1 P aul, bondman of Jesus Christ, called apostle, separated to God's glad tidings,

From 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,

2 ( which he had before promised by his prophets in holy writings,)

Which He promised in advance through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures—

3 c oncerning his Son (come of David's seed according to flesh,

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

4 m arked out Son of God in power, according to Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of dead) Jesus Christ our Lord;

And 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).

5 b y whom we have received grace and apostleship in behalf of his name, for obedience of faith among all the nations,

It 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,

6 a mong whom are ye also called of Jesus Christ:

And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited to belong to Him.

7 t o all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

To 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.

8 F irst, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world.

First, 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.

9 F or God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the glad tidings of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

For 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.

10 a lways beseeching at my prayers, if any way now at least I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.

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

11 F or I greatly desire to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to establish you;

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

12 t hat is, to have mutual comfort among you, each by the faith in the other, both yours and mine.

That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 B ut I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that I often proposed to come to you, (and have been hindered until the present time,) that I might have some fruit among you too, even as among the other nations also.

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.

14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and unintelligent:

Both 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.

15 s o, as far as depends on me, am I ready to announce the glad tidings to you also who in Rome.

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

16 F or I am not ashamed of the glad tidings; for it is God's power to salvation, to every one that believes, both to Jew first and to Greek:

For 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,

17 f or righteousness of God is revealed therein, on the principle of faith, to faith: according as it is written, But the just shall live by faith.

For 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.

18 F or there is revealed wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety, and unrighteousness of men holding the truth in unrighteousness.

For 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.

19 B ecause what is known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested to them,

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

20 — for from world's creation the invisible things of him are perceived, being apprehended by the mind through the things that are made, both his eternal power and divinity,—so as to render them inexcusable.

For 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,

21 B ecause, knowing God, they glorified not as God, neither were thankful; but fell into folly in their thoughts, and their heart without understanding was darkened:

Because 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.

22 p rofessing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

23 a nd changed the glory of the incorruptible God into likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.

And 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.

24 W herefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies between themselves:

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

25 w ho changed the truth of God into falsehood, and honoured and served the creature more than him who had created, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Because 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).

26 F or this reason God gave them up to vile lusts; for both their females changed the natural use into that contrary to nature;

For 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,

27 a nd in like manner the males also, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their lust towards one another; males with males working shame, and receiving in themselves the recompense of their error which was fit.

And 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.

28 A nd according as they did not think good to have God in knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind to practise unseemly things;

And 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,

29 b eing filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,

Until 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,

30 b ack-biters, hateful to God, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

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

31 v oid of understanding, faithless, without natural affection, unmerciful;

without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless merciless.

32 w ho knowing the righteous judgment of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death, not only practise them, but have fellow delight in those who do.

Though 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.