Lectionary Year A
August 25, 2002
Romans 12:1-8

Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation

A. Comparing Translations

(JFC) The New American Standard Bible and the New Century Version differ some as these notes reveal:

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, - NASB
So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you - NCV

a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. - NASB
a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. - NCV

2 conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, - NASB
change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. - NCV

prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. - NASB
Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. - NCV

3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; - NASB
Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. - NCV

But to think so as to have sound judgment, s God has allotted to each a measure of faith. - NASB
You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. NCV

4 many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, - NASB
many parts, and these parts all have different uses. - NCV

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. NASB
In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each belongs to all the other parts. - NCV

6b if prophecy, according to the portion of his faith; - NASB
The person who has the gift of prophecy should use that gift with the agreement with the faith. NCV

8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; - NASB
Whoever has the gift of encouraging others should encourage. - NCV

B. Textual Criticism

(JFC) 2b Between nooj, and eivj, "mind" and "to" for interpreting, testing, examining, several reliable witnesses add, umwn, "your", while Metzger (TCGNT) notes that the shorter reading without the pronoun seems more likely to be original since it is "supported by early and good witnesses" and because it "would have suggested itself to scribes as an appropriate parallel to its occurrence in ver. 1." Then, too, many more important manuscripts retain the text as printed, as well.

5 A couple of the Western Witnesses omit the verb, evsmen, which might be understood without appearing in the original version of this Epistle and it would make the verse longer, but by only one word, to retain it. Besides, we remember how verbose Paul can get, so, some of his messages might be more likely original the longer rather than the shorter they appear. Then, some make the accusative, to., into a nominative, o, while Papyri 31 and 48 and several other main witnesses retain the Textus Receptus, advisedly.

C. Rough Translation

(JFC) 1 I beg/urge/encourage then you, brothers, through the compassion/mercy/pity of the God to present the bodies/churches of yours (plural) a sacrifice of yours living holy/consecrated acceptable to the God, the spiritual/rational service of yours; 2 and not are you to be conformed to (the) world order this (one), but be transformed by renewal of the mind into the test/examine/interpret of you which (is) the will of the God, the good and acceptable and complete.
3 For I say through the grace having been given (aorist, passive, participle) me everyone who is being in you not to hold too high an opinion of oneself (present, active, infinitive) for he must think but think into the right mind, which every one the God assigned a measure of faith. 4 For just as in one body many body parts we have, but the body parts all/many/entire not the one function, 5 in this way the many one body we exist in Christ, but this according to one another body parts. 6 But we have gift according to the grace given to us different, if/whether preaching according to the portion of the faith, 7 if/whether ministry/service/mission in the ministry/service/mission, 8 if/whether the encouraging/comforting (present, active, participle) in the encouragement/comforting; the sharing/giving/imparting in generosity/sincerity/liberality/single-hearted devotion, the being a leader/having authority over/managing in diligence/eagerness/zeal, one doing acts of mercy in cheerfulness.

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