New Living Translation

King James Bible

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.

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

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

2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

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

3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

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.

4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

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.

5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

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

6Among whom are ye also the called of 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

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

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.

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

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.

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;

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

10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

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

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

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

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

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.

13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

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

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

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

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

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.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

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.

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

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

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

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

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

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.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

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.

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

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.

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

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.

27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

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.

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

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

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

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

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

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

31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

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.

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

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.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.