Romans 1–16

THE GOSPEL OF GOD FOR ROME

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle^Aa and set apart^b for the gospel of God^c—²which he promised beforehand ^d through his prophets^e in the Holy Scriptures—³concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David^Bf according to the flesh^{g 4}and was appointed to be the powerful^h Son of Godⁱ according to the Spirit of holiness^C by the resurrection of the dead. ⁵Through him we have received grace and apostleship^j to bring about^D the obedience^k of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,^{l 6}including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.^m

⁷To all who are in Rome, loved by God,ⁿ called^o as saints.^p

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PAUL’S DESIRE TO VISIT ROME

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith^F is being reported in all the world.^{q 9}God is my witness,^r whom I serve with my spirit^s in telling the good news about his Son—that I constantly mention you,^{t 10}always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.^{u 11}For I want very much to see you,^v so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, ¹²that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

¹³Now I don’t want you to be unaware,^w brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now^x) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry^G among you,^y just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians,^Hz both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵So I am eager to preach the gospel^aa to you also who are in Rome.

THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel,^Iab because it is the power of God for salvation^ac to everyone who believes, first to the Jew,^ad and also to the Greek.^{ae 17}For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,^Jaf just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.^KLag

THE GUILT OF THE GENTILE WORLD

¹⁸For God’s wrath^ah is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,^{ai 19}since what can be known^M about God is evident among them,^aj because God has shown it to them. ²⁰For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world,^ak being understood through what he has made.^al As a result, people are without excuse. ²¹For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.^{am 22}Claiming to be wise, they became fools^{an 23}and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.^ao

²⁴Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts^ap to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie,^aq and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever.^ar Amen.

FROM IDOLATRY TO DEPRAVITY

²⁶For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions.^as Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷The men^C in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men^at and received in their own persons^D the appropriate penalty of their error.

²⁸And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. ²⁹They are filled with all unrighteousness,^E evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,^{a 30}slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful,^b inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,^{c 31}senseless, untrustworthy, unloving,^Fd and unmerciful. ³²Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die^Ge—they not only do them, but even applaud^Hf others who practice them.

GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

2Therefore, every one of you^Ig who judges is without excuse.^h For when you judge another,ⁱ you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. ³Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you despise the riches of his kindness,^j restraint,^k and patience,^l not recognizing^J that God’s kindness^m is intended to lead you to repentance? ⁵Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrathⁿ for yourself in the day of wrath,^o when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. ⁶He will repay each one according to his works:^{Kp 7}eternal life^q to those who by persistence in doing good^r seek glory, honor,^s and immortality;^{t 8}but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking^u and disobey the truth^v while obeying unrighteousness. ⁹There will be affliction and distress^w for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;^{x 10}but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. ¹¹For there is no favoritism with God.^y

¹²For all who sin without the law^z will also perish without the law, and all who sin under^A the law will be judged by the law. ¹³For the hearers of the law^aa are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.^{B 14}So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law,^ab do^C what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law^D is written on their hearts.^ac Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them^{E 16}on the day when God judges^ad what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.^ae

JEWISH VIOLATION OF THE LAW

¹⁷Now if^F you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law,^af and boast in God, ¹⁸and know his will, and approve the things that are superior,^ag being instructed from the law, ¹⁹and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth^ah in the law—²¹you then, who teach another,^ai don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? ²²You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples?^{aj 23}You who boast in the law,^ak do you dishonor God by breaking the law?^{G 24}For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.^Hal

CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART

²⁵Circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.^{am 26}So if an uncircumcised^an man keeps the law’s requirements,^ao will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ²⁷A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who keeps the law, will judge you^ap who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. ²⁸For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly,^aq and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. ²⁹On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly,^ar and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.^Ias That person’s praise is not from people but from God.^at

PAUL ANSWERS AN OBJECTION

3So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ²Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted^a with the very words of God.^{b 3}What then? If some were unfaithful,^c will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? ⁴Absolutely not!^d Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar,^e as it is written:

That you may be justified in your words

and triumph when you judge.^Af

⁵But if our unrighteousness highlights^B God’s righteousness,^g what are we to say?^h I am using a human argument:^Ci Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? ⁶Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?^{j 7}But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?^{k 8}And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”?^l Their condemnation is deserved!

THE WHOLE WORLD GUILTY BEFORE GOD

⁹What then? Are we any better off?^D Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews^m and Greeksⁿ are all under sin,^{Eo 10}as it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one.

¹¹There is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

¹²All have turned away;

all alike have become worthless.

There is no one who does what is good,

not even one.^Fp

¹³Their throat is an open grave;

they deceive with their tongues.^Gq

Vipers’ venom is under their lips.^Hr

¹⁴Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.^Is

¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,

¹⁷and the path of peace they have not known.^Jt

¹⁸There is no fear of God before their eyes.^Ku

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says,^v it speaks to those who are subject to the law,^Lw so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.^{Mx 20}For no one will be justified^N in his sight by the works of the law,^y because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.^z

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH

²¹But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed,^aa attested by the Law and the Prophets.^{Oab 22}The righteousness of God is through faith^ac in Jesus Christ^Pad to all who believe,^ae since there is no distinction.^{af 23}For all have sinned^ag and fall short of the^Q glory of God; ²⁴they are justified freely by his grace^ah through the redemption that is in…