Beginning
14 Be ready to take a person into the church even if he does not know and believe all you believe. Do not judge what he thinks about things.
2 One person believes he may eat anything. Another person, who does not believe that, eats only things that grow in the garden.
3 The one who eats anything must not despise the one who does not eat everything. And the one who does not eat must not judge the person who does. God has accepted him as he is.
4 Why do you judge another person's servant? He stands or he falls before his own master. But he will stand because the Lord can give him power to stand.
5 One man thinks, `This day is better than that day.' But another man thinks, `All days are alike.' Every man should be sure in his own mind what he believes.
6 One man honours the day to honour the Lord; another man does not honour the day to honour the Lord. The person who eats everything, eats it because he honours the Lord. And he thanks God. And the person who will not eat every kind of food also does so to honour the Lord. And he still gives thanks to God.
7 Not one of us lives for himself. And not one of us dies for himself.
8 If we live, we live for the Lord. And if we die, we die for the Lord. So then, if we live or if we die we belong to the Lord.
9 Christ wanted to be Lord, both of dead people and of living people. That is why he died and lived again.
10 Why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? We shall all stand before God to be judged.
11 The holy writings say, `The Lord says, "As sure as I live, every knee will bow to me. Every tongue will praise God." '
12 So each of us will tell God about what he has done.
13 So we must not judge each other any longer. But it is better for us to judge this. Never put anything in a brother's way that will hurt him or that will make him fall down.
14 As a Christian, I know and believe that nothing in itself is not right to eat. But it is not right for anyone to eat who thinks it is not right to eat.
15 Does what you eat trouble your brother? If it does, you are no longer living in love. Do not destroy the faith of someone because of what you eat. Christ died for him.
16 What is good for you must not be something that other people say is wrong.
17 The kingdom of God is not about what a person eats and drinks. But it is about living in a way which is right with God. It is peace. It is joy because a person has the Holy Spirit.
18 A person who does the work of Christ in this way pleases God. And people like him.
19 But we must do the things that make peace and that help each other to do better.
20 Do not spoil what God has done because you want some food. Everything is right. But it is wrong for anyone to eat anything if that will make his brother fall.
21 The right thing is to eat no meat, and drink no wine, and not do anything that makes your brother fall.
22 Keep to yourself and God what you believe about these things. God blesses a man who does not feel he has done wrong when he did what he thought was right.
23 But a man who is not sure that he should eat something, does wrong if he eats it. That is because he does not believe the thing he is doing is right to do. And it is wrong to do what you do not believe is right.
15 We who are strong must help those who are not strong. We must not do what pleases us.
2 But each of us must please his neighbour. He must do what is good for him and what will help him do better.
3 Christ did not please himself. But the holy writings say, `I took upon myself the wrong things that people said against you.'
4 Everything that is in the holy writings was written to teach us. They give hope and strength when we have troubles. The holy writings comfort our hearts.
5 God gives people power to take their troubles and he comforts their hearts. I ask him to help you to think the same way as Christ did.
6 Then, together you will praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 So, accept one another, as Christ has accepted you. Then people will know that God is great.
8 What I say is this. Christ came to serve the Jews. He did this to prove that what God said was true. He proved that God kept his promises to the fathers.
9 He did this so that people who are not Jews would praise God because he is kind. The holy writings say, `So I will praise you among the people who are not Jews. I will sing songs to your name.'
10 The holy writings also say, `People who are not Jews, be glad with those who are God's people.'
11 And they also say, `People who are not Jews, praise the Lord. All peoples should praise him.'
12 Also, Isaiah says, `Someone from Jesse's family will come. He will come to rule the people who are not Jews. People who are not Jews will have hope in him.'
13 God gives hope. May he make you very happy. May he give you peace because you believe. Then the power of the Holy Spirit will give you much hope.
14 My brothers, I myself believe that you are very good people. I believe that you know many things and are able to teach one another.
15 I have written strong words to you. There are some things I want you to remember. I have written because of the gift God has given to me.
16 I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the people who are not Jews. I am like a priest to them, to tell them God's good news. Then I offer the people to God. That pleases God. They have been accepted by him and made holy by the Holy Spirit.
17 So, because of Christ Jesus, I am proud of my work for God.
18 I will speak only of what Christ has done through me. People who are not Jews have obeyed the good news. They have obeyed because of what I told them and because of what I did.
19 I had the power to do signs and wonderful things through the power of the Holy Spirit. So I have told the good news of Christ all the way from the city of Jerusalem to the country of Illyricum.
20 I have wanted to tell the good news where people have not heard the name of Christ. I did not want to work where another man had started to work.
21 The holy writings say, `They were not told about him, but they will see him. And the people who have not heard of him will understand.'
22 So I have been stopped many times from coming to you.
23 But now, I am no longer needed to work in these places. And I have wanted for many years to come to you.
24 When I go to the country of Spain, I hope to see you on my way there. I hope you will help me on my way to that place. But first I will be happy to be with you for a little while.
25 But now I am going to Jerusalem with a gift to help God's people.
26 The people of Macedonia and Achaia wanted to send a gift to help God's people in Jerusalem who are poor.
27 They wanted to do it, and they should do it for them. The Jews gave the people who were not Jews the good things their spirits need. So the people who were not Jews should give the Jews the good things their bodies need.
28 I will finish doing this, and I will give them what the people send them. Then I will go by you on my way to Spain.
29 And I know that when I come to you, I will bring great blessings from Christ.
30 My brothers, I ask you to do this for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and because the Spirit has given you love. Talk to God for me. And I also will talk to him.
31 Ask him to save me from the people in Judea who do not believe. Ask him that the gift I take to Jerusalem may please God's people there.
32 Ask him to let me come to you and have a good time with you.
33 God gives peace. I ask that he will be with you all. He will!
16 I want to tell you good things about our sister Phoebe. She helps in the church in Cenchrea.
2 I want you to take her in because she is a Christian. That is what God's people should do. Help her in any way she needs help. She has helped many people and has helped me too.
3 I send greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, who worked with me for Christ Jesus.
4 They almost died to save me. I am not the only one who thanks them. All the churches who are not Jews thank them also.
5 Give my greetings also to the church in their house. Give my greetings also to dear Epaenetus. He was the first person in Asia Minor to believe in Christ.
6 Give my greetings to Mary. She worked hard to help us.
7 Give my greetings to Andronicus and Junia. They belong to my family. We were in prison together. The apostles think they are good men. They were Christians before I was.
8 Give my greetings to Amplias. I love him because he is a Christian.
9 Give my greetings to Urbanus. He worked with us for Christ. Give my greetings to dear Stachys also.
10 Give my greetings to Apelles. He has proved himself to be a Christian. Give my greetings to the family of Aristobulus.
11 Give my greetings to Herodion. He belongs to my family. Give my greetings to the family of Narcissus. They are Christians.
12 Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa. They worked for the Lord. Give my greetings to dear Persis. She has worked hard for the Lord.
13 Give my greetings to Rufus. The Lord chose him. Give my greetings also to his mother who is like a mother to me.
14 Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brothers who are with them.
15 Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all God's people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Christian churches send greetings to you.
17 Brothers, I ask you to do this. Watch the people who make quarrels. They make people do wrong because they teach things you have not been taught. Have nothing to do with those people.
18 Those people do not work for our Lord Jesus Christ. They work only for themselves. With their words of praise they fool people who do not know what is wrong.
19 People everywhere know that you obey. I am very happy about you. I want you to be wise and know what is right. I want you to know nothing about what is wrong.
20 God gives peace. He will soon crush Satan under your feet. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.
21 Timothy sends you greetings. He worked with me. Luke, Jason, and Sosipater send you greetings. They belong to my family.
22 (I, Tertius, send you Christian greetings. I am writing this letter for Paul.)
23 Gaius sends you greetings. I am staying in his house. The whole church that meets in his house sends you greetings too. Erastus sends greetings to you. He takes care of the money for the city. Our brother Quartus sends you greetings.
24 I ask our Lord Jesus Christ to show you his loving kindness. He will!
25 Praise God! He is able to make you stand firm. That is the good news that I tell. That is what the message about Jesus Christ says. The message was kept secret for a long time in the past. But it has now been made known.
26 The books of the prophets have told this message. The God who lives for ever told the prophets to write this message so that all the people who are not Jews will believe and obey.
27 God is the only one who is wise. Praise him for ever because of Jesus Christ. Yes, it is so!
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