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
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, who has been called to become an apostle, and has been set apart to tell God’s good news.
2 that he had previously promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
This good news God promised long ago through his prophets in the sacred scriptures,
3 The good news is about his Son, whose human forefather was David,
concerning his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord; who, as to his human nature, was descended from 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, as to the spirit of holiness within him, was miraculously designated Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.
5 It was through him that I received the privilege of becoming an apostle to call all nations to obedient trust in him.
Through him we received the gift of the apostolic office, to win submission to the faith among all nations for the glory of his name.
6 You are also included among those who were called to belong to Jesus Christ.
And among these nations are you – you who have been called to belong to 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 in Rome who are dear to God and have been called to become Christ’s people, may God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.
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 you all, because the report of your faith is spreading throughout 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.
God, to whom I offer the worship of my soul as I tell the goodness of his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you when I pray,
10 In my prayers I'm always asking that I might eventually come and see you, if that's what God wants.
asking that, if he be willing, I may some day at last find the way open to visit you.
11 I really want to visit you and share with you a spiritual blessing to strengthen you.
For I long to see you, in order to impart to you some spiritual gift and so give you fresh strength –
12 In this way we can be encouraged together by each others' trust in God, both your trust and mine.
or rather that both you and I may find encouragement in each other’s faith.
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 want you to know, my friends, that I have many times intended coming to see you – but until now I have been prevented – that I might find among you some fruit of my labours, as I have already among 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 duty to both the Greek and the barbarian, to both the cultured and the ignorant.
15 That's why I'm really keen to come to Rome and share the good news with you.
And so, for my part, I am ready to tell the good news to you also 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 am not ashamed of the good news; it is the power of God which brings salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, but also 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 a revelation of the divine righteousness resulting from faith and leading on to faith; as scripture says – “Through faith the righteous will find life.”
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.
So, too, there is a revelation from heaven of the divine wrath against every form of ungodliness and wickedness on the part of those people who, by their wicked lives, are stifling the truth.
19 What can be known about God is obvious, because he has made it very clear to them.
This is so, because what can be known about God is plain to them; for God himself has made it plain.
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 ever since the creation of the universe God’s invisible attributes – his everlasting power and divinity – are to be seen and studied in his works, so that people have no excuse; (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, although they learned to know God, yet they did not offer him as God either praise or thanksgiving. Their speculations about him proved futile, and their undiscerning minds were darkened.
22 Even though they claimed to be wise, they became foolish.
Professing to be wise, they showed themselves fools;
23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for idols, images of mortal human beings, birds, animals, and reptiles.
and they transformed the glory of the immortal God into the likeness of mortal humans, and of birds, and beasts, 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 abandoned them to impurity, letting them follow the cravings of their hearts, until they dishonoured their own bodies;
25 They exchanged God's truth for a lie, worshiping and serving creatures instead of the Creator, who deserves praise forever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
for they had substituted a lie for the truth about God, and had reverenced and worshiped created things more than the Creator, who is to be praised for ever. Amen. (aiōn g165)
26 That's why God abandoned them to their evil desires. Their women exchanged natural sex for that which is unnatural,
That, I say, is why God abandoned them to degrading passions. Even the women among them perverted the natural use of their bodies to the 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.
while the men, disregarding that for which women were intended by nature, were consumed with passion for one another. Men indulged in vile practices with men, and incurred in their own persons the inevitable penalty for their perverseness.
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.
Then, as they would not keep God before their minds, God abandoned them to depraved thoughts, so that they did all kinds of shameful things.
29 They filled themselves with all that's wrong: evil, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malice, and gossip.
They revelled in every form of wickedness, evil, greed, vice. Their lives were full of envy, murder, quarrelling, treachery, malice.
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.
They became back-biters, slanderers, impious, insolent, boastful. They devised new sins. They disobeyed their parents.
31 They don't want to understand, they don't keep their promises, they don't show any kindness or compassion.
They were undiscerning, untrustworthy, without natural affection or pity.
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.
Well aware of God’s decree, that those who do such things deserve to die, not only are they guilty of them themselves, but they even applaud those who do them.
