The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans

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- Chapter 1 -

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

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

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

and 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.

Through 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.

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

To 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

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

God, whom I serve with my spirit

(a)

in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

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

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

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

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

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,(c) both to the wise and the foolish.

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

I 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.

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

God’s Wrath against Sin

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

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

For 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.

For 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.

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

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

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

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

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

Likewise, 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.

Furthermore, 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.

They 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,

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

They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

Although 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.

Footnotes

(a)1:9 Or in my spirit

(b)1:13 Literally but have been prevented

(d)1:17 Literally For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith

(e)1:17 Habakkuk 2:4

(f)1:25 Or forever blessed

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,(a) called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,

which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring(b) of David according to the flesh,

who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

through whom we received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations for his name’s sake;

among whom you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ;

to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unashamed of the Gospel

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

requesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you may be established;

that is, that I with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (and was hindered so far), that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.

So as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.

For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”(c)

God’s Wrath against Sin

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.

For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse.

Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves;

who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For their women changed the natural function into that which is against nature.

Likewise also the men, leaving the natural function of the woman, burned in their lust toward one another, men doing what is inappropriate with men, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.

Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;

who, knowing the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One”.

(b)1:3 or, seed