Romans 16
1599 Geneva Bible
16 1 He commendeth Phoebe. 3 He sendeth greeting to many. 17 And warneth to beware of them which are the causes of division.
1 I [a]Commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the Church of Cenchrea:
2 That ye receive her in the [b]Lord, as it becometh Saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she needeth of your aid: for she hath given hospitality unto many, and to me also.
3 Greet (A)Priscilla, and Aquila, my fellow helpers in Christ Jesus.
4 (Which have for my life laid down their own neck. Unto whom not I only give thanks, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles.)
5 Likewise greet the [c]Church that is in their house. Salute my beloved Epaenetus, which is the [d]firstfruits of Achaia in Christ.
6 Greet Mary which bestowed much labor on us.
7 Salute Andronicus and Junia my cousins and fellow prisoners, which are notable among the Apostles, and were in [e]Christ before me.
8 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.
9 Salute Urbanus our fellow helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ friends.
11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them which are of the friends of Narcissus which are in the Lord.
12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, which women labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which woman hath labored much in the Lord.
13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Mercurius, and the brethren which are with them.
15 Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas and all the Saints which are with them.
16 Salute one another with an (B)holy [f]kiss. The Churches of Christ salute you.
17 ¶ [g]Now I beseech you brethren, [h]mark them diligently which cause division and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and (C)avoid them.
18 For they that are such, serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies, and with [i]fair speech and flattering deceive the hearts of the simple.
19 [j]For your obedience is come abroad among all: I am glad therefore of you: but yet I would have you [k]wise unto that which is good, and [l]simple concerning evil.
20 [m]The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21 (D)[n]Timothy my helper, and Lucius and Jason, and Sosipater my kinsmen, salute you.
22 I Tertius, which [o]wrote out this Epistle, salute you in the Lord.
23 Gaius mine host, and of the whole Church saluteth you. Erastus the steward of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.
24 [p]The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.
25 (E)[q]To him now that is of power to establish you according to my Gospel, and preaching of Jesus Christ, (F)by the revelation of the [r]mystery, which was kept secret since the world began:
26 (But now is opened, and [s]published among all nations by the Scriptures of the Prophets, at the commandment of the everlasting God for the obedience of faith.)
27 To God, I say, only wise, be praise through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Written to the Romans from Corinth, and sent by Phoebe, servant of the Church which is at Cenchrea.
Footnotes
- Romans 16:1 Having made an end of the whole disputation, he cometh now to familiar commendations and salutations, and that to good consideration and purpose, to wit, that the Romans might know, who are most to be honored and made account of amongst them, and also whom they ought to set before them to follow: and therefore he attributeth unto every of them peculiar and singular testimonies.
- Romans 16:2 For Christ’s sake, which is proper to the Christians, for the heathen Philosophers have resemblances of the same virtues.
- Romans 16:5 The company of the faithful, for in so great a city as that was, there were divers companies.
- Romans 16:5 For he was the first of Achaia that believed in Christ: and this kind of speech is an allusion to the ceremonies of the Law.
- Romans 16:7 Ingrafted by faith.
- Romans 16:16 He calleth that an holy kiss, which proceedeth from an heart that is full of that holy love: now this is to be referred to the manner used in those days.
- Romans 16:17 As by namely describing them, which were worthy of commendation, he sufficiently declared when they ought to hear and follow, so doth he now point out unto them whom they ought to take heed of, yet he nameth them not, for that it was not needful.
- Romans 16:17 Warily and diligently, as though you should scout out for your enemies in a watch tower.
- Romans 16:18 The word which he useth, signifieth a promising which performeth nothing, and if thou hearest any such, thou mayest assure thyself that he that promiseth thee is more careful of thy matters, than of his own.
- Romans 16:19 Simplicity must be joined with wisdom.
- Romans 16:19 Furnished with the knowledge of the truth, and wisdom, that you may embrace good things, and eschew evil, beware of the deceits and snares of false prophets, and resist them openly: and this place doth plainly destroy the Papists’ faith of credit, whereas they maintain it to be sufficient for one man to believe as another man believeth, without further knowledge, or examination what the matter is, or what ground it hath: using these daily speeches, We believe as our fathers believed, and we believe as the Church believeth.
- Romans 16:19 As men that know no way to deceive, much less to deceive in deed.
- Romans 16:20 We must fight, with a certain hope of victory.
- Romans 16:21 He annexeth salutations, partly to renew mutual friendship, and partly to the end that this Epistle might be of some weight with the Romans, having the confirmation of so many that subscribed unto it.
- Romans 16:22 Wrote it as Paul uttered it.
- Romans 16:24 Now taking his leave of them this third time, he wisheth that unto them, whereupon dependeth all the force of the former doctrine.
- Romans 16:25 He setteth forth the power and wisdom of God with great thanksgiving, which especially appears in the Gospel, and maketh mention also of the calling of the Gentiles to confirm the Romans in the hope of this salvation.
- Romans 16:25 That secret and hidden thing, that is to say, the calling of the Gentiles.
- Romans 16:26 Offered and exhibited to all nations to be known.
Romans 16
Common English Bible
Introduction to Phoebe
16 I’m introducing our sister Phoebe to you, who is a servant[a] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 Welcome her in the Lord in a way that is worthy of God’s people, and give her whatever she needs from you, because she herself has been a sponsor of many people, myself included.
Greetings to Roman Christians
3 Say hello to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. I’m not the only one who thanks God for them, but all the churches of the Gentiles do the same. 5 Also say hello to the church that meets in their house. Say hello to Epaenetus, my dear friend, who was the first convert[b] in Asia for Christ. 6 Say hello to Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Say hello to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners. They are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Say hello to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Say hello to Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Say hello to Apelles, who is tried and true in Christ. Say hello to the members of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Say hello to my relative Herodion. Say hello to the members of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Say hello to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who are workers for the Lord. Say hello to my dear friend Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Say hello to Rufus, who is an outstanding believer, along with his mother and mine. 14 Say hello to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Say hello to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Say hello to each other with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ say hello to you.
Warning against divisions
17 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for people who create divisions and problems against the teaching that you learned. Keep away from them. 18 People like that aren’t serving the Lord. They are serving their own feelings. They deceive the hearts of innocent people with smooth talk and flattery. 19 The news of your obedience has reached everybody, so I’m happy for you. But I want you to be wise about what’s good, and innocent about what’s evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan[c] under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Greetings from Paul’s coworkers
21 Timothy my coworker says hello to you, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives. 22 I’m Tertius, and I’m writing this letter to you in the Lord—hello! 23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, says hello to you. Erastus the city treasurer says hello to you, along with our brother Quartus.[d]
Final prayer
25 May the glory be to God who can strengthen you with my good news and the message that I preach about Jesus Christ. He can strengthen you with the announcement of the secret[e] that was kept quiet for a long time. 26 Now that secret is revealed through what the prophets wrote. It is made known to the Gentiles[f] in order to lead to their faithful obedience based on the command of the eternal God. 27 May the glory be to God, who alone is wise! May the glory be to him through Jesus Christ forever! Amen.
Footnotes
- Romans 16:1 Or deacon
- Romans 16:5 Or is the firstfruits
- Romans 16:20 Or the Adversary
- Romans 16:23 Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- Romans 16:25 Or mystery
- Romans 16:26 Or all the Gentiles
Romans 16
New King James Version
Sister Phoebe Commended
16 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in (A)Cenchrea, 2 (B)that you may receive her in the Lord (C)in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.
Greeting Roman Saints
3 Greet (D)Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. 5 Likewise greet (E)the church that is in their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is (F)the firstfruits of [a]Achaia to Christ. 6 Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the (G)apostles, who also (H)were in Christ before me.
8 Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my [b]countryman. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord. Greet the beloved Persis, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, (I)chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16 (J)Greet one another with a holy kiss. [c]The churches of Christ greet you.
Avoid Divisive Persons
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those (K)who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and (L)avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord [d]Jesus Christ, but (M)their own belly, and (N)by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For (O)your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be (P)wise in what is good, and [e]simple concerning evil. 20 And (Q)the God of peace (R)will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
(S)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Greetings from Paul’s Friends
21 (T)Timothy, my fellow worker, and (U)Lucius, (V)Jason, and (W)Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.
23 (X)Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. (Y)Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 (Z)The[f] grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Benediction
25 [g]Now (AA)to Him who is able to establish you (AB)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (AC)according to the revelation of the mystery (AD)kept secret since the world began 26 but (AE)now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for (AF)obedience to the faith— 27 to (AG)God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Footnotes
- Romans 16:5 NU Asia
- Romans 16:11 Or relative
- Romans 16:16 NU All the churches
- Romans 16:18 NU, M omit Jesus
- Romans 16:19 innocent
- Romans 16:24 NU omits v. 24.
- Romans 16:25 M puts Rom. 16:25–27 after Rom. 14:23.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
