and Junia,[a] my fellow Jews,[b] who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.[c] Greet the Lord’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters[d] who meet with them. 15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers[e] who meet with them. 16 Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

Paul’s Final Instructions

17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19 But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus[f] be with you.

21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

22 I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the Lord’s followers.

23 Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.[g]

25 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. 26 But now as the prophets[h] foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. 27 All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.[i]

Footnotes

  1. 16:7a Junia is a feminine name. Some late manuscripts accent the word so it reads Junias, a masculine name; still others read Julia (feminine).
  2. 16:7b Or compatriots; also in 16:21.
  3. 16:11 Or compatriot.
  4. 16:14 Greek brothers; also in 16:17.
  5. 16:15 Greek all of God’s holy people.
  6. 16:20 Some manuscripts read Lord Jesus Christ.
  7. 16:23 Some manuscripts add verse 24, May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Still others add this sentence after verse 27.
  8. 16:26 Greek the prophetic writings.
  9. 16:25-27 Various manuscripts place the doxology (shown here as 16:25-27) after 14:23 or after 15:33 or after 16:23.

16 1-2 Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe in the way of the Master, with all the generous hospitality we Christians are famous for. I heartily endorse both her and her work. She’s a key representative of the church at Cenchrea. Help her out in whatever she asks. She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me.

3-5 Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. They once put their lives on the line for me. And I’m not the only one grateful to them. All the non-Jewish gatherings of believers also owe them plenty, to say nothing of the church that meets in their house.

Hello to my dear friend Epenetus. He was the very first follower of Jesus in the province of Asia.

Hello to Mary. What a worker she has turned out to be!

Hello to my cousins Andronicus and Junias. We once shared a jail cell. They were believers in Christ before I was. Both of them are outstanding leaders.

Hello to Ampliatus, my good friend in the family of God.

Hello to Urbanus, our companion in Christ’s work, and my good friend Stachys.

10 Hello to Apelles, a tried-and-true veteran in following Christ.

Hello to the family of Aristobulus.

11 Hello to my cousin Herodion.

Hello to those who belong to the Lord from the family of Narcissus.

12 Hello to Tryphena and Tryphosa—such diligent women in serving the Master.

Hello to Persis, a dear friend and hard worker in Christ.

13 Hello to Rufus—a good choice by the Master!—and his mother. She has also been a dear mother to me.

14 Hello to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and also to all of their families.

15 Hello to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas—and all the followers of Jesus who live with them.

16 Holy hugs all around! All the churches of Christ send their warmest greetings!

17-18 One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.

19-20 And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus!

21 And here are some more greetings from our end. Timothy, my partner in this work, Lucius, and my cousins Jason and Sosipater all said to tell you hello.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter at Paul’s dictation, send you my personal greetings.

23 Gaius, who is host here to both me and the whole church, wants to be remembered to you.

Erastus, the city treasurer, and our good friend Quartus send their greetings.

25-26 All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the final detail.

27 All our praise is focused through Jesus on this incomparably wise God! Yes!

Personal Greetings

16 I commend(A) to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae.(B) I ask you to receive her in the Lord(C) in a way worthy of his people(D) and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila,(E) my co-workers(F) in Christ Jesus.(G) They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Greet also the church that meets at their house.(H)

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert(I) to Christ in the province of Asia.(J)

Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews(K) who have been in prison with me.(L) They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ(M) before I was.

Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,(N) and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.(O)

Greet those who belong to the household(P) of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.(Q)

Greet those in the household(R) of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus,(S) chosen(T) in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people(U) who are with them.(V)

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.(W)

All the churches of Christ send greetings.

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.(X) Keep away from them.(Y) 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ,(Z) but their own appetites.(AA) By smooth talk and flattery they deceive(AB) the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard(AC) about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.(AD)

20 The God of peace(AE) will soon crush(AF) Satan(AG) under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.(AH)

21 Timothy,(AI) my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius,(AJ) Jason(AK) and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.(AL)

22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius,(AM) whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.

Erastus,(AN) who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] [e]

25 Now to him who is able(AO) to establish you in accordance with my gospel,(AP) the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery(AQ) hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings(AR) by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[f] faith(AS) 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 16:1 Or servant
  2. Romans 16:1 The word deacon refers here to a Christian designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8,12.
  3. Romans 16:3 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
  4. Romans 16:7 Or are esteemed by
  5. Romans 16:24 Some manuscripts include here May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.
  6. Romans 16:26 Or that is