Romans

Paul Greets the Saints in Rome

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—

2the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

3regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

5Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unashamed of the Gospel

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world.

9God, whom I serve with my spiritin preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

10in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.

11For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visitinguntil now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,both to the wise and the foolish.

15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish,just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

God’s Wrath against Sin

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.

25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise!Amen.

26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.

27Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.

31They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God —

2which He announced before through His prophets in holy writings —

3concerning His Son, (who is come of the seed of David according to the flesh,

4who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord;

5through whom we did receive grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of his name;

6among whom are also ye, the called of Jesus Christ;

7to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints; Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ!

8first, indeed, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world;

9for God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

10always in my prayers beseeching, if by any means now at length I shall have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you,

11for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, that ye may be established;

12and that is, that I may be comforted together among you, through the faith in one another, both yours and mine.

13And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that many times I did purpose to come unto you — and was hindered till the present time — that some fruit I might have also among you, even as also among the other nations.

14Both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to wise and to thoughtless, I am a debtor,

15so, as much as in me is, I am ready also to you who [are] in Rome to proclaim good news,

16for I am not ashamed of the good news of the Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one who is believing, both to Jew first, and to Greek.

17For the righteousness of God in it is revealed from faith to faith, according as it hath been written, 'And the righteous one by faith shall live,'

18for revealed is the wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety and unrighteousness of men, holding down the truth in unrighteousness.

19Because that which is known of God is manifest among them, for God did manifest [it] to them,

20for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, by the things made being understood, are plainly seen, both His eternal power and Godhead — to their being inexcusable;

21because, having known God they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened,

22professing to be wise, they were made fools,

23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of fowls, and of quadrupeds, and of reptiles.

24Wherefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves;

25who did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.

26Because of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature;

27and in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.

28And, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly;

29having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,

30evil-speakers, God-haters, insulting, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31unintelligent, faithless, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;

32who the righteous judgment of God having known — that those practising such things are worthy of death — not only do them, but also have delight with those practising them.