1Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3concerning his Son, who came from the seed of David according to the flesh,
4who was appointed Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead — Jesus Christ our Lord,
5through whom we received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations for the sake of his name,
6among whom you also are called to belong to Jesus Christ —
7to all those in Rome who are beloved of God, called to be saints: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
9For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,
10always in my prayers asking that somehow now at last I may succeed, by the will of God, in coming to you.
11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you —
12that is, that we may be mutually encouraged among you through each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), so that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the rest of the nations.
14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by unrighteousness,
19because what can be known of God is plain among them, for God has made it plain to them.
20For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, being understood through the things he has made, are clearly seen — both his eternal power and divinity — so that they are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
22Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for a likeness of the image of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
25who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature,
27and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural function of the female, were inflamed in their desire for one another, males with males committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28And just as they did not see fit to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do what is not fitting,
29having been filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; gossips,
30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31without understanding, untrustworthy, without natural affection, unmerciful.
32who, though they know the righteous decree of God — that those who practice such things are worthy of death — not only do them but also give approval to those who practice them.
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