PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, set apart for the
Gospel of God, (2)(which he had promised before by his prophets in the
holy scriptures,) (3)concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; made
from the seed of David after the flesh, (4)definitively marked out as
the Son of God by miracle, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection of the dead: (5)through whom we have received grace and
apostolic mission among all nations for his name, to bring them to the
obedience of faith: (6)among whom are ye also the called of Jesus
Christ.
(7)To all that are at Rome, beloved of God, called saints, grace unto
you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(8)First then I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you
all, because your faith is proclaimed through the whole world. (9)For
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his
Son, how incessantly I make mention of you, (10)always in my prayers
entreating that haply now at last I may have a prosperous journey by
the will of God, to come to you. (11)For I long to see you, that I may
impart unto you some spiritual gift, in order that you may be
established; (12)and that so I may be comforted together with you, by
the mutual faith both of you and of me.
(13)But I would not that ye should be unacquainted, brethren, that
oftentimes I have been purposing to come to you (and have been
prevented until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, even
as among the other Gentile nations. (14)Both to the Greeks and
barbarians, both to the wise and the ignorant am I a debtor. (15)So, as
far as is in my power, I am desirous to preach the Gospel to you that
are at Rome also. (16)For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for
it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17)For the righteousness of God by
faith is therein revealed for belief; as it is written, "Now the just
by faith shall live[49]." (18)For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of men, holding back the
truth in unrighteousness. (19)Because that which is capable of being
known relative to God, is evident among them; for God hath manifested
it to them. (20)For from the creation of the world his invisible
perfections, discoverable in the works that are made, are clearly seen,
even his eternal power and deity; so that they are inexcusable:
(21)because though they knew _there was_ a God, they glorified him not
as God, nor gave him thanks, but became triflers in their disputations,
and their stupid heart was darkened. (22)Affecting to be sophists, they
turned idiots, (23)and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into
the likeness of an image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of
quadrupeds, and of reptiles. (24)Wherefore God abandoned them, through
the lusts of their own hearts, unto impurity, to dishonour their own
bodies by themselves: (25)who perverted the truth of God by falsehood,
and worshipped and paid divine honours to the thing created instead of
the Creator, who is blessed for evermore. Amen.
(26)For this cause God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For even
their women did change the natural use into that which was contrary to
nature; (27)and likewise the men also, leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lewdness one towards another; men with men
committing indecency, and receiving in themselves the recompence of
their delusion, which was meet. (28)And since they thought not fit to
hold the Deity in acknowledgment, God abandoned them to a reprobate
mind, to practise deeds unbecoming; (29)replete with all injustice,
whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, villany; full of envy, murder,
contention, deceit, evil habits; whisperers, (30)backbiters,
God-haters, contumelious, insolent, boasters, inventors of wicked
practices, disobedient to parents, (31)unintelligent, unfaithful to
engagements, unnatural, implacable, unmerciful: (32)who, though they
know the righteous judgment of God, that they who live in such
practices are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also find
pleasure in the company of those who live in these practices.