Riots in Ephesus

²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the ^[a]Spirit to ^(A)go to Jerusalem ^(B)after he had passed through ^(C)Macedonia and ^(D)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(E)I must also see Rome.”

¹⁰ always in my prayers earnestly asking, if perhaps now at last by ^(A)the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For ^(B)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be strengthened; ¹² that is, to be mutually encouraged, while among you, by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ^13 (C)I do not want you to be unaware, ^(D)brothers, that often I ^(E)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some ^(F)fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. ^14 (G)I am ^[a]under obligation both to Greeks and to ^(H)barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ In this way, for my part, I am eager to ^(I)proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ^(J)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(K)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(L)Jew first and also to ^(M)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(N)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[b]from faith to faith; as it is written, “^[c](O)But the righteous will live by faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For ^(P)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who ^(Q)suppress the truth ^[d]in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because ^(R)that which is known about God is evident ^[e]within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For ^(S)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, ^(T)being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(U)futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. ^22 (V)Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and ^(W)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore ^(X)God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be ^(Y)dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[f]a ^(Z)lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(AA)who is blessed ^[g]forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(AB)God gave them over to ^(AC)dishonorable passions; for their ^(AD)females exchanged the natural function for that which is ^[h]unnatural, ²⁷ and in the same way also the ^(AE)males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(AF)males with males committing ^[i]indecent acts and receiving in ^[j]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[k]to acknowledge God, ^(AG)God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, ²⁹ having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are ^(AH)gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, ^[l](AI)haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(AJ)disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(AK)unloving, unmerciful; ³² and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(AL)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(AM)give hearty approval to those who practice them.

²⁹ And I know that when ^(A)I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³² so that ^(A)I may come to you in joy by ^(B)the will of God and find rest in your company.