Romans 1

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the good news of God [a] 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who came from the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 who was marked out as Son of God in power according to a spirit of holiness out of a resurrection of the dead — Jesus Christ our Lord — [d] † 5 through whom we received favor and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the nations, for the sake of his name, [e] 6 among whom you also are, called of Jesus Christ: 7 to all those in Rome loved by God, called holy ones. Favor to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [f]

8 First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being announced in the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, so that I may share some spiritual gift with you, to strengthen you — 12 that is, to be encouraged together among you through one another’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 And I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you — and was hindered until now — so that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the rest of the nations. [g] 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to foreign-speaking people, both to the wise and to the unthinking; [h] 15 so, for my part, I am eager to bring the good news to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the good news, because it is God’s power for rescue to everyone who trusts, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [i] 17 For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: [j]

18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who hold down the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known of God is plain among them, for God made it plain to them. 20 For his invisible things, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things he made — both his eternal power and his divinity — so that they are without excuse; [k]

21 because although they knew God they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became empty in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they exchanged the glory of the imperishable God for the likeness of an image of a perishable human being, and of birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God handed them over, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, so that their bodies were dishonored among them — 25 they who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and revered and served the creation rather than the one who created it, who is blessed forever. Amen. [l]

26 Because of this God handed them over to passions of dishonor. For their females exchanged the natural use for the one contrary to nature, 27 and likewise the males also, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their craving for one another, males with males working out shamelessness and receiving back in themselves the repayment their going astray required.

28 And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God handed them over to an unfit mind, to do the things that are not fitting: 29 filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, badness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; whisperers, [m] 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of evils, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, faithless to agreements, without natural affection, without mercy —

32 who, knowing the rule of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. [n] †