Romans 1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed for the good news of God,

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures

concerning his Son, who was born from the seed of David according to the flesh,

and who was appointed as the Son-of-God-with-power by his resurrection from among the dead according to the Spirit of Holiness—Jesus Christ our Lord—

through whom we have received grace and apostleship in order to bring about obedience that is based on trust among all the nations for the sake of his name,

which includes you, who are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all who are in Rome, loved by God and called to be holy ones: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all because your trust is being talked about throughout the whole world.

For God is my witness, whom I serve with all my spirit in the mission of the good news of his Son, that I constantly remember you

in my prayers, always praying earnestly that somehow by the will of God I will now at last succeed in coming to you.

For I long to see you so that I can impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

in other words, so that while I am with you, we can be mutually encouraged by each other’s trust, both yours and mine.”

Now, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact that I often planned to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), so that I would have some fruit among you also, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles.

I have an obligation to both Greeks and non-Greeks, to both the wise and the foolish.

So, as for me, I am eager to proclaim the good news to you also who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the good news, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For in it a righteousness from God is being revealed from trust to trust, as it is written, But the righteous person will live by trust.

For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,

because what can be known about God is visible to them, for God has made it visible to them.

For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—are clearly seen, because they are understood through what he has made, so they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but their thoughts became worthless, and their hearts, which lacked understanding, became darkened.

While claiming to be wise, they became fools,

and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image resembling corruptible humans and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.

Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity with the result that they dishonored their bodies with each other.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and showed devotion to and served created things rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their females exchanged natural sexual relations for ones that are against nature,

and in the same way the males also abandoned natural sexual relations with females and burned with intense desire for one another, males committing shameful acts with other males, and receiving in themselves the due penalty of their error.

And since they did not regard God worthy to know, God gave them over to a worthless mind to do things that should never be done.

They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, wickedness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips,

slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful.

Although they know God’s righteous requirement that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.