ROMEINE 1

1 Van Paulus, 'n dienaar van Christus Jesus, geroep om apostel te wees, afgesonder vir die evangelie van God.

2 Hierdie evangelie het Hy vooruit deur sy profete in die Heilige Skrif aangekondig, 3 en dit handel oor sy Seun. As mens is Hy uit die geslag van Dawid gebore; 4 op grond van sy opstanding uit die dood is Hy deur die Heilige Gees aangewys as die Seun van God wat met mag beklee is, Jesus Christus ons Here. 5 Deur Hom het ek die genade ontvang om apostel te wees onder al die heidennasies, om tot eer van sy Naam mense tot geloof en so tot gehoorsaamheid te bring. 6 Julle is hierby inbegrepe; ook julle is geroep om aan Jesus Christus te behoort.

7 Aan almal in Rome vir wie God liefhet en wat Hy geroep het om aan Hom te behoort. Genade en vrede vir julle van God ons Vader en die Here Jesus Christus!

Paulus se dank, verlange en verpligting

8 Allereers dank ek my God deur Jesus Christus oor julle almal, want in die hele wêreld praat die mense oor julle geloof. 9 God, wat ek met hart en siel dien deur die evangelie van sy Seun te verkondig, is my getuie dat ek gedurig in my gebede aan julle dink. 10 Elke keer as ek bid, vra ek God of Hy dit nie uiteindelik vir my moontlik wil maak om julle te besoek nie. 11 Ek sien baie daarna uit om julle te besoek, want ek wil 'n geestelike gawe aan julle oordra om julle te versterk. 12 Ek bedoel dat, as ek by julle is, ons deur mekaar se geloof bemoedig kan word, ek deur julle s'n en julle deur myne.

13 Broers, ek wil hê julle moet weet dat, hoewel ek tot nog toe verhinder is, ek my dikwels voorgeneem het om julle te besoek om ook by julle, net soos by die ander heidennasies, mense vir Christus te wen. 14 Ek staan onder 'n verpligting teenoor Grieke en nie-Grieke, teenoor ontwikkeldes en ongeleerdes, 15 en vandaar my begeerte om ook aan julle in Rome die evangelie te verkondig.

16 Ek skaam my nie oor die evangelie nie, want dit is 'n krag van God tot redding van elkeen wat glo, in die eerste plek die Jood, maar ook die nie-Jood. 17 In die evangelie kom juis tot openbaring dat God mense van hulle sonde vryspreek enkel en alleen omdat hulle glo. Dit is soos daar geskrywe staan: “Elkeen wat deur God vrygespreek is omdat hy glo, sal lewe.”t

Die sonde en die straf

18 God openbaar vanuit die hemel sy toorn oor al die goddeloosheid en ongeregtigheid van die mense wat die waarheid deur hulle ongeregtigheid probeer onderdruk. 19 Wat 'n mens van God kan weet, was immers binne hulle bereik, want God het dit binne hulle bereik gebring. 20 Van die skepping van die wêreld af kan 'n mens uit die werke van God duidelik aflei dat sy krag ewigdurend is en dat Hy waarlik God is, hoewel dit dinge is wat 'n mens nie met die oog kan sien nie. Vir hierdie mense is daar dus geen verontskuldiging nie, 21 omdat, al weet hulle van God, hulle Hom nie as God eer en dank nie. Met hulle redenasies bereik hulle niks nie, en deur hulle gebrek aan insig bly hulle in die duister. 22 Hulle gee voor dat hulle verstandig is, maar hulle is dwaas. 23 In die plek van die heerlikheid van die onverganklike God stel hulle beelde wat lyk soos 'n verganklike mens of soos voëls of diere of slange.

24 Daarom gee God hulle aan die drange van hulle hart oor en aan sedelike onreinheid, sodat hulle hulle liggame onder mekaar onteer. 25 Dit is hulle wat die waarheid van God verruil vir die leuen. Hulle dien en vereer die skepsel in plaas van die Skepper, aan wie die lof toekom vir ewig. Amen. 26 Daarom gee God hulle oor aan skandelike drifte. Hulle vroue verander die natuurlike omgang in 'n teen-natuurlike omgang. 27 Net so laat vaar die mans ook die natuurlike omgang met die vrou en brand van begeerte vir mekaar. Mans pleeg skandelikhede met mans en bring oor hulleself die verdiende straf vir hulle perversiteit. 28 En omdat hulle dit van geen belang ag om God te ken nie, gee Hy hulle oor aan hulle verdraaide opvattings, sodat hulle doen wat onbetaamlik is. 29 Hulle is een en al ongeregtigheid, slegtheid, hebsug en gemeenheid; hulle is vol jaloesie, moord, twis, bedrog en kwaadwilligheid. Hulle skinder en 30 praat kwaad; hulle haat God, hulle is hooghartig, aanmatigend, verwaand; hulle is mense wat kwaad uitdink, ongehoorsaam aan hulle ouers; 31 hulle is onverstandig, onbetroubaar, liefdeloos, hardvogtig. 32 Hulle is mense wat die verordening van God ken dat dié wat sulke dinge doen, die dood verdien, en tog doen hulle nie net self hierdie dinge nie, maar hulle vind dit ook goed as ander dit doen.

Romans 1

1 PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,2 Which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures,3 Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh,4 Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead;5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name;6 Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ:7 To all that are at Rome, the beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all, because your faith is spoken of in the whole world.9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you;10 Always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you.11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace, to strengthen you:12 That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you, by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine.13 And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, (and have been hindered hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.14 To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor;15 So (as much as is in me) I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are at 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 to the Greek.17 For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice:19 Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them.20 For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity: so that they are inexcusable.21 Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened.22 For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.23 And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things.24 Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves.25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.26 For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature.27 And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error.28 And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient;29 Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers,30 Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy.32 Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.