Romans, 1

1. From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle,

1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

2. set apart for the service of the gospel that God promised long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures.

2. which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

3. This is the gospel concerning his Son who, in terms of human nature

3. the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

4. was born a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord,

4. and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5. through whom we have received grace and our apostolic mission of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations for the honour of his name.

5. through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

6. You are among these, and by his call you belong to Jesus Christ.

6. including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;

7. To you all, God's beloved in Rome, called to be his holy people. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8. First I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because your faith is talked of all over the world.

8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

9. God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually mention you in my prayers,

9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

10. asking always that by some means I may at long last be enabled to visit you, if it is God's will.

10. asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

11. For I am longing to see you so that I can convey to you some spiritual gift that will be a lasting strength,

11. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

12. or rather that we may be strengthened together through our mutual faith, yours and mine.

12. that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

13. I want you to be quite certain too, brothers, that I have often planned to visit you -- though up to the present I have always been prevented -- in the hope that I might work as fruitfully among you as I have among the gentiles elsewhere.

13. I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

14. I have an obligation to Greeks as well as barbarians, to the educated as well as the ignorant,

14. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish:

15. and hence the eagerness on my part to preach the gospel to you in Rome too.

15. so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16. For I see no reason to be ashamed of the gospel; it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who has faith -- Jews first, but Greeks as well-

16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17. for in it is revealed the saving justice of God: a justice based on faith and addressed to faith. As it says in scripture: Anyone who is upright through faith will live.

17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live."

18. The retribution of God from heaven is being revealed against the ungodliness and injustice of human beings who in their injustice hold back the truth.

18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

19. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them:

19. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20. ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind's understanding of created things. And so these people have no excuse:

20. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;

21. they knew God and yet they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but their arguments became futile and their uncomprehending minds were darkened.

21. for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.

22. While they claimed to be wise, in fact they were growing so stupid

22. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23. that they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an imitation, for the image of a mortal human being, or of birds, or animals, or crawling things.

23. and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.

24. That is why God abandoned them in their inmost cravings to filthy practices of dishonouring their own bodies-

24. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25. because they exchanged God's truth for a lie and have worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

25. because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.

26. That is why God abandoned them to degrading passions:

26. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural,

27. why their women have exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural practices; and the men, in a similar fashion, too, giving up normal relations with women, are consumed with passion for each other, men doing shameful things with men and receiving in themselves due reward for their perversion.

27. and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

28. In other words, since they would not consent to acknowledge God, God abandoned them to their unacceptable thoughts and indecent behaviour.

28. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct.

29. And so now they are steeped in all sorts of injustice, rottenness, greed and malice; full of envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite,

29. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,

30. libellers, slanderers, enemies of God, rude, arrogant and boastful, enterprising in evil, rebellious to parents,

30. slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31. without brains, honour, love or pity.

31. foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

32. They are well aware of God's ordinance: that those who behave like this deserve to die -- yet they not only do it, but even applaud others who do the same.

32. Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.