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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

Personal Greetings

16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a] of the church at Cenchreae,(A) so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,(B) who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert[b] in Asia for Christ.(C) Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia,[c] my fellow Israelites who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.(D) 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my fellow Israelite 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, and greet his mother—a mother to me also. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.(E) 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.(F)

Final Instructions

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who create dissensions and hindrances, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them.(G) 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,[d] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.(H) 19 For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.(I) 20 The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.[e](J)

21 Timothy, my coworker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Israelites.(K)

22 I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.[f]

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

Final Doxology

25 Now to God[h] who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages(M) 26 but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith(N) 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.[i]

Footnotes

  1. 16.1 Or minister
  2. 16.5 Gk first fruits
  3. 16.7 Or Junias; other ancient authorities read Julia
  4. 16.18 Gk their own belly
  5. 16.20 Other ancient authorities lack this sentence
  6. 16.22 Or I Tertius, writing this letter in the Lord, greet you
  7. 16.23 Other ancient authorities add verse 24, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.
  8. 16.25 Gk the one
  9. 16.27 Other ancient authorities lack 16.25–27 or include it after 14.23 or 15.33; others put 16.24 after 16.27

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.

Introduction to Phoebe

16 I’m introducing our sister Phoebe to you, who is a servant[a] of the church in Cenchreae. 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

Say hello to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, 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. 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. Say hello to Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 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. Say hello to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 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

  1. Romans 16:1 Or deacon
  2. Romans 16:5 Or is the firstfruits
  3. Romans 16:20 Or the Adversary
  4. 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.
  5. Romans 16:25 Or mystery
  6. Romans 16:26 Or all the Gentiles

Greetings and Love Expressed

16 I (A)recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a [a]servant of the church which is at (B)Cenchrea, that you (C)receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the [b](D)saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, [c]and of myself as well.

Greet (E)Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers (F)in (G)Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet (H)the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the (I)first convert to Christ from [d](J)Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and [e]Junia, my (K)kinsfolk and my (L)fellow prisoners, who are outstanding in the view of the apostles, who also [f]were (M)in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker (N)in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. 10 Greet Apelles, the approved (O)in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my (P)kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet (Q)Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all (R)the [g]saints who are with them. 16 (S)Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and [h]hindrances (T)contrary to the teaching which you learned, and (U)turn away from them. 18 For such people are (V)slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of (W)their own [i]appetites; and by their (X)smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19 For the report of your obedience (Y)has reached everyone; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but (Z)I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil. 20 (AA)The God of peace will soon crush (AB)Satan under your feet.

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

21 (AD)Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and so do (AE)Lucius, (AF)Jason, and (AG)Sosipater, my (AH)kinsmen.

22 I, Tertius, who have (AI)written this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 (AJ)Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. (AK)Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, the brother.[j]

25 (AL)Now to Him who is able to establish you (AM)according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of (AN)the mystery which has been kept secret for (AO)long ages past, 26 but now has been disclosed, and through (AP)the Scriptures of the prophets, in accordance with the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to (AQ)obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, (AR)be the glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 16:1 Or deaconess
  2. Romans 16:2 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  3. Romans 16:2 Lit and of me, myself
  4. Romans 16:5 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  5. Romans 16:7 Or possibly Junias (masc)
  6. Romans 16:7 Lit have become
  7. Romans 16:15 See note 1 v 2
  8. Romans 16:17 Lit occasions of stumbling
  9. Romans 16:18 Lit belly
  10. Romans 16:23 Late mss add as v 24: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.