Romans 1

¹Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in holy writings,

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 for the obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake,

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

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

⁸First indeed, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in all the 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,

¹⁰imploring, if somehow now at last I might succeed, by the will of God, in coming to you.

¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, to the end you may be strengthened,

¹²that is, however, to be mutually encouraged among you through the faith in one another, both yours and mine.

¹³Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I many times purposed to come to you and was hindered until now, that I might have some fruit also among you, just as also among the rest of the nations.

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

¹⁵thus, as far as I am able, I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel; for it is the power of God unto salvation for 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 men who suppress the truth by unrighteousness,

¹⁹because what is known of God is manifest among them; for God has made it manifest to them.

²⁰For his invisible qualities, from the creation of the world, being understood by the things made, are clearly seen — both his eternal power and divinity — so that they are without excuse.

²¹For, having known God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were they grateful, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.

²²Professing to be wise, they became fools,

²³and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and of four-footed animals and of creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God also gave them up, 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 worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed unto the ages, Amen.

²⁶Because of this, God gave them up to passions of dishonor; for even their females exchanged the natural use for that which is contrary to nature,

²⁷and likewise also the males, having left the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males working out shamelessness, and receiving in themselves the recompense that was due for their error.

²⁸And just as they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do the things that are not fitting,

²⁹filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness; gossips,

³⁰slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹without understanding, covenant-breaking, heartless, unmerciful;

³²who, having known the righteous decree of God — that those who practice such things are worthy of death — not only do the same, but also give approval to those who practice them.