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Romans 16

1I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant of the assembly in Cenchreae, 2so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones and stand by her in whatever matter she may need you, for she herself has been a benefactor of many, including me.

3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles; 5and greet the assembly in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia for Christ. 6Greet Mary, who worked hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsfolk and fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles and were in Christ before me. 8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those of Aristobulus's household. 11Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of Narcissus's household who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved, who labored hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. 15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the holy ones with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the assemblies of Christ greet you.

17Now I appeal to you, brothers, to watch those who create divisions and traps contrary to the teaching you learned, and turn away from them. 18For such people serve as slaves not of our Lord Christ but of their own belly, and through smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 19For your obedience has become known to everyone, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise toward good and innocent toward evil. 20And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet soon. The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you.

21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsfolk. 22I, Tertius, who wrote the letter, greet you in the Lord. 23Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the city's treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, the brother. 24The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you all. Amen.

25Now to the one who is able to strengthen you according to my good news and the proclamation of Jesus the Messiah, according to the revelation of a mystery kept silent for long ages 26but now made manifest and made known through prophetic writings, by the command of the eternal God, to all the nations for the obedience of faith—27to the only wise God, through Jesus the Messiah, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Translation notes 6

16:1–2 — Phoebe. “Servant of the assembly” may name a recognized office, often translated “deacon.” It is not slave vocabulary and should not imply merely an informal helper. “Benefactor” recognizes Phoebe's support of many, including Paul; the precise form of her patronage is not specified.

16:3–7 — Coworkers and apostles. Prisca is the same name as the Priscilla familiar from Acts. “Firstfruits” names an early convert in the Roman province of Asia, not the modern continent. Junia is read as a woman's name. “Outstanding among the apostles” includes Andronicus and Junia in the group; “well known to the apostles” is a significant alternative. “Apostles” need not mean the Twelve alone. “Kinsfolk” may mean relatives or fellow Jews.

16:8–16 — Households and family. “Household” supplies the people belonging to the named house; the text does not identify each member's status. Rufus's mother is also called Paul's mother, expressing a maternal relationship without specifying shared biological parentage. “Brothers” includes women in the gathered community. The women who labor and the expressly named sister remain visible.

16:17–20 — Belly, obedience, and peace. “Belly” retains the appetite image rather than replacing it with a general accusation of selfishness. “Soon” can also suggest speed. The promise of crushing Satan is retained without an added timetable. Verse 20 includes “Messiah” from the base where some critical texts omit it.

16:21–24 — Scribe and blessing. Tertius identifies himself as the person who wrote the letter; his greeting does not replace Paul's role in it. The blessing at verse 24 is in the working Greek base but absent from several early witnesses and most modern critical editions. It is retained in brackets to disclose its substantial textual doubt.

16:25–27 — The closing praise. These verses are absent from the working Greek base. They are retained here in brackets from the alternative Greek recorded in its apparatus. The praise is widely and early attested, but appears at different locations in the manuscript tradition, and its origin and placement are disputed. The brackets mark that uncertainty and this departure from the base; they do not imply that the passage is found only in late witnesses. “Obedience of faith” repeats the opening phrase in 1:5.