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 slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been set apart to the Gospel of God,
2 that he had previously promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures:
3 The good news is about his Son, whose human forefather was David,
concerning His Son, who became a physical descendant 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.
who was established to be God's powerful Son (in accordance with Spirit of holiness) by resurrection from 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 we have received grace and apostleship to promote obedience of faith among all ethnic nations concerning His name
6 You are also included among those who were called to belong to Jesus Christ.
(among these you also are called by 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 the called saints who are in Rome, beloved of God: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Sovereign 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, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over 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.
Further, the God whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son is my witness, how without ceasing I always remember you 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.
begging that perhaps now, at last, I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.
11 I really want to visit you and share with you a spiritual blessing to strengthen you.
For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established
12 In this way we can be encouraged together by each others' trust in God, both your trust and mine.
—that is, that I may be encouraged among you by our mutual faith, both yours and mine.
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.
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the rest of the Gentiles.
14 For I have an obligation to work for both the civilized and the uncivilized, both the educated and the uneducated.
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to non-Greeks, both to wise and to foolish.
15 That's why I'm really keen to come to Rome and share the good news with you.
So, for my part, I am eager to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome as well.
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.
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for the salvation of each one who believes (for the Jew first, then 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.”
because in it God's righteousness is revealed, from faith to faith; just as it is written: “The righteous one will live by 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.
Now the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of the people who suppress the truth by unrighteousness,
19 What can be known about God is obvious, because he has made it very clear to them.
precisely because what may be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it 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)
Because His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood from what has been made, so that they are inexcusable; (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.
precisely because, knowing God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks; so their reasonings became worthless and their senseless hearts were darkened.
22 Even though they claimed to be wise, they became foolish.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for idols, images of mortal human beings, birds, animals, and reptiles.
and exchanged for themselves the glory of the incorruptible God for an image resembling a perishable man—even birds and quadrupeds and reptiles!
24 So God abandoned them to the evil desires of their depraved minds, and they did shameful, degrading things to each other.
Therefore God also gave them up, through the cravings of their hearts for vileness, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves
25 They exchanged God's truth for a lie, worshiping and serving creatures instead of the Creator, who deserves praise forever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
—they had exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (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 degrading passions; in fact even their females exchanged the natural sexual function for that against nature;
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.
likewise also the males, abandoning the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust toward one another, males committing the disgraceful act with males, and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
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.
So precisely because they determined not to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a debased mind, to do wrong things:
29 They filled themselves with all that's wrong: evil, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malice, and gossip.
having been filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, greed, depravity; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; gossips,
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.
slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, braggarts, contrivers of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 They don't want to understand, they don't keep their promises, they don't show any kindness or compassion.
senseless, faithless, hardhearted, intransigent, unmerciful;
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, knowing full well God's just sentence, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do them but also approve of other practitioners.
