Romans 12 Consequently, brothers, I am repeatedly calling you folks alongside to exhort, implore and encourage you, through God's compassions to stand your bodies alongside (or: to set or place your bodies beside) the Well-pleasing, Set-apart (Holy; Different-from-the-usual), Living Sacrifice by God (or: in God; for God; to God; with God), this being your sacred service which pertains to thought, reason and communication (or: your reasoned and rational service; the logical and Word-based service from you folks).

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Consequently, brothers, I am repeatedly calling you folks alongside to exhort, implore and encourage you, through God's compassions to stand your bodies alongside (or: to set or place your bodies beside) [the] Well-pleasing, Set-apart (Holy; Different-from-the-usual), Living Sacrifice by God (or: in God; for God; to God; with God), [this being] your sacred service which pertains to thought, reason and communication (or: your reasoned and rational service; the logical and Word-based service from you folks). ² And stop constantly conforming yourselves to (or, as passive: So then, quit being repeatedly molded by, fashioned for or patterned together with) this age [with other MSS: and not to be continuously configured to this age, or not to constantly remodel yourself for this age], but on the contrary, be progressively transformed (transfigured; changed in form and semblance) by the renewing (or: in the renewal; for the making-back-up-new again) of your mind [with other MSS: from The Mind; of the intellect; pertaining to the faculties of perceiving and understanding; of the mindset, disposition, inner orientation and world view] into the [situation and condition for] you folks to be habitually examining in order to be testing and, after scrutiny, distinguishing and approving what [is] God's will (design; purpose; resolve; intent): the good and well-pleasing, even perfect (finished, complete and destined)! (or: = the thing [that is] virtuous, satisfying and able to succeed in its purpose.) ³ For, through the grace and favor being suddenly given to me, I am saying to (or: for) everyone being among you folks not to be continually over-opinionated or elated (to be constantly hyper-thinking to the point of being haughty, arrogant or having a sense of superiority; to be habitually over-thinking issues; to constantly mind things above; to be overweening) beyond what is necessary (binding; proper), but rather to think (mind; be disposed) into the disposition to be sane and of a sound mind, as God divides and distributes (or: parted) to, in and for each one a measure of faith (a meted amount of firm persuasion; a measured portion of trust; a [specific or allotted] ration of confidence and loyalty). ⁴ For you see, just as (or: according to what is encompassed) in one body we continuously have (constantly hold and possess) many members, yet all the members do not have the same mode of acting (do not constantly hold the same function), ⁵ thus we, the many, are and continue to exist being one body within Christ (in union with [the] Anointed), yet individually (or: the situation being in accord with one), members of one another (or: but still, [being] on one level, [are] members whose source is, and who belong to, each other). ⁶ Now constantly holding (having; possessing) excelling grace-effects (or: gracious results of favor that carry-through), down from, in accord with and to the level of the grace and joyous favor being given to us, in us and for us, whether prophecy – [let it be] down from and in line with the above-word of the faith (or: in accord with the analogy of the loyalty; according to the proportion of trust; following the pattern of the corresponding relationship that pertains to the Faith; down along the upward-thought of faith or the up-message of the belief; in accordance with conformability from the faithfulness; on the level of the correspondence and ratio of confidence); ⁷ or whether serving (thoroughly dispensing in attendance on a duty) – [let us be, or live] in the service (the attendance to the duty; the arrangement for provision; the aid through dispensing); or whether the one constantly teaching – [let the person continue] in the teaching (the instructing or training); ⁸ or whether the person normally performing as a paraclete (one habitually calling alongside to aid, admonish, encourage, exhort and give relief) – [let the person flourish] in the calling alongside to give relief and aid, as well as for admonition, encouragement and exhortation; the one habitually sharing (imparting; giving together) – in simplicity (singleness; or: = with generosity); the one constantly setting himself before [a situation] or being a caregiver (or: standing in front and presiding; or: being in charge of giving care or aid) – in diligent haste (= eagerly); the one continuously mercying (applying mercy) – in cheerfulness (pleasantness; gleeful abandon). ⁹ Love (or: The inner movement toward overcoming existential separation) [is] not overly critical and [does] not [make] hyper-distinctions or excessive divisions or separations (or: [is] unfeigned, unhypocritical and [does] not play a role as an actor). With abhorrence (or: strong detesting) [be] constantly shrinking away from the worthless thing (the bad situation; the painfully toilsome endeavor; the base, cowardly or evil thing) [and be] habitually gluing or welding yourself (attaching yourself and adhering) to The Good One (or: the profitable situation; the virtuous endeavor). ¹⁰ In sisterly love (or: By fond affection, as for members of a family,) unto one another, [be] tenderly affectionate folks who express warm regard, being people constantly taking the lead in the honor (by and with the estimation of value or worth) of one another (or: habitually esteeming one another first in value; constantly giving preference to one another in respect). ¹¹ [Be] eager and in diligent haste – not slothful, lazy or hesitating folks. In the Breath-effect (or: By the Spirit; With this attitude), [be] people constantly boiling hot! For the Lord (or: In the Owner; By the Lord; To the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ]), [be] folks constantly slaving (repeatedly performing as slaves)! ¹² In and with expectation (or: By expectant hope) [be] people continuously rejoicing; in pressure (squeezing; tribulation; compression) [be] folks constantly remaining under to give support (or: humbly enduring); in thinking or by acting, and with speaking, toward having goodness, ease and well-being (or: by and with prayer) [be] people habitually persevering (persisting in adherence and engagement). ¹³ To the (or: For the; In the) needs of the set-apart folks (the holy ones; the saints) [be] people continuously sharing (contributing/participating in partnership from common existence). [Be] folks habitually pursuing (rapidly following; eagerly pressing toward) the love of foreigners (or: Follow the course of hospitality by fondness expressed in kindness to strangers). ¹⁴ You folks keep on speaking well of (or: repeatedly think goodness for; continue blessing) the people consistently pursuing and persecuting you: be continuously blessing (speaking well of [them] or thinking goodness for [them]) and stop cursing (or: you must not continue praying down on, or wishing anything against, [things, situations or people])! ¹⁵ Practice (or: Be constantly) rejoicing with those who are presently or habitually rejoicing, and constantly weep (or: cry; lament) with those presently (or: habitually) weeping; ¹⁶ n this very same vein, continue being folks who are focusing your thinking into one another: not being those constantly setting their minds on the high positions or elite social statuses (or: don't be corporately arrogant), but rather, being folks consistently led away together to the low, humble ones (or: by the humble people; in the low things; = associate with folks of low social standing). You folks must not habitually become people of a particular mind-set (or: Stop engendering corporate arrogance or producing opinionated folks) side-by-side with, and among, yourselves (or: = Stop being those who are wise or conceited in their own opinions and in their own eyes)! ¹⁷ To no person practice giving away (returning or repaying) evil in exchange for evil (ugly in the place of ugly; worthless, bad, ill, unsound, poor quality over against the same)! Habitually being folks taking thought in advance for fine things (or: constantly providing ideal things; continuously giving attention ahead of time with regard to things of good form and quality; repeatedly having forethought for beautiful [situations]) in the sight of all humanity, ¹⁸ since [you are] full of power (or: if capable; if or since able) regarding that which has its source in you folks (or: as to that which proceeds from yourselves corporately), [live] being folks continuously at peace with all mankind (in the midst of all people), ¹⁹ not being folks habitually getting justice for yourselves (not maintaining what is right concerning yourselves; not avenging yourselves), beloved ones, but on the contrary, you folks must yield the position held in anger (or: give a place for [His] natural impulse, propensity, passion and personal emotion; give place to [His] intrinsic fervor; relinquish [your] right to anger or wrath), for it has been written, "'In Me (or: For or By Me) [is] maintenance of justice (execution of the Way pointed out; working out of the right); I Myself will continue giving away, instead (or: I will progressively be making a recompense [to you]; or: I will continue taking the opposing position of giving [it] away; or: in its place, I Myself will repeatedly repay [you]),' the Lord [= Yahweh] is habitually saying." [Deut. 32:25; comment: if we are not to practice giving away evil in exchange for evil (vs. 17, above), then we should not expect the Lord to do this] ²⁰ But further, "If your enemy (the one hostile to you) should perhaps be hungering (or: continues hungry), continue feeding him morsels (supplying him with food); if he may continue thirsting (be constantly thirsty), continue giving drink to him (causing him to drink), for while constantly practicing (performing; doing) this you will progressively pile on and heap up burning coals (embers) of fire upon his head." [Prov. 25:21-22] [comment: the directives of feeding and giving drink correspond to what was to be done for brothers in Matt. 25:35, 40; the metaphor of heaping coals may correspond to Isa. 6:6 where a coal from the incense altar purged sin, so being put on his head may be a picture of purging his thinking; Wuest suggests this as supplying a needed source of fire for someone's home, meeting a desperate need – Word Studies, vol. 1, p. 220; as the first two are blessings, I suggest that this latter also is] ²¹ Do not be habitually conquered under (or: Stop being overcome by) the worthless (the bad of quality; the ugly and unsound; the evil), but to the contrary, be constantly conquering (overcoming; victorious over) the worthless (the unsound, the bad and the ugly; the evil) [by being] in union with The Good One (or: [a participant] within what is profitable; or: in the midst of virtue). [comment: this verse points to a positive interpretation of the burning coals in vs. 20]