1 P aul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God --

This letter is from Paul. I am a servant owned by Jesus Christ and a missionary chosen by God to preach His Good News.

2 w hich He announced before through His prophets in holy writings --

The Good News was promised long ago by God’s early preachers in His Holy Writings.

3 c oncerning His Son, (who is come of the seed of David according to the flesh,

It tells of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was born as a person in the flesh through the family of King David.

4 w ho is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord;

The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead.

5 t hrough whom we did receive grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of his name;

Jesus has given us His loving-favor and has made us His missionaries. We are to preach to the people of all nations that they should obey Him and put their trust in Him.

6 a mong whom are also ye, the called of Jesus Christ;

You have been chosen to belong to Jesus Christ also.

7 t o all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints; Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

So I write to all of you in the city of Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be set apart for Himself. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you His loving-favor and peace.

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

First of all, I keep thanking my God, through Jesus Christ, for all of you. This is because the whole world knows of your faith in Christ.

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,

God knows how I work for Him. He knows how I preach with all my heart the Good News about His Son. He knows how I always pray for you.

10 a lways in my prayers beseeching, if by any means now at length I shall have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you,

I pray that I might be able to visit you, if God wants me to.

11 f or I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, that ye may be established;

I want to see you so I can share some special gift of the Holy Spirit with you. It will make you strong.

12 a nd that is, that I may be comforted together among you, through the faith in one another, both yours and mine.

Both of us need help. I can help make your faith strong and you can do the same for me. We need each other.

13 A nd I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that many times I did purpose to come unto you -- and was hindered till the present time -- that some fruit I might have also among you, even as also among the other nations.

Christian brothers, many times I have wanted to visit you. Something has kept me from going until now. I have wanted to lead some of you to Christ also, as I have done in other places where they did not know God.

14 B oth to Greeks and to foreigners, both to wise and to thoughtless, I am a debtor,

I must help the people who have had a chance to hear the Good News and those who have not. I must help those with much learning and those who have never learned from books.

15 s o, as much as in me is, I am ready also to you who in Rome to proclaim good news,

So I want to preach the Good News to you who live in Rome also.

16 f or I am not ashamed of the good news of the Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one who is believing, both to Jew first, and to Greek.

I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power of God. It is the way He saves men from the punishment of their sins if they put their trust in Him. It is for the Jew first and for all other people also.

17 F or the righteousness of God in it is revealed from faith to faith, according as it hath been written, `And the righteous one by faith shall live,'

The Good News tells us we are made right with God by faith in Him. Then, by faith we live that new life through Him. The Holy Writings say, “A man right with God lives by faith.”

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

We see the anger of God coming down from heaven against all the sins of men. These sinful men keep the truth from being known.

19 B ecause that which is known of God is manifest among them, for God did manifest to them,

Men know about God. He has made it plain to them.

20 f or the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, by the things made being understood, are plainly seen, both His eternal power and Godhead -- to their being inexcusable;

Men cannot say they do not know about God. From the beginning of the world, men could see what God is like through the things He has made. This shows His power that lasts forever. It shows that He is God.

21 b ecause, having known God they did not glorify as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened,

They did know God, but they did not honor Him as God. They were not thankful to Him and thought only of foolish things. Their foolish minds became dark.

22 p rofessing to be wise, they were made fools,

They said that they were wise, but they showed how foolish they were.

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

They gave honor to false gods that looked like people who can die and to birds and animals and snakes. This honor belongs to God Who can never die.

24 W herefore also God did give them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonour their bodies among themselves;

So God let them follow the desires of their sinful hearts. They did sinful things among themselves with their bodies.

25 w ho did change the truth of God into a falsehood, and did honour and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.

They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and cared for what God made instead of worshiping the God Who made it. He is the One Who is to receive honor and thanks forever. Let it be so.

26 B ecause of this did God give them up to dishonourable affections, for even their females did change the natural use into that against nature;

Because of this, God let them follow their sinful desires which lead to shame. Women used their bodies in ways God had not planned.

27 a nd in like manner also the males having left the natural use of the female, did burn in their longing toward one another; males with males working shame, and the recompense of their error that was fit, in themselves receiving.

In the same way, men left the right use of women’s bodies. They did sex sins with other men. They received for themselves the punishment that was coming to them for their sin.

28 A nd, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly;

Because they would not keep God in their thoughts anymore, He gave them up. Their minds were sinful and they wanted only to do things they should not do.

29 h aving been filled with all unrighteousness, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,

They are full of everything that is sinful and want things that belong to others. They hate people and are jealous. They kill other people. They fight and lie. They do not like other people and talk against them.

30 e vil-speakers, God-haters, insulting, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

They talk about people, and they hate God. They are filled with pride and tell of all the good they do. They think of new ways to sin. They do not obey their parents.

31 u nintelligent, faithless, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;

They are not able to understand. They do not do what they say they will do. They have no love and no loving-pity.

32 w ho the righteous judgment of God having known -- that those practising such things are worthy of death -- not only do them, but also have delight with those practising them.

They know God has said that all who do such things should die. But they keep on doing these things and are happy when others do them also.