Romans 1

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, calledto bean apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

1This letter is from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, chosen to be an apostle and set apart to tell God’s Good News.

2which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

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

3concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

3It is about his Son, who was born into the family line of David as a human being.

4who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,

4By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead; he is Jesus Christ our Lord.

5through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name’s sake;

5Through him, we have received grace and the task of being apostles to lead people from all nations to trust and obey him, all for the honor of his name.

6among whom are ye also, called to be Jesus Christ’s:

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

7to all that 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 called to be his holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

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

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people all over the world are talking about your faith.

9For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers

9God knows how often I pray for you. I serve him with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son.

10making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you.

10I always pray that, if it is God’s will, I will finally find a way to come and visit you.

11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

11I long to see you so that I can share a spiritual gift with you to help you grow strong in the faith.

12that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

12I mean that I want us to encourage each other—I will be encouraged by your faith, and you will be encouraged by mine.

13And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.

13I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have planned to visit you many times (but have been stopped until now). I want to see some results among you, just as I have among other non-Jewish people.

14I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

14I have a responsibility to everyone, whether they are civilized Greeks or uneducated people, and whether they are wise or foolish.

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

15That is why I am so eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

16I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power of God to save everyone who believes—the Jews first, and also the Gentiles.

17For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith.

17The Good News shows us how God makes us right with himself. This happens from start to finish by faith, as the Scriptures say, 'The person who is right with God will live by faith.'

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

18But God shows his anger from heaven against all the sin and evil of people who use their wickedness to suppress the truth.

19because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.

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

20For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:

20Ever since the world was created, people have been able to see God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. These are clearly seen in the things he has made, so people have no excuse for not knowing him.

21because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.

21Even though they knew God, they didn't honor him as God or thank him. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

22While they claimed to be wise, they actually became fools.

23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

23Instead of worshipping the glorious, immortal God, they worshipped idols made to look like mortal humans, birds, animals, and reptiles.

24Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:

24So God let them go ahead and do the sinful things their hearts desired. They traded the truth for sexual impurity and used their bodies in shameful ways with one another.

25for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

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

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful passions. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead did what is unnatural.

27and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.

27In the same way, the men gave up natural sexual relations with women and burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved for their sin.

28And even as they refused to have God intheirknowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

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

29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

29Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and hate. They are full of envy, murder, fighting, lying, and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips,

30backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

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

31without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:

31They refuse to understand, they break their promises, and they have no affection or mercy for others.

32who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.

32They know God’s law says that people who live like this deserve to die. Yet they not only keep doing these things themselves, but they also encourage others to do them too.