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Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? ² Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³ For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴ May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written,

“That you might be justified in your words,

and might prevail when you come into judgment.”

⁵ But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do. ⁶ May it never be! For then how will God judge the world? ⁷ For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? ⁸ Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned. ⁹ What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written,

“There is no one righteous;

no, not one.

¹¹ There is no one who understands.

There is no one who seeks after God.

¹² They have all turned aside.

They have together become unprofitable.

There is no one who does good,

no, not, so much as one.”

¹³ “Their throat is an open tomb.

With their tongues they have used deceit.”

“The poison of vipers is under their lips;”

¹⁴ “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood.

¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their ways.

¹⁷ The way of peace, they haven’t known.”

¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. ²⁰ Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin. ²¹ But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; ²² even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, ²³ for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴ being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; ²⁵ whom God set forth to bean atoning sacrifice , through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; ²⁶ to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. ²⁸ We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. ² We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶ who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; ⁸ but to those who are self-seeking, and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and indignation, ⁹ oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

¹⁰ But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For there is no partiality with God. ¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it isn’t the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified ¹⁴ (for when Gentiles who don’t have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them) ¹⁶ in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ.

¹⁷ Indeed you bear the name of a Jew, and rest on the law, and glory in God, ¹⁸ and know his will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babies, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth. ²¹ You therefore who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn’t steal, do you steal? ²² You who say a man shouldn’t commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God? ²⁴ For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written. ²⁵ For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ If therefore the uncircumcised keep the ordinances of the law, won’t his uncircumcision be accounted as circumcision? ²⁷ Won’t the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfills the law, judge you, who with the letter andcircumcision are a transgressor of the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God, ² which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we received grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake; ⁶ among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ; ⁷ to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers, ¹⁰ requesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established; ¹² that is, that I with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

¹³ Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.” ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. ²⁰ For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. ²¹ Because, knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. ²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error. ²⁸ Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers, ³⁰ backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

¹ Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer,the ninth hour . ² A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple. ³ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy. ⁴ Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, “Look at us.” ⁵ He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ⁷ He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength. ⁸ Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. ¹¹ As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

¹² When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. ¹⁶ By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “Now,brothers , I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

¹⁹ “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰ and that hemay send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. ²² For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. ²³ It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴ Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. ²⁵ You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, Jesus, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness.”

¹ Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. ⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. ⁶ When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? ⁸ How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” ¹² They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. ¹⁵ For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is onlythe third hour of the day . ¹⁶ But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘It will be in the last days, says God,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.

Your young men will see visions.

Your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸ Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days,

I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

¹⁹ I will show wonders in the sky above,

and signs on the earth beneath;

blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.

²⁰ The sun will be turned into darkness,

and the moon into blood,

before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

²¹ It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know, ²³ him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

‘I saw the Lord always before my face,

For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

²⁶ Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced.

Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;

²⁷ because you will not leave my soul inHades ,

neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.

²⁸ You made known to me the ways of life.

You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹ he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left inHades , nor did his flesh see decay. ³² This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself,

‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand,

³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘

³⁶ “Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls. ⁴² They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer. ⁴³ Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ All who believed were together, and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. ⁴⁶ Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.

¹ The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, ² until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God’s Kingdom. ⁴ Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. ⁵ For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

⁶ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

⁹ When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰ While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, ¹¹ who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

¹⁵ In these days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (and the number of names was about one hundred twenty), and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers, it was necessary that this Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was numbered with us, and received his portion in this ministry. ¹⁸ Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out. ¹⁹ It became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem that in their language that field was called ‘Akeldama,’ that is, ‘The field of blood.’ ²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms,

‘Let his habitation be made desolate.

Let no one dwell therein;’

and,

‘Let another take his office.’

²¹ “Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John, to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

²³ They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴ They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts ofall men, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.” ²⁶ They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is bornanew, he can’t see the Kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God! ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ ⁸ Thewind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? ¹¹ Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. ¹² If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. ¹⁴ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. ¹⁸ He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

²² After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them, and baptized. ²³ John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized. ²⁴ For John was not yet thrown into prison. ²⁵ There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification. ²⁶ They came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”

²⁷ John answered, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease. ³¹ He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth, and speaks of the Earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. ³³ He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. ³⁴ For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. ³⁶ One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one whodisobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”