Romans 1

1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News.
2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures.3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead.5 Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle, which was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for him.

6 And you who are in Rome are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prayer of Thanks

8 First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith.9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son, knows that I always mention you10 every time I pray. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it.11 I want very much to see you, to give you some spiritual gift to make you strong.12 I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.

13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you, but this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.
14 I have a duty to all people—Greeks and those who are not Greeks, the wise and the foolish.

15 That is why I want so much to preach the Good News to you in Rome.
16 I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews.17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.” 

All People Have Done Wrong

18 God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth.19 God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them. Yes, God has shown himself to them.20 There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do.21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness.22 They said they were wise, but they became fools.

23 They traded the glory of God who lives forever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals, and snakes.
24 Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other.

25 They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised forever. Amen.
26 Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women.

27 In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.
28 People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do.29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip30 and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents.31 They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others.32 They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them.

Romans 1

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,2 which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,5 through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake;6 among whom are ye also called to be Jesus Christ’s:7 To all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers10 making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you.11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;12 that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.13 And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.14 I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.17 For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness;19 because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.20 For 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:21 because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.24 Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:25 for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:27 and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.28 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.