1 P aul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

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 promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

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

3 C oncerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

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

4 A nd declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

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, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

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 the called of Jesus Christ:

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

7 T o all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the 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 spoken of throughout 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 with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

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 M aking request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

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

11 F or I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

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

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

13 N ow I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

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 debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

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 much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

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 gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the 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 therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 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 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold 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 that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto 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 F or the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

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 that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart 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 uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

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 also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own 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 a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, 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 cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against 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 likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

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

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, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; 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 ackbiters, haters of God, despiteful, 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 W ithout understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

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

32 W ho knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

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.