Romans 1

God’s Good News for Rome

1Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle ^aband singled out ^cfor God’s good news ^d— ²which He promised long ago ^ethrough His prophets ^fin the Holy Scriptures— ³concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David ^ghaccording to the flesh ⁱ⁴and who has been declared to be the powerful ^jSon of God ^kby the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness. ^l5We have received grace and apostleship ^mthrough Him to bring about ⁿthe obedience ^oof faith ^pamong all the nations, ^qron behalf of His name, ⁶including yourselves who also belong to Jesus Christ by calling: ^s

⁷To all who are in Rome, loved by God, ^tcalled ^uas saints. ^v

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 ^wis being reported in all the world. ^x9For God, whom I serve with my spirit ^yin telling the good news about His Son, is my witness ^zthat I constantly mention you, ^a10always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you. ^b11For I want very much to see you, ^cso 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 want you to know, ^debrothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now ^f) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry ^gamong you, ^hjust as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, ^ijboth to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵So I am eager to preach the good news ^kto you also who are in Rome.

The Righteous Will Live by Faith

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, ^lmbecause it is God’s power for salvation ⁿto everyone who believes, first to the Jew, ^oand also to the Greek. ^p17For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, ^qrjust as it is written: The righteous will live by faith. ^stu

The Guilt of the Gentile World

¹⁸For God’s wrath ^vis revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, ^w19since what can be known ^xabout God is evident among them, ^ybecause 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, ^zbeing understood through what He has made. ^aAs 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 nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. ^b22Claiming to be wise, they became fools ^c23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. ^d

²⁴Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts ^eto sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, ^fand worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. ^gAmen.

From Idolatry to Depravity

²⁶This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. ^hFor even their females exchanged natural sexual relations ⁱfor unnatural ones. ²⁷The males in the same way also left natural relations ^jwith females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males ^kand received in their own persons ^lthe appropriate penalty of their error.

²⁸And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. ²⁹They are filled with all unrighteousness, ^mevil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, ⁿ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, ^oinventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ^p31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ^qrand unmerciful. ³²Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die ^st—they not only do them, but even applaud ^uvothers who practice them.