16
I am introducing and commending Phoebe to you, and I ask that you receive her as a fellow believer and that you give her whatever she needs.
Romans 16:1-2
1 By means of this letter I am introducing and recommending to you our fellow believer Phoebe, who will be taking this letter to you. She is a deacon in the congregation in Cenchrea city. 2 I request that you receive her because of her relationship with the Lord. You should do that because those who are God’s people ought to receive their fellow believers. I am also requesting that you help her by giving her [EUP] whatever she needs, because she has helped many people, including me.
I send my greetings to many individuals among the believers there. All the congregations in this area also send their greetings to you.
Romans 16:3-16
3 Tell Priscilla and her husband Aquila that I ◄send greetings to/am thinking fondly of► them. They worked with me for Christ Jesus, 4 and they were even willing to die [IDM] in order to save my life. It is not only I who thank them for helping me, but the people in all [HYP] the non-Jewish congregations also thank them for saving my life. 5 Also tell the congregation that meets in their house that I ◄send my greetings to/am thinking fondly of► them. Tell my dear friend Epaenetus the same thing. He is the first man in Asia province who believed in Christ. 6 Tell Mary, who has worked hard for Christ in order to help you, that I ◄send my greetings to/am thinking fondly of► her. 7 Tell the same thing to Andronicus and his wife Junia (OR, and his sister Junia) who are my fellow Jews and who were also previously in prison with me. They are well-known/respected (OR, respected by the) apostles, and they became Christians before I did. 8 I also send my greetings to Ampliatus, who is a dear friend because of his relationship with the Lord. 9 I also send my greetings to Urbanus, who works for Christ with us, and to my dear friend Stachys. 10 I also send my greetings to Apelles, whom Christ has approved because Apelles successfully endured trials. Tell the believers who live in the house of Aristobulus that I send my greetings to them. 11 Also tell Herodion, who is my fellow Jew, that I send my greetings to him. Tell the same thing to those who live in the house of Narcissus who belong to the Lord. 12 Tell the same thing to Tryphaena and her sister Tryphosa, who work hard for the Lord. I also send my greetings to Persis. We all love her and she has worked very hard for the Lord. 13 Tell Rufus, who is an outstanding Christian, that I send my greetings to him. Tell the same thing to his mother, who has treated me as though I were her son [MET]. 14 Tell Asyncritus and Phlegon and Hermes and Patrobas and Hermas and the fellow believers who meet with them that I am sending my greetings to them. 15 I also send my greetings to Philologus, to his wife Julia (OR, his sister Julia), to Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas, and to all God’s people who meet with them. 16 Greet one another affectionately, but in a pure way, when you gather together. The believers in all the Christian congregations [HYP] in this area ◄send their greetings to/say they are thinking fondly of► you.
Note those who are causing quarrels among you and those who cause people to turn away from God. Avoid them, because they only want to satisfy their own desires and deceive those who do not suspect their motives. If you avoid such people, God will soon crush Satan under your feet.
Romans 16:17-20
17 My fellow believers, I exhort you that you beware of those people who are causing divisions among you and who cause people to turn away from God [MTY] because they teach things that are contrary to the message about Christ that you have learned (OR, that others taught you). Keep away from such people! 18 They do not serve our Lord Christ! On the contrary, they only want to satisfy their own desires [MTY]! Also, by all the eloquent things that they say [DOU] they deceive those people who do not realize that their teaching is false. 19 Believers everywhere know that you have paid attention to the good message about Christ, with the result that I rejoice about you. But I also want you to be wise, with the result that you do what is good. I also want you to avoid doing what is evil. 20 If you avoid people who teach what is false, what will soon happen [MET] will be as though God, who causes us to be peaceful, will be crushing Satan under your feet! I pray that our Lord Jesus will continue to act kindly towards you.
Several of those who are with me send their greetings.
Romans 16:21-23
21 Timothy, who works with me, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, who are my fellow Jews, want you to know that they are ◄sending their greetings to/thinking fondly of► you. 22 I, Tertius, one who belongs to the Lord, also want you to know that I am ◄sending my greetings to/thinking fondly of► you. I am writing this letter as Paul tells me what to write for him. 23-24 I, Paul, am staying in the house of Gaius, and the whole congregation here meets in his house. He also wants you to know that he is ◄sending his greetings to/thinking fondly of► you. Erastus, the treasurer of this city, also wants you to know that he is ◄sending his greetings to/thinking fondly of► you. Our fellow believer Quartus also ◄sends his greetings to you./says he is thinking fondly of you.►*
We should forever praise the One who alone is God, who alone is truly wise.
Romans 16:25-27
25 As I proclaim the good message about Jesus Christ, I tell about God, the one who is able to strengthen you spiritually. I also proclaim the truth that was not revealed {which God did not reveal} in all previous ages/times 26 but which has now been {which he has now} revealed. I, along with others, have proclaimed what the prophets wrote about Christ. We are doing what the eternal God commanded us(exc)/me to do. We want people in all ethnic groups to know Christ so that they can believe in him and obey him. 27 I desire that by Jesus Christ enabling us, we will forever praise the one who alone is God, who alone is truly wise. ◄May it be so!/Amen!►
* 16:23-24 Some Greek manuscripts add v. 24, “May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to act kindly toward you all. Amen!/May it be so!”