1 P aul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News 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 w hich he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

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

3 c oncerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,

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

4 w ho 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,

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 t hrough whom we received grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake;

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 you are also called to belong to Jesus Christ;

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

7 t o 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.

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 all of you, that your faith is proclaimed 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 in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly 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 r equesting, if by any means now at last 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 long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, to the end that you 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 with you may be encouraged in you, each of us by the other’s faith, 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 N ow 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 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 Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.

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 is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are 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 Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for 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 in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous 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 suppress 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 is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it 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 F or 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.

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 didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless 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 traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, 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 T herefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among 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 exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. 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 passions. For their women changed the natural function 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 L ikewise 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.

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 E ven 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;

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, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

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, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, 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, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;

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

32 w ho, 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.

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.