1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News.
2 The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. 3 It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David; 4 as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death. 5 Through him God gave me the privilege of being an apostle for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. 6 This also includes you who are in Rome, whom God has called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 And so I write to all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his own people:
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the whole world is hearing about your faith. 9 God is my witness that what I say is true—the God whom I serve with all my heart by preaching the Good News about his Son. God knows that I remember you 10 every time I pray. I ask that God in his good will may at last make it possible for me to visit you now. 11 For I want very much to see you, in order to share a spiritual blessing with you to make you strong. 12 What I mean is that both you and I will be helped at the same time, you by my faith and I by yours.
13 You must remember, my friends, that many times I have planned to visit you, but something has always kept me from doing so. I want to win converts among you also, as I have among other Gentiles. 14 For I have an obligation to all peoples, to the civilized and to the savage, to the educated and to the ignorant. 15 So then, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who live in Rome.
The Power of the Gospel
16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. 17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”
Human Guilt
18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. 19 God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain. 20 Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! 21 They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. 22 They say they are wise, but they are fools; 23 instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles.
24 And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. 25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.
26 Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. 27 In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.
28 Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. 29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip 30 and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. 32 They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.
1 Pāvils, Kristus Jēzus kalps, aicināts apustulis, izredzēts sludināt Dieva evaņģēliju, 2 ko Viņš jau iepriekš apsolījis caur Saviem praviešiem svētajos rakstos 3 par Savu Dēlu, kas pēc miesas cēlies no Dāvida, 4 mūsu Kungu Jēzu Kristu, kas ar Savu augšāmcelšanos no mirušiem Svētajā Garā atklājies kā Dieva Dēls spēkā. 5 Caur Viņu mēs esam saņēmuši žēlastību un apustuļa amatu, lai Viņa Vārdā ticībai pakļautos visas tautas, 6 pie kurām piederat arī jūs, Jēzus Kristus aicinātie. 7 Visiem Dieva mīļotiem, aicinātiem svētajiem Romā: žēlastība jums un miers no Dieva, mūsu Tēva, un Kunga Jēzus Kristus! 8 Visupirms es pateicos savam Dievam caur Jēzu Kristu par jums visiem, jo jūsu ticība tiek daudzināta visā pasaulē. 9 Dievs, kuram es kalpoju ar savu garu, sludinādams Viņa Dēla evaņģēliju, ir mans liecinieks, ka es jūs nemitīgi pieminu 10 savās lūgšanās, vienumēr lūgdams, lai reiz pēc Dieva gribas man pašķirtos ceļš pie jums. 11 Jo es ilgojos jūs redzēt, lai varētu nest kādu garīgu velti jums par stiprinājumu. 12 Proti, ka es līdz ar jums gūtu iepriecu kopīgajā ticībā, es jūsējā, jūs manējā. 13 Es negribu jūs atstāt neziņā, brāļi, ka es jau daudzreiz biju apņēmies pie jums nākt, lai gūtu kādu augli arī starp jums, tāpat kā starp citām tautām, bet līdz šim tiku aizkavēts. 14 Jo es esmu parādnieks grieķiem un barbariem, gudriem un nezinošiem. 15 Tādēļ arī es esmu gatavs sludināt evaņģēliju jums Romā, 16 jo es nekaunos Kristus evaņģēlija dēļ: tas ir Dieva spēks par pestīšanu ikvienam, kas tic, jūdam visupirms un arī grieķim. 17 Jo tajā atklājas Dieva taisnība no ticības uz ticību, kā rakstīts: no ticības taisnais dzīvos. 18 Jo Dieva dusmība no debesīm parādās pār visu cilvēku bezdievību un netaisnību, kas savā netaisnībā apslāpē patiesību. 19 Jo, ko par Dievu var zināt, tas viņiem ir atklāts: Dievs pats viņiem to atklājis. 20 Kopš pasaules radīšanas Viņa neredzamās īpašības, gan Viņa mūžīgais spēks, gan Viņa dievišķība, ir skaidri saredzamas Viņa darbos, tāpēc viņiem nav ar ko aizbildināties. 21 Jo, zinādami Dievu, viņi to nav turējuši godā kā Dievu un Viņam nav pateikušies, bet savos spriedumos krituši nīcības gūstā un savā sirds neprātā iegrimuši tumsā. 22 Saukdami sevi par gudriem, tie kļuvuši ģeķi 23 un apmainījuši neiznīcīgā Dieva godību pret iznīcīgam cilvēkam un putniem, lopiem un rāpuļiem līdzīgiem tēliem. 24 Tāpēc Dievs viņus viņu sirds kārībās nodevis izvirtībai, kurā viņi paši sākuši sagandēt savas miesas, 25 tāpēc ka viņi dievišķo patiesību apmainījuši pret meliem un sākuši dievināt un pielūgt radību, atstājot novārtā Radītāju, kas ir augsti teicams mūžīgi, āmen. 26 Tāpēc Dievs viņus nodevis apkaunojošās kaislībās: sievietes apmainījušas dabisko dzimumu kopdzīvi ar pretdabisko. 27 Tāpat arī vīrieši, atmezdami dabisko kopdzīvi ar sievieti, cits pret citu iekaisuši savā iekārē, piekopdami netiklību, vīrietis ar vīrieti, paši saņemdami sodu par savu maldīšanos. 28 Tad nu tāpat, kā viņi nav turējuši cieņā viņiem doto Dieva atziņu, Dievs sagandējis viņu prātu, ka viņi dara to, kas neklājas. 29 Tie piepildījuši savu dzīvi ar visādiem netikumiem: netaisnību, samaitātību, iekāri, ļaunumu, skaudību, slepkavību, ķildām, krāpšanu, ļaunprātību, mēlnesību, 30 kļuvuši par neslavas cēlājiem, Dieva nicinātājiem, nekauņām, augstprāšiem, lielībniekiem, ļauna izdomātājiem, vecākiem nepaklausīgiem, 31 bezprātīgiem, neuzticamiem, cietsirdīgiem, nežēlīgiem. 32 Pazīdami Dieva taisnību, ka tie, kas tādas lietas dara, ir pelnījuši nāvi, viņi tomēr ne vien paši tā dara, bet vēl priecājas par tiem, kas tā dzīvo.
