Study Desk

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, ^[a](a)called as an apostle, ^(b)set apart for ^(c)the gospel of God,

which He ^(d)promised beforehand through His ^(e)prophets in the holy Scriptures,

concerning His Son, who was born ^(f)of a ^[b]descendant of David ^(g)according to the flesh,

who was declared ^(h)the Son of God with power ^[c]by the resurrection from the dead, according to the ^[d]Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

through whom we have received grace and ⁽ⁱ⁾apostleship ^[e]to bring about the ^(j)obedience of faith among ^(k)all the Gentiles for His name's sake,

among whom you also are the ^(l)called of Jesus Christ;

to all who are ^(m)beloved of God in Rome, called as ^[f](n)saints: ^(o)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, ^(p)I thank my God through Jesus Christ ^[g]for you all, because ^(q)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

For ^(r)God, whom I ^(s)serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly ^(t)I make mention of you,

always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by ^(u)the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

For ^(v)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be ^[h]established;

that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

^(w)I do not want you to be unaware, ^(x)brethren, that often I ^(y)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some ^(z)fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

^(aa)I am ^[i]under obligation both to Greeks and to ^(ab)barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

So, for my part, I am eager to ^(ac)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

For I am not ^(ad)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(ae)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(af)Jew first and also to ^(ag)the Greek.

For in it ^(ah)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[j]from faith to faith; as it is written, "^[k](ai) But the righteous man shall live by faith ."

For ^(aj)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who ^(ak)suppress the truth ^[l]in unrighteousness,

because ^(al)that which is known about God is evident ^[m]within them; for God made it evident to them.

For ^(am)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, ^(an)being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God, they did not ^[n]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(ao)futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

^(ap)Professing to be wise, they became fools,

and ^(aq)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and ^[o]crawling creatures.

Therefore ^(ar)God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be ^(as)dishonored among them.

For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[p]a ^(at)lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(au)who is blessed ^[q]forever. Amen.

For this reason ^(av)God gave them over to ^(aw)degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is ^[r]unnatural,

and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(ax)men with men committing ^[s]indecent acts and receiving in ^[t]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

And just as they did not see fit ^[u]to acknowledge God any longer, ^(ay)God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are ^(az)gossips,

slanderers, ^[v](ba)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(bb)disobedient to parents,

without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(bc)unloving, unmerciful;

and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(bd)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(be)give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Therefore you have ^(a)no excuse, ^[a](b)everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which ^(c)you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

And we know that the judgment of God ^[b]rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

But do you suppose this, ^(d)O man, ^[c]when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Or do you think lightly of ^(e)the riches of His ^(f)kindness and ^(g)tolerance and ^(h)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

But ^[d]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ⁽ⁱ⁾you are storing up wrath for yourself ^(j)in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

^(k)who will render to each person according to his deeds :

to those who by ^(l)perseverance in doing good seek for ^(m)glory and honor and ⁽ⁿ⁾immortality, ^(o)eternal life;

but to those who are ^(p)selfishly ambitious and ^(q)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

There will be ^(r)tribulation and distress ^[e]for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew ^(s)first and also of the Greek,

but ^(t)glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew ^(u)first and also to the Greek.

For ^(v)there is no partiality with God.

For all who have sinned ^[f](w)without the Law will also perish ^[g]without the Law, and all who have sinned ^[h]under the Law will be judged ^[i]by the Law;

for it is ^(x)not the hearers ^[j]of the Law who are ^[k]just before God, but the doers ^[l]of the Law will be justified.

For when Gentiles who do not have ^[m]the Law do ^[n](y)instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having ^[o]the Law, are a law to themselves,

in that they show ^(z)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

on the day when, ^(aa)according to my gospel, ^(ab)God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

But if you bear the name "Jew" and ^(ac)rely ^[p]upon the Law and boast in God,

and know His will and ^[q](ad)approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,

and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

a ^[r]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^[s]the immature, having in the Law ^(ae)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,

you, therefore, ^(af)who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who ^[t]preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?

You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you ^(ag)rob temples?

You who ^(ah)boast ^[u]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

For "^(ai) the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles ^(aj) because of you ," just as it is written.

For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(ak)practice ^[v]the Law; but if you are a transgressor ^[w]of the Law, ^(al)your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

^(am)So if ^(an)the ^[x]uncircumcised man ^(ao)keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

And ^(ap)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(aq)judge you who ^[y]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor ^[z]of the Law?

For ^(ar)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

But ^(as)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(at)circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the ^(au)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(av)and his praise is not from men, but from God.