Romans 10
English Standard Version
10 Brothers,[a] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that (A)they have a zeal for God, (B)but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of (C)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[b]
The Message of Salvation to All
5 For (E)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that (F)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But (G)the righteousness based on faith says, (H)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the (I)abyss?’” (that is, (J)to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (K)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if (L)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and (M)believe in your heart (N)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, (O)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 (P)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; (Q)for the same Lord is Lord of all, (R)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For (S)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him (T)of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear (U)without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, (V)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But (W)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (X)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So (Y)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
(AB)“I will (AC)make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a (AD)foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
(AE)“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, (AF)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Footnotes
- Romans 10:1 Or Brothers and sisters
- Romans 10:4 Or end of the law, that everyone who believes may be justified
- Romans 10:14 Or him whom they have never heard
Romans 10
The Voice
10 My brothers and sisters, I pray constantly to God for the salvation of my people; it is the deep desire of my heart. 2 What I can say about them is that they are enthusiastic about God, but that won’t lead them to Him because their zeal is not based on true knowledge. 3 In their ignorance about how God is working to make things right, they have been trying to establish their own right standing with God through the law. But they are not operating under God’s saving, restorative justice. 4 You see, God’s purpose for the law reaches its climax when the Anointed One arrives; now all who trust in Him can have their lives made right with God.
God’s plan to restore the world disfigured by sin and death reaches its climax with the resurrection of Jesus. When the King enters, all the prophecies, all the hopes, all the longings find in Him their true fulfillment. There may have been earlier fulfillments; but these are only partial fulfillments, signposts along the way to God’s true goal. The goal has been the restoration of people to a holy God. With Jesus, we find the only perfect man with right standing before God. He comes to blaze a path defined by God’s justice, not by our own sense of right and wrong. All men, women, and children who commit their lives to Him will be made right with God and will begin new lives defined by faith and God’s new covenant.
5 Moses made this clear long ago when he wrote about what it takes to have a right relationship with God based on the law: “The person devoted to the law’s commands will live by them.”[a] 6 But a right relationship based on faith sounds like this: “Do not say to yourselves, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring down the Anointed One), 7 “or, ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’”[c] (that is, to bring the Anointed One up from the dead). 8 But what does it actually say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”[d] (that is, the good news we have been called to preach to you). 9 So if you believe deep in your heart that God raised Jesus from the pit of death and if you voice your allegiance by confessing the truth that “Jesus is Lord,” then you will be saved! 10 Belief begins in the heart and leads to a life that’s right with God; confession departs from our lips and brings eternal salvation. 11 Because what Isaiah said was true: “The one who trusts in Him will not be disgraced.”[e] 12 Remember that the Lord draws no distinction between Jew and non-Jew—He is Lord over all things, and He pours out His treasures on all who invoke His name 13 because as Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
Faith is not something we do. It is a response to what God has done already on our behalf, the response of a spirit restless in a fragmented world.
14 How can people invoke His name when they do not believe? How can they believe in Him when they have not heard? How can they hear if there is no one proclaiming Him? 15 How can some give voice to the truth if they are not sent by God? As Isaiah said, “Ah, how beautiful the feet of those who declare the good news of victory, of peace and liberation.”[g] 16 But some will hear the good news and refuse to submit to the truth they hear. Isaiah the prophet also says, “Lord, who would ever believe it? Who would possibly accept what we’ve been told?”[h] 17 So faith proceeds from hearing, as we listen to the message about God’s Anointed.
18 But let me ask this: have my people ever heard? Indeed, they have:
Yet from here to the ends of the earth, their voice has gone out;
the whole world has heard what they have to say.[i]
19 But again let me ask: did Israel perhaps hear and not understand all of this? Well, Moses was the first to say,
I will make you jealous with a people who are not a nation.
With a senseless people I will anger you.[j]
20 Then Isaiah the fearless prophet says it this way:
I was found by people who did not seek Me;
I showed My face to those who never asked for Me.[k]
21 And as to the fate of Israel, God says,
All day long I opened My hands
to a rebellious people, who constantly work against Me.[l]
Romans 10
New Century Version
10 Brothers and sisters, the thing I want most is for all the Jews to be saved. That is my prayer to God. 2 I can say this about them: They really try to follow God, but they do not know the right way. 3 Because they did not know the way that God makes people right with him, they tried to make themselves right in their own way. So they did not accept God’s way of making people right. 4 Christ ended the law so that everyone who believes in him may be right with God.
5 Moses writes about being made right by following the law. He says, “A person who obeys these things will live because of them.”[a] 6 But this is what the Scripture says about being made right through faith: “Don’t say to yourself, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’” (That means, “Who will go up to heaven and bring Christ down to earth?”) 7 “And do not say, ‘Who will go down into the world below?’” (That means, “Who will go down and bring Christ up from the dead?”) 8 This is what the Scripture says: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.”[b] That is the teaching of faith that we are telling. 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. 10 We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.”[c] 12 That Scripture says “anyone” because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives many blessings to all who trust in him, 13 as the Scripture says, “Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”[d]
14 But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; 15 and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent. It is written, “How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.”[e] 16 But not all the Jews accepted the good news. Isaiah said, “Lord, who believed what we told them?”[f] 17 So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.
18 But I ask: Didn’t people hear the Good News? Yes, they heard—as the Scripture says:
“Their message went out through all the world;
their words go everywhere on earth.” Psalm 19:4
19 Again I ask: Didn’t the people of Israel understand? Yes, they did understand. First, Moses says:
“I will use those who are not a nation to make you jealous.
I will use a nation that does not understand to make you angry.” Deuteronomy 32:21
20 Then Isaiah is bold enough to say:
“I was found by those who were not asking me for help.
I made myself known to people who were not looking for me.” Isaiah 65:1
21 But about Israel God says,
“All day long I stood ready to accept
people who disobey and are stubborn.” Isaiah 65:2
Footnotes
- 10:5 “A person . . . them.” Quotation from Leviticus 18:5.
- 10:6–8 But . . . heart.” Quotations from Deuteronomy 9:4; 30:12–14; Psalm 107:26.
- 10:11 “Anyone . . . disappointed.” Quotation from Isaiah 28:16.
- 10:13 “Anyone . . . saved.” Quotation from Joel 2:32.
- 10:15 “How . . . news.” Quotation from Isaiah 52:7.
- 10:16 “Lord, . . . them?” Quotation from Isaiah 53:1.
Romans 10
New Living Translation
10 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.[b] As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
Salvation Is for Everyone
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.[c] 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”[d]
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[e] 12 Jew and Gentile[f] are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[g]
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”[h]
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[i] 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have:
“The message has gone throughout the earth,
and the words to all the world.”[j]
19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,
“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.
I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”[k]
20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,
“I was found by people who were not looking for me.
I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”[l]
21 But regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened my arms to them,
but they were disobedient and rebellious.”[m]
Footnotes
- 10:1 Greek Brothers.
- 10:4 Or For Christ is the end of the law.
- 10:5 See Lev 18:5.
- 10:6-8 Deut 30:12-14.
- 10:11 Isa 28:16 (Greek version).
- 10:12 Greek and Greek.
- 10:13 Joel 2:32.
- 10:15 Isa 52:7.
- 10:16 Isa 53:1.
- 10:18 Ps 19:4.
- 10:19 Deut 32:21.
- 10:20 Isa 65:1 (Greek version).
- 10:21 Isa 65:2 (Greek version).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
