Paul Sails for Rome

27 And when it was decided ^athat ^bwe should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan ^cCohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by ^dAristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And ^eJulius ^ftreated Paul kindly and ^ggave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found ^ha ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even ⁱthe Fast¹ was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with ^jinjury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to ^kthe pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, ^lstruck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,² we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would ^mrun aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,³ and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day ⁿto jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, ^oyou should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this ^oinjury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to ^ptake heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night ^qthere ^rstood before me ^san angel of the God ^tto whom I belong and ^uwhom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; ^vyou must stand before Caesar. And behold, ^wGod has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But ^xwe must ^yrun aground on some island.”

27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.⁴ A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.⁵ 29 And fearing that we might ^zrun on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered ^athe ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.

33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,⁶ for ^bnot a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and ^cgiving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all ^dwere encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276^{7 e}persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, ^fthrowing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

39 Now when it was day, ^gthey did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,^{8 h}they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 ⁱThe soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, ^jwishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that ^kall were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28 After we were brought safely through, ^lwe then learned that ^mthe island was called Malta. 2 ⁿThe native people¹ showed us unusual ^okindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When ^pthe native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ^q“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, ^rJustice² has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, ^sshook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, ^tthey changed their minds and ^usaid that he was a god.

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and ^vprayed, and ^wputting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,³ and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

11 After three months we set sail in ^xa ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods⁴ as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found ^ybrothers⁵ and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And ^ythe brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, ^zPaul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, ^aPaul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.

Paul in Rome

17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, ^bthough I had done nothing against our people or ^cthe customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they ^dwished to set me at liberty, ^ebecause there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled ^fto appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against ^gmy nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is ^hbecause of ⁱthe hope of Israel that I am wearing ^jthis ^kchain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of ^lthe brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this ^msect we know that everywhere ⁿit is spoken against.”

23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening ^ohe expounded to them, testifying to ^pthe kingdom of God and ^qtrying to convince them about Jesus ^rboth from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And ^ssome were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: ^t“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

28 Therefore let it be known to you that ^ythis ^zsalvation of God ^ahas been sent to the Gentiles; ^bthey will listen.”⁶

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,⁷ and ^cwelcomed all who came to him, 31 ^dproclaiming ^ethe kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ^fwith all boldness and ^gwithout hindrance.

Romans

Greeting

1 Paul, ^aa servant¹ of Christ Jesus, ^bcalled to be an apostle, ^cset apart for the gospel of God, 2 which ^dhe promised beforehand ^ethrough his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, ^fwho was descended from David^{2 g}according to the flesh 4 and ^hwas declared to be the Son of God ⁱin power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom ^jwe have received grace and ^kapostleship ^lto bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name ^mamong all the nations, 6 including you who are ⁿcalled to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

^oGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Longing to Go to Rome

8 First, ^pI thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, ^qbecause your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 ^rFor God is my witness, ^swhom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, ^tthat without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow ^uby God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For ^vI long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged ^wby each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,³ that ^xI have often intended to come to you (but ^ythus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some ^zharvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 ^aI am under obligation both to Greeks and to ^bbarbarians,⁴ both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

16 For ^dI am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is ^ethe power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew ^ffirst and also to ^gthe Greek. 17 For in it ^hthe righteousness of God is revealed ⁱfrom faith for faith,^{5 j}as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”⁶

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For ^kthe wrath of God ^lis revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be ^mknown about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, ⁿhave been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,⁷ in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they ^obecame futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 ^pClaiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and ^qexchanged the glory of ^rthe immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore ^sGod gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to ^tthe dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for ^ua lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^vwho is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason ^wGod gave them up to ^xdishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, ^ymen committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ^zGod gave them up to ^aa debased mind to do ^bwhat ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know ^cGod’s righteous decree that those who practice such things ^ddeserve to die, they not only do them but ^egive approval to those who practice them.

God’s Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you have ^fno excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For ^gin passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on ^hthe riches of his kindness and ⁱforbearance and ^jpatience, ^knot knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are ^lstoring up ^mwrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 ⁿHe will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who ^oby patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking¹ and ^pdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress ^qfor every human being who does evil, the Jew ^rfirst and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and ^speace for everyone who does good, ^tthe Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For ^uGod shows no partiality.

God’s Judgment and the Law

12 For all who have sinned ^vwithout the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For ^wit is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, ^xby nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is ^ywritten on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 ^zon that day when, ^aaccording to my gospel, God judges ^bthe secrets of men ^cby Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and ^drely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are ^ea guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law ^fthe embodiment of ^gknowledge and truth— 21 ^hyou then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you ⁱrob temples? 23 You who ^jboast in the law ^kdishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, ^las it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed ^mamong the Gentiles because of you.”

25 For circumcision indeed is of value ⁿif you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if ^oa man who is uncircumcised keeps ^pthe precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded² as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically³ uncircumcised but keeps the law ^qwill condemn you who have ^rthe written code⁴ and circumcision but break the law. 28 For ^sno one is a Jew ^twho is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one ^uinwardly, and ^vcircumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. ^wHis praise is not from man but from God.

God’s Righteousness Upheld

3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, ^xthe Jews were entrusted with ^ythe oracles of God. 3 ^zWhat if some were unfaithful? ^aDoes their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! ^bLet God be true though ^cevery one were a liar, as it is written,

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict ^fwrath on us? (^gI speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could ^hGod judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, ⁱwhy am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not ^jdo evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

9 What then? Are we Jews¹ any better off?² No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both ^kJews and ^lGreeks, are ^munder sin, 10 as it is written: