New King James Version

New Living Translation

1Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

1This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

2which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

2God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.

3concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

3The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,

4and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

4and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

5Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

5Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

6among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

6And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

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

7I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. God’s Good News

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

8Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.

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

9God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.

10making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

10One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.

11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—

11For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

12that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

12When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

13Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

13I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.

14I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

14For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike.

15So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

15So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

16For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

17This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” God’s Anger at Sin

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

18But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

19They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

20For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

21Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

22Professing to be wise, they became fools,

22Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

23And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

24So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

25who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

25They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

26For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

27Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

28Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

29Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

30They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;

31They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.

32who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

32They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.