1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.
God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news 2 that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. 3-4 This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, because he was raised from death.
5 Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. 6 You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ.
7 This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.
I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
A Prayer of Thanks
8 First, I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ for all of you. I do this because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith. 9 God has seen how I never stop praying for you, while I serve him with all my heart and tell the good news about his Son.
10 In all my prayers, I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you. 11 I want to see you and share with you the same blessings that God's Spirit has given me. Then you will grow stronger in your faith. 12 What I am saying is that we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.
13 My friends, I want you to know that I have often planned to come for a visit. But something has always kept me from doing it. I want to win followers to Christ in Rome, as I have done in many other places. 14-15 It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone. That's why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome.
The Power of the Good News
16 I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 17 The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”
Everyone Is Guilty
18 From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth. 19 They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them. 20 God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. 21 They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. 22 They claim to be wise, but they are fools. 23 They don't worship the glorious and eternal God. Instead, they worship idols that are made to look like humans who cannot live forever, and like birds, animals, and reptiles.
24 So God let these people go their own way. They did what they wanted to do, and their filthy thoughts made them do shameful things with their bodies. 25 They gave up the truth about God for a lie, and they worshiped God's creation instead of God, who will be praised forever. Amen.
26 God let them follow their own evil desires. Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. 27 Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men. They did shameful things with each other, and what has happened to them is punishment for their foolish deeds.
28 Since these people refused even to think about God, he let their useless minds rule over them. That's why they do all sorts of indecent things. 29 They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip, 30 say cruel things about others, and hate God. They are proud, conceited, and boastful, always thinking up new ways to do evil.
These people don't respect their parents. 31 They are stupid, unreliable, and don't have any love or pity for others. 32 They know God has said that anyone who acts this way deserves to die. But they keep on doing evil things, and they even encourage others to do them.
1 Paul a seruant of Iesus Christ called to be an Apostle, put apart to preache the Gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his Prophetes in the holy Scriptures) 3 Concerning his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord (which was made of the seede of Dauid according to the flesh, 4 And declared mightily to be the Sonne of God, touching the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead) 5 By whom we haue receiued grace and Apostleship (that obedience might be giuen vnto ye faith) for his Name among al ye Gentiles, 6 Among whom ye be also the called of Iesus Christ: 7 To all you that be at Rome beloued of God, called to be Saints: Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 8 First I thanke my God through Iesus Christ for you all, because your faith is published throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witnesse (whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne) that without ceasing I make mention of you 10 Alwayes in my prayers, beseeching that by some meanes, one time or other I might haue a prosperous iourney by the will of God, to come vnto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I might bestowe among you some spirituall gift, that you might be strengthened: 12 That is, that I might be comforted together with you, through our mutuall faith, both yours and mine. 13 Now my brethren, I would that ye should not be ignorant, how that I haue oftentimes purposed to come vnto you (but haue bene let hitherto) that I might haue some fruite also among you, as I haue among the other Gentiles. 14 I am detter both to the Grecians, and to the Barbarians, both to the wise men and vnto the vnwise. 15 Therefore, as much as in me is, I am readie to preach ye Gospel to you also that are at Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth, to the Iewe first, and also to the Grecian. 17 For by it the righteousnesse of God is reueiled from faith to faith: as it is written, The iust shall liue by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is reueiled from heauen against all vngodlinesse, and vnrighteousnesse of men, which withhold the trueth in vnrighteousnesse. 19 Forasmuch as that, which may be knowe of God, is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it vnto them. 20 For the inuisible things of him, that is, his eternal power and Godhead, are seene by ye creation of the worlde, being considered in his workes, to the intent that they should be without excuse: 21 Because that when they knewe God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankefull, but became vaine in their thoughtes, and their foolish heart was full of darkenesse. 22 When they professed themselues to be wise, they became fooles. 23 For they turned the glorie of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man, and of birdes, and foure footed beastes, and of creeping things. 24 Wherefore also God gaue them vp to their hearts lusts, vnto vncleannesse, to defile their owne bodies betweene themselues: 25 Which turned the trueth of God vnto a lie, and worshipped and serued the creature, forsaking the Creator, which is blessed for euer, Amen. 26 For this cause God gaue them vp vnto vile affections: for euen their women did change the naturall vse into that which is against nature. 27 And likewise also the men left the naturall vse of the woman, and burned in their lust one toward another, and man with man wrought filthinesse, and receiued in themselues such recompence of their errour, as was meete. 28 For as they regarded not to acknowledge God, euen so God deliuered them vp vnto a reprobate minde, to doe those things which are not conuenient, 29 Being full of all vnrighteousnesse, fornication, wickednes, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuie, of murder, of debate, of deceit, taking all things in the euill part, whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, doers of wrong, proude, boasters, inuenters of euil things, disobedient to parents, without vnderstanding, couenant breakers, without naturall affection, such as can neuer be appeased, mercilesse. 31 Which men, though they knew ye Lawe of God, how that they which comit such things are worthie of death, yet not onely do the same, but also fauour them that doe them.