Paul Greets the Saints in Rome

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, chosen to declare the gospel dispensation, 2which God had promised by his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3with relation to his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was of the lineage of David as to his body, 4but as to his holy spirit miraculously declared to be the son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: 5by whose favour I have received the office of an apostle to bring the Gentiles every where to the obedience of faith preached in his name: 6among whom Jesus Christ has also called you:

7to all the beloved of God, the saints by this vocation, who are in Rome, grace to you, and peace from God our father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unashamed of the Gospel

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is celebrated through the whole world. 9for God is my witness, to whom I am entirely devoted, in preaching the gospel of his son, that I constantly make mention of you, in my prayers, requesting, 10if it be God's will, that I might now at length have the happiness of coming to you. 11for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, in order to establish you: 12or indeed that we may have mutual consolation from the faith which is in common to you and to me. 13now I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, that I often purposed to come to you, tho' I have been hindered hitherto, that I might be useful among you as well as among other Gentiles. 14I owe what service I can do to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians, to the learned, and to the illiterate. 15so, that as far as it depends upon me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also, who are at Rome.

16for I am not ashamed of the gospel, since it is divinely effectual to salvation, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile. 17There it is that divine justification is revealed to be wholly by faith: as it is written, " the just shall live by faith."

God’s Wrath against Sin

18there the divine wrath is revealed from heaven against all impiety, and injustice of men, who wickedly suppress the truth. 19because what should be known of God they are acquainted with; for God hath manifested it unto them. 20for ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divinity, things in themselves invisible, are clearly seen, being perceived by the things that are made; so that they are without excuse: 21because when they knew God, they did not with gratitude glorify him as God, but their reasoning became extravagance, and their minds, void of judgment, were involv'd in darkness. 22pretending to be wise, they became fools: 23the honour due to God, who is immortal, they transferr'd to idols representing men, who are mortal, to birds, and beasts, and insects.

24wherefore God abandon'd them to the impure passions of their own hearts, so that they themselves dishonour'd their own bodies; 25they changed the true God for an idol, and adored and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed for ever.

26amen, for this cause God gave them up to infamous passions: for even the sex perverted the instinct of nature: 27and the men unnaturally leaving the sex, were inflamed with mutual passions, which they shamefully indulged, and received in their own persons, the retribution that was justly due to such enormities.

28As they did not seek the favour of God, by worshipping him, God gave them over to a depraved sense, to act unworthy of human nature; 29they were full of all injustice, fornication, mischief, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, contention, fraud, malignity; 30whisperers, backbiters, enemies of God, injurious, proud, vain, inventers of vices, disobedient to parents, void of judgment, 31fidelity, and natural affection; implacable, and unmerciful: 32who knowing the divine rule of right, did not perceive that they who commit such things are worthy of death, and not only they who do the same, but they who give countenance to those that do them.