1 F rom Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) called to be an apostle, (a special messenger) set apart to the Gospel (good news) of and from God,

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

2 W hich He promised in advance through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures—

which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

3 r egarding His Son, Who as to the flesh (His human nature) was descended from David,

concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

4 A nd according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ our Lord (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

5 I t is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations,

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

6 A nd this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited to belong to Him.

among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 T o all God’s beloved ones in Rome, called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life: Grace and spiritual blessing and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord 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. Desire to Visit Rome

8 F irst, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is made known to all the world and is commended everywhere.

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

9 F or God is my witness, Whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel and the good news of His Son, how incessantly I always mention you when at my prayers.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

10 I keep pleading that somehow by God’s will I may now at last prosper and come to you.

making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

11 F or I am yearning to see you, that I may impart and share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish you;

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—

12 T hat is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13 I want you to know, brethren, that many times I have planned and intended to come to you, though thus far I have been hindered and prevented, in order that I might have some fruit (some result of my labors) among you, as I have among the rest of the Gentiles.

Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

14 B oth to Greeks and to barbarians (to the cultured and to the uncultured), both to the wise and the foolish, I have an obligation to discharge and a duty to perform and a debt to pay.

I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

15 S o, for my part, I am willing and eagerly ready to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome.

So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. The Just Live by Faith

16 F or I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,

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

17 F or in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 F or God’s wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative.

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

19 F or that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God has shown it to them.

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

20 F or ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So are without excuse,

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

21 B ecause when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22 C laiming to be wise, they became fools.

Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23 A nd by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.

and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 T herefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

25 B ecause they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen (so be it).

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

26 F or this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one,

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

27 A nd the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another—men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was fitting retribution.

Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 A nd so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

29 U ntil they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. secret backbiters and gossipers,

being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

30 S landerers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents.

backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 w ithout understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless merciless.

undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

32 T hough they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them.

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