Romans 1
1 This letter comes from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. I was called to be an apostle by God. God appointed me to announce the good news
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle by the selection of God, given authority as a preacher of the good news,
2 that he had previously promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
Of which God had given word before by his prophets in the holy Writings,
3 The good news is about his Son, whose human forefather was David,
About his Son who, in the flesh, came from the family of David,
4 but who was revealed as God's Son by his resurrection from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
But was marked out as Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through the coming to life again of the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord,
5 It was through him that I received the privilege of becoming an apostle to call all nations to obedient trust in him.
Through whom grace has been given to us, sending us out to make disciples to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 You are also included among those who were called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Among whom you in the same way have been marked out to be disciples of Jesus Christ:
7 I'm writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God, and called to be his special people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
To all those who are in Rome, loved by God, marked out as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 Let me begin by saying that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the way in which you trust in God is spoken about all over the world.
First of all, I give praise to my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because news of your faith has gone into all the world.
9 I'm always praying for you, as God can confirm—the God I serve with the whole of my being as I share the good news about his Son.
For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,
10 In my prayers I'm always asking that I might eventually come and see you, if that's what God wants.
And that I am ever making prayers that God will give me a good journey to you.
11 I really want to visit you and share with you a spiritual blessing to strengthen you.
For I have a strong desire to see you, and to give you some grace of the spirit, so that you may be made strong;
12 In this way we can be encouraged together by each others' trust in God, both your trust and mine.
That is to say, that all of us may be comforted together by the faith which is in you and in me.
13 I want you to know, my brothers and sisters, I often planned to visit you, but I was kept from coming up till now. I want to see some good spiritual results among you just as I've seen among other people.
You may be certain, my brothers, that it has frequently been in my mind to come to you (but till now I was kept from it), so that I might have some fruit from you in the same way as I have had it from the other nations.
14 For I have an obligation to work for both the civilized and the uncivilized, both the educated and the uneducated.
I have a debt to Greeks and to the nations outside; to the wise and to those who have no learning.
15 That's why I'm really keen to come to Rome and share the good news with you.
For which reason I have the desire, as far as I am able, to give the knowledge of the good news to you who are in Rome.
16 I'm certainly not ashamed about the good news, for it's God's power to save everyone who trusts in him—to the Jewish people first, and then to everyone else as well.
For I have no feeling of shame about the good news, because it is the power of God giving salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.
17 For in the good news God is revealed as good and right, trustworthy from start to finish. As Scripture says, “Those who are right with God live by trusting him.”
For in it there is the revelation of the righteousness of God from faith to faith: as it is said in the holy Writings, The man who does righteousness will be living by his faith.
18 God's hostility is revealed from heaven against those who are godless and who are not morally right, those who suppress the truth through the evil that they do.
For there is a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all the wrongdoing and evil thoughts of men who keep down what is true by wrongdoing;
19 What can be known about God is obvious, because he has made it very clear to them.
Because the knowledge of God may be seen in them, God having made it clear to them.
20 Ever since the creation of the world, the invisible aspects of God—his eternal power and divinity—are clearly visible in what he has made. Such people have no excuse, (aïdios g126)
For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made, so that men have no reason for wrongdoing: (aïdios g126)
21 because even though they knew God, they did not praise him or thank him, but instead their thinking about God turned into complete foolishness, and darkness filled their empty minds.
Because, having the knowledge of God, they did not give glory to God as God, and did not give praise, but their minds were full of foolish things, and their hearts, being without sense, were made dark.
22 Even though they claimed to be wise, they became foolish.
Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,
23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for idols, images of mortal human beings, birds, animals, and reptiles.
And by them the glory of the eternal God was changed and made into the image of man who is not eternal, and of birds and beasts and things which go on the earth.
24 So God abandoned them to the evil desires of their depraved minds, and they did shameful, degrading things to each other.
For this reason God gave them up to the evil desires of their hearts, working shame in their bodies with one another:
25 They exchanged God's truth for a lie, worshiping and serving creatures instead of the Creator, who deserves praise forever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it. (aiōn g165)
26 That's why God abandoned them to their evil desires. Their women exchanged natural sex for that which is unnatural,
For this reason God gave them up to evil passions, and their women were changing the natural use into one which is unnatural:
27 and in the same way the men gave up sex with women and burned with lust for each other. Men did indecent things to each other, and as a result they suffered the inevitable consequences of their perversions.
And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing.
28 Since they didn't consider it worthwhile to get to know God, he abandoned them to their worthless, distrustful way of thinking, doing things that should never be done.
And because they had not the mind to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an evil mind, to do those things which are not right;
29 They filled themselves with all that's wrong: evil, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malice, and gossip.
Being full of all wrongdoing, evil, desire for the goods of others, hate, envy, putting to death, fighting, deceit, cruel ways, evil talk, and false statements about others;
30 They're back-stabbers and God-haters. They're arrogant, proud, and boastful. They devise new ways of sinning. They rebel against their parents.
Hated by God, full of pride, without respect, full of loud talk, given to evil inventions, not honouring father or mother,
31 They don't want to understand, they don't keep their promises, they don't show any kindness or compassion.
Without knowledge, not true to their undertakings, unkind, having no mercy:
32 Even though they realize exactly what God requires, they do things that deserve death. Not only do they do such things themselves, they also support others in doing them.
Who, though they have knowledge of the law of God, that the fate of those who do these things is death, not only go on doing these things themselves, but give approval to those who do them.
