Romans 1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

Romans 1

The Gospel Exalted

 ¹Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, ^(A)called as an apostle, ^(B)set apart for ^(C)the gospel of God,

 ²which He ^(D)promised beforehand through His ^(E)prophets in the holy Scriptures,

 ³concerning His Son, who was born ^(F)of a descendant of David ^(G)according to the flesh,

 ⁴who was declared ^(H)the Son of God with power ^[a]by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

 ⁵through whom we have received grace and ^(I)apostleship to bring about the ^(J)obedience of faith among ^(K)all the Gentiles for His name's sake,

 ⁶among whom you also are the ^(L)called of Jesus Christ;

 ⁷to all who are ^(M)beloved of God in Rome, called as ^(N)saints: ^(O)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 ⁸First, ^(P)I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because ^(Q)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

 ⁹For ^(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,

 ¹⁰always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by ^(U)the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

 ¹¹For ^(V)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;

 ¹²that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.

 ^13(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.

 ^14(AA)I am ^[b]under obligation both to Greeks and to ^(AB)barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

 ¹⁵So, for my part, I am eager to ^(AC)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

 ¹⁶For 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.

 ¹⁷For in it ^(AH)the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "^(AI)BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Unbelief and Its Consequences

 ¹⁸For ^(AJ)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who ^(AK)suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

 ¹⁹because ^(AL)that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

 ²⁰For ^(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.

 ²¹For even though they knew God, they did not ^[c]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(AO)futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 ^22(AP)Professing to be wise, they became fools,

 ²³and ^(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 ^[d]crawling creatures.

 ²⁴Therefore ^(AR)God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be ^(AS)dishonored among them.

 ²⁵For they exchanged the truth of God for a ^(AT)lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(AU)who is blessed forever. Amen.

 ²⁶For this reason ^(AV)God gave them over to ^(AW)degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

 ²⁷and 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 indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

 ²⁸And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, ^(AY)God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

 ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are ^(AZ)gossips,

 ³⁰slanderers, ^(BA)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(BB)disobedient to parents,

 ³¹without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(BC)unloving, unmerciful;

 ³²and 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.

Romans 2

The Impartiality of God

 ¹Therefore you have ^(BF)no excuse, ^(BG)everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which ^(BH)you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

 ²And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

 ³But do you suppose this, ^(BI)O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

 ⁴Or do you think lightly of ^(BJ)the riches of His ^(BK)kindness and ^(BL)tolerance and ^(BM)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

 ⁵But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ^(BN)you are storing up wrath for yourself ^(BO)in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

 ^6(BP)who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:

 ⁷to those who by ^(BQ)perseverance in doing good seek for ^(BR)glory and honor and ^(BS)immortality, ^(BT)eternal life;

 ⁸but to those who are ^(BU)selfishly ambitious and ^(BV)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

 ⁹There will be ^(BW)tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew ^(BX)first and also of the Greek,

 ¹⁰but ^(BY)glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew ^(BZ)first and also to the Greek.

 ¹¹For ^(CA)there is no partiality with God.

 ¹²For all who have sinned ^(CB)without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

 ¹³for it is ^(CC)not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

 ¹⁴For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do ^(CD)instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,

 ¹⁵in that they show ^(CE)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

 ¹⁶on the day when, ^(CF)according to my gospel, ^(CG)God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

The Jew Is Condemned by the Law

 ¹⁷But if you bear the name "Jew" and ^(CH)rely upon the Law and boast in God,

 ¹⁸and know His will and ^(CI)approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,

 ¹⁹and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

 ²⁰a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law ^(CJ)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,

 ²¹you, therefore, ^(CK)who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?

 ²²You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you ^(CL)rob temples?

 ²³You who ^(CM)boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

 ²⁴For "^(CN)THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES ^(CO)BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.

 ²⁵For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(CP)practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, ^(CQ)your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

 ^26(CR)So if ^(CS)the uncircumcised man ^(CT)keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

 ²⁷And ^(CU)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(CV)judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

 ²⁸For ^(CW)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

 ²⁹But ^(CX)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(CY)circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the ^(CZ)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(DA)and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Romans 3

All the World Guilty

 ¹Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?

 ²Great in every respect. First of all, that ^(DB)they were entrusted with the ^(DC)oracles of God.

 ³What then? If ^(DD)some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

 ^4(DE)May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found ^(DF)a liar, as it is written,
         "^(DG)THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,
         AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."

 ⁵But if our unrighteousness ^(DH)demonstrates the righteousness of God, ^(DI)what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (^(DJ)I am speaking in human terms.)

 ^6(DK)May it never be! For otherwise, how will ^(DL)God judge the world?

 ⁷But if through my lie ^(DM)the truth of God abounded to His glory, ^(DN)why am I also still being judged as a sinner?

 ⁸And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "^(DO)Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.

 ⁹What then? ^(DP)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(DQ)Jews and ^(DR)Greeks are ^(DS)all under sin;

 ¹⁰as it is written,
         "^(DT)THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
    ¹¹THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
         THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
    ¹²ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
         THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
         THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
    ¹³"^(DU)THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
         WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,"
         "^(DV)THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
    ¹⁴"^(DW)WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
    ¹⁵"^(DX)THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
    ¹⁶DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
    ¹⁷AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
    ¹⁸"^(DY)THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

 ¹⁹Now we know that whatever the ^(DZ)Law says, it speaks to ^(EA)those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ^(EB)all the world may become accountable to God;

 ²⁰because ^(EC)by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for ^(ED)through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Justification by Faith

 ²¹But now apart from the Law ^(EE)the righteousness of God has been manifested, being ^(EF)witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

 ²²even the ^(EG)righteousness of God through ^(EH)faith ^(EI)in Jesus Christ for ^(EJ)all those who believe; for ^(EK)there is no distinction;

 ²³for all ^(EL)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 ²⁴being justified as a gift ^(EM)by His grace through ^(EN)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

 ²⁵whom God displayed publicly as ^(EO)a propitiation ^(EP)in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the ^(EQ)forbearance of God He ^(ER)passed over the sins previously committed;

 ²⁶for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

 ²⁷Where then is ^(ES)boasting? It is excluded By ^(ET)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

 ²⁸For ^(EU)we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

 ²⁹Or ^(EV)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

 ³⁰since indeed ^(EW)God ^(EX)who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith ^(EY)is one.

 ³¹Do we then nullify the Law through faith? ^(EZ)May it never be! On the contrary, we ^(FA)establish the Law.