Romans 16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Personal Greetings
16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a] of the church at Cenchreae,(A) 2 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.
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,(B) 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert[b] in Asia for Christ.(C) 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 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. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 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
- 16.1 Or minister
- 16.5 Gk first fruits
- 16.7 Or Junias; other ancient authorities read Julia
- 16.18 Gk their own belly
- 16.20 Other ancient authorities lack this sentence
- 16.22 Or I Tertius, writing this letter in the Lord, greet you
- 16.23 Other ancient authorities add verse 24, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.
- 16.25 Gk the one
- 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
Romans 16
Contemporary English Version
Personal Greetings
16 I have good things to say about Phoebe, who is a leader in the church at Cenchreae. 2 Welcome her in a way that is proper for someone who has faith in the Lord and is one of God's own people. Help her in any way you can. After all, she has proved to be a respected leader for many others, including me.
3 (A) Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila. They have not only served Christ Jesus together with me, 4 but they have even risked their lives for me. I am grateful for them and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 Greet the church that meets in their home.
Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in Asia to have faith in Christ.
6 Greet Mary, who has worked so hard for you.
7 Greet my relatives[a] Andronicus and Junia, who were in jail with me. They are highly respected by the apostles and were followers of Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend whose faith is in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, who serves Christ along with us.
Greet my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, a faithful servant of Christ.
Greet Aristobulus and his family.
11 Greet Herodion, who is a relative[b] of mine.
Greet Narcissus and the others in his family, who have faith in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work hard for the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis. She also works hard for the Lord.
13 (B) Greet Rufus, that special servant of the Lord, and greet his mother, who has been like a mother to me.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas, as well as our friends who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God's people who are with them.
16 Be sure to give each other a warm greeting.
All of Christ's churches greet you.
17 My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away from them! 18 They want to serve themselves and not Christ the Lord. Their flattery and fancy talk fool people who don't know any better. 19 I am glad that everyone knows how well you obey the Lord. But still, I want you to understand what is good and not have anything to do with evil. 20 Then God, who gives peace, will soon crush Satan under your feet. I pray that our Lord Jesus will be kind to you.
21 (C) Timothy, who works with me, sends his greetings, and so do my relatives,[c] Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater.
22 I, Tertius, also send my greetings. I am a follower of the Lord, and I wrote this letter.[d]
23-24 (D) Gaius welcomes me and the whole church into his home, and he sends his greetings.
Erastus, the city treasurer, and our dear friend Quartus send their greetings too.[e]
Paul's Closing Prayer
25 Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, which is the message about[f] Jesus Christ. For ages and ages this message was kept secret, 26 but now at last it has been told. The eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, so that all nations would obey and have faith. 27 (E) And now, because of Jesus Christ, we can praise the only wise God forever! Amen.[g]
Footnotes
- 16.7 relatives: Or “Jewish friends.”
- 16.11 relatives: Or “Jewish friends.”
- 16.21 relatives: Or “Jewish friends.”
- 16.22 I wrote this letter: Paul probably dictated this letter to Tertius.
- 16.23,24 send their greetings too: Some manuscripts add, “I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will always bless you with undeserved grace. Amen.”
- 16.25 about: Or “from.”
- 16.27 Amen: Some manuscripts have verses 25-27 after 14.23. Others have the verses here and after 14.23, and one manuscript has them after 15.33.
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