Romans 1–16

Greeting

1Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³concerning his Son, who was born a descendant^a of David according to the flesh, ⁴who was declared Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit^b by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles^c on behalf of his name, ⁶among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. ⁷To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Wants to Visit Rome

⁸First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. ⁹For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, ¹⁰always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. ¹¹For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, ¹²that is, to be encouraged together with you through our mutual faith^d, both yours and mine. ¹³Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.^{e 14}I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵Thus I am eager^f to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

The Gospel’s Power for Salvation

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”^g

God’s Wrath Revealed Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹because what can be known about God is evident among^h them, for God made it clear to them. ²⁰For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. ²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.

²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to immorality, that their bodies would be dishonored among themselves, ²⁵who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen.

God Hands Sinful Humanity over to Depravity

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, ²⁷and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error. ²⁸And just as they did not see fit to recognize Godⁱ, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not proper, ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. They are gossipers, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, contrivers of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹senseless, faithless, unfeeling, unmerciful, ³²who, although they^* know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same things, but also they approve of those who do them.

The Righteous and Impartial Judgment of God

2Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one of you who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same things. ²Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things. ³But do you think this, O man who passes judgment on those who do such things, and who does the same things, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶who will reward each one according to his works: ⁷to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, ⁸but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹There will be affliction and distress for every human being^a who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, ¹⁰but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. ¹¹For there is no partiality with God.

¹²For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.^{b 14}For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, although they^* do not have the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts one after another accusing or even defending them ¹⁶on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through^c Christ Jesus.

Jews also Condemned by the Law

¹⁷But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸and know his will and approve the things that are superior, because you^* are instructed by the law, ¹⁹and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness, ²⁰an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²¹Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? ²²The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? ²³Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!^{d 24}For just as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”^e

²⁵For circumcision is of value if you do the law, but if you should be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision? ²⁷And the uncircumcised person by nature who carries out the law will judge you who, though provided with the precise written code^f and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. ²⁸For the Jew is not one outwardly^g, nor is circumcision outwardly^h, in the flesh. ²⁹But the Jew is one inwardlyⁱ, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter, whose praise is not from people but from God.

Jews Still Have an Advantage

3Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? ²Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³What is the result^a if some refused to believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ⁴May it never be! But let God be true but every human being a liar, just as it is written,

“In order that you may be justified in your words,

and may prevail when you are^* judged.”^b

⁵But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, is not unjust, is he? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.) ⁶May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? ⁷But if by my lying, the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I also still condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, in order that good may come of it”? Their^c condemnation is just!

The Entire World Guilty of Sin

⁹What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, ¹⁰just 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 aside together; they have become worthless;

There is no one who practices kindness;

there is not even one.^d

¹³Their throat is an opened grave;

they deceive with their tongues;

the venom of asps is under their lips,^e

¹⁴whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.^f

¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶destruction and distress are in their paths,

¹⁷and they have not known the way of peace.^g

¹⁸The fear of God is not before their eyes.”^h

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God. ²⁰For by the works of the law no person will be declared righteousⁱ before him, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Righteousness through Faith Revealed

²¹But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets—²²that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ^j to all who believe. For there…