Romans 1
Expanded Bible
1 From Paul, a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of Christ Jesus. ·God called me [L …called] to be an ·apostle [messenger] and ·chose me [set me apart; appointed me] to tell the ·Good News [Gospel].
2 God promised this ·Good News [Gospel] ·long ago [beforehand; previously] through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about God’s Son. ·As a man [or With reference to his earthly life; L According to the flesh], he was born ·from the family [a descendant; L of the seed] of David [2 Sam. 7:11–14]. 4 But through the Spirit of holiness [C a Jewish way of referring to the Holy Spirit] he was ·declared [or designated; appointed] to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead [C though eternally the Son of God, Jesus was appointed such “with power” at his resurrection; see Ps. 2:7; 110:1–2]. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through ·Christ [L whom], ·God gave me the special work of an apostle [L we have received apostleship; C “we” could be a formal way of saying “I,” or could refer to Paul and the other apostles], which was to lead ·people of all nations [the Gentiles] to ·believe and obey [or the obedience that comes from faith; or the obedience that is faith]. I do this work for ·him [L his name]. 6 And you who are in Rome are also among those [C Gentiles] called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be ·his holy people [T saints]:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Prayer of Thanks
8 First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith. 9 God, whom I serve ·with my whole heart [in/with my spirit] ·by telling [or for the sake of; L in] the ·Good News [Gospel] about his Son, ·knows [L is my witness] that I ·always [continually; never cease to] mention you 10 every time I pray. I pray that now at last ·if God wants it [by God’s will] I will ·be allowed to come [succeed in coming] to you. 11 I ·want very much [long] to see you, to ·give [impart to; or share with] you some spiritual gift to make you strong. 12 I mean that I want us to ·help each other [be mutually encouraged/comforted] ·with the faith we have [by each other’s faith]. ·Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you [L …both yours and mine]. 13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I ·planned [intended] many times to come to you, but ·this has not been possible [L have been hindered/ unsuccessful until now]. I wanted to come so that I could ·help you grow spiritually [L harvest some fruit among you] as I have ·helped the other [L among the rest of the] Gentiles.
14 I have a ·duty [obligation; debt] to all people—Greeks and ·those who are not Greeks [or barbarians; C this pairing could mean (1) ethnic Greeks and other Gentiles; (2) Greek speakers (people in the Roman empire) and non-Greek speakers (those outside the Roman empire); or (3) cultured people and uncultured people], the wise and the foolish [C perhaps contrasting educated with uneducated, or philosophically sophisticated (1 Cor. 1:18–31) with simple-minded]. 15 That is why I ·want so much [am so eager] to preach the ·Good News [Gospel] to you in Rome.
16 [L For] I am not ashamed of the ·Good News [Gospel], because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save ·Gentiles [L the Greeks; C here meaning anyone who is not Jewish; contrast v. 14]. 17 The ·Good News [Gospel] shows ·how God makes people right with himself [or God’s righteous character; L the righteousness of/from God]—·that it begins and ends with faith [or that advances from one believing person to the next; or that begins with God’s faithfulness and results in people’s faith; L from faith to faith]. As the Scripture says, “But ·those who are right with God will live by faith [or those made righteous through faith will live (eternally); Hab. 2:4].”
All People Have Sinned
18 [L For] God’s ·anger [wrath; retribution] is ·shown [being revealed] from heaven against all the ·evil [ungodly] and ·wrong [wicked; unrighteous] things people do. By their ·own evil lives [wickedness; unrighteousness] they ·hide [suppress] the truth. 19 God ·shows [reveals] his ·anger [wrath; retribution] because ·some knowledge of [what can be known about] him has been made ·clear [plain; evident] to them. Yes, God has ·shown himself [revealed/disclosed it] to them. 20 For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and ·all the things that make him God [his divine nature]—have been clearly ·seen [perceived], understood through what God has made. So people have no excuse. 21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became ·useless [futile; pointless]. Their ·foolish [ignorant; uncomprehending] ·minds [L hearts] were ·filled with darkness [darkened]. 22 They claimed to be wise, but they became fools. 23 They ·traded [exchanged] the glory of ·God who lives forever [the immortal/imperishable God] for the worship of ·idols [images] made to look like ·earthly [mortal; perishable] people, birds, animals, and reptiles.
24 Because they did these things, God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·their sinful desires [L the desires of their hearts], resulting in ·sexual impurity [L uncleanness; impurity] and the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25 They ·traded [exchanged] the truth of God for ·a lie [or the lie; see Gen. 3:4–5] and worshiped and served ·the creation [or the creature; or created things] instead of the Creator, who ·should be praised [or is blessed] forever. Amen.
26 Because people did those things, God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·shameful [dishonorable; degrading] ·lusts [passions]. [L Their] Women ·stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women [L exchanged natural (heterosexual) relations for unnatural ones]. 27 In the same way, men ·stopped having [abandoned] natural ·sex [L relations with women] and ·began wanting [L were inflamed in their lust for] each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in ·their bodies [L themselves] they received the ·punishment [recompense; due penalty] for ·those wrongs [their error].
28 [L And since/just as] People did not ·think it was important [consider it worthwhile; see fit] to ·have a true knowledge of [or acknowledge] God. So God ·abandoned them to [allowed them to pursue; gave them over to] ·their own worthless thinking [a depraved/corrupted mind] to do things they should not do. 29 They are filled with every kind of ·sin [unrighteousness; injustice], ·evil [wickedness], ·selfishness [greed], and ·hatred [evil; malice; depravity]. They are full of ·jealousy [envy], murder, ·fighting [strife; quarreling], ·lying [deceit; treachery], and ·thinking the worst about each other [spite; maliciousness]. They are gossips 30 and ·say evil things about each other [slanderers; backstabbers]. They hate God. They are ·rude [insolent; haughty] and ·conceited [proud; arrogant] and ·brag about themselves [boastful]. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not ·obey [respect] their parents. 31 They are ·foolish [senseless; undiscerning], they ·do not keep their promises [or are covenant-breakers], and they show no ·kindness [love; affection] or ·mercy [pity] to others. 32 They know God’s ·law says [righteous decree; just requirement] that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they ·applaud [approve of; encourage] others who do them.
Romerne 1
Bibelen på hverdagsdansk
Indledende hilsen—Jesus som Guds Søn
1 Kære medkristne i Rom!
Dette brev er fra Paulus, som er kaldet til at være apostel i tjenesten for Jesus Kristus. Det var Gud, der udvalgte mig til at sprede det glædelige budskab, 2 som han for længe siden talte om gennem sine profeter, og som er nedskrevet i de hellige Skrifter. 3-4 Profeterne forudsagde, at der skulle komme en Frelser, og det er Jesus, Guds Søn og vores Herre. Hvad hans menneskelighed angår, nedstammer han fra Kong David, men hvad hans hellige åndsnatur angår, blev han ved opstandelsen fra de døde anerkendt som Guds magtfulde Søn. 5 Det er ham, der har givet os nåde og kraft til at være hans apostle og hjælpe folk fra alle folkeslag til at leve i tillidsfuld lydighed over for Gud. 6 Det gælder også jer i Rom, som er kaldet til at tilhøre Jesus Kristus.
7 Nåde være med jer og fred fra Gud, vores Far, og Jesus Kristus, vores Herre. I skal vide, at Gud elsker jer, og at I er kaldet til at leve for ham.
Paulus ønsker at besøge de kristne i Rom
8 Først af alt takker jeg Gud for alt, hvad han har gjort for jer gennem Jesus Kristus. Jeres tro er jo blevet kendt i hele verden! 9 Gud er mit vidne på, at jeg tit tænker på jer og beder for jer, alt imens jeg sætter hele mit liv ind på at forkynde budskabet om hans Søn. 10 Og jeg beder til stadighed om, at Gud snart vil gøre det muligt for mig at komme og besøge jer. 11 Jeg længes efter at se jer, for at jeg kan udruste jer med Åndens gaver, så I kan blive styrket i jeres tro, 12 eller snarere, at vi kan opmuntre og styrke hinanden gennem vores fælles tro.
13 I skal vide, kære venner, at jeg tit har tænkt på at besøge jer, så jeg kunne være til hjælp for jer ligesom for de andre menigheder. Men der er altid kommet noget i vejen. 14-15 Jeg længes efter at forkynde budskabet om Jesus også i Rom, for det er min opgave at forkynde det for alle mennesker, uanset om de er veluddannede eller uuddannede, om de bliver set op til eller set ned på.
Kristendommens kerne
16 Jeg skammer mig bestemt ikke over at fortælle budskabet om Jesus, for det indeholder en guddommelig kraft, som er i stand til at give evigt liv til alle, der tror på ham. Budskabet kom først til jøderne, men nu når det ud til alle mennesker. 17 Kernen i budskabet er, at vi bliver accepteret af Gud og erklæret skyldfri bare ved at overgive os til ham i tro og leve i den tro. Der står jo også i Skriften: „Den retskafne får livet ved sin tro.”[a]
Ugudelige mennesker vil blive straffet for deres ondskab
18 Guds straf hænger over hovedet på de mennesker, der undertrykker sandheden ved deres ugudelighed og uretfærdighed. 19-20 De kan ikke undskylde sig med, at de ikke kender noget til Gud, for han har sat sine tydelige spor i skaberværket. Godt nok kan man ikke direkte se eller måle den evige Gud, men den verden, han har skabt, viser hans guddommelige magt. 21 De kender altså noget til Gud, men de viser ham hverken respekt eller taknemmelighed. Tværtimod har deres tåbelige tanker ført dem ud i et tomt og håbløst liv. 22 De tror, de er så kloge, men i virkeligheden er de det modsatte. 23 I stedet for at tilbede den evige og mægtige Gud dyrker de alle mulige slags hjemmelavede afguder, der forestiller mennesker, fugle, slanger eller andre dyr.
24 Derfor har Gud ladet dem følge deres egne lyster, selvom de ødelægger sig selv gennem de skamløse ting, de gør med hinanden. 25 De vil hellere tro på en løgn end på sandheden om Gud, og de tilbeder det skabte i stedet for Skaberen, som fortjener evig tilbedelse. 26 Derfor har Gud ladet dem følge deres skamløse lyster. Kvinder har imod naturens orden et seksuelt forhold til andre kvinder i stedet for til mænd. 27 På samme måde har mænd et forhold til andre mænd, og på den måde tilfredsstiller de deres lyster. Men resultatet af deres fejltagelse rammer dem selv.
28 Fordi de ikke sætter pris på at lære Gud bedre at kende, har han overladt dem til deres egen forfejlede tankegang og umoralske livsførelse. 29 De er ondskabsfulde, selviske, jaloux, voldelige, stridslystne, uhæderlige, skadefro og fulde af løgn. 30 De taler ondt om andre mennesker og hader Gud. De er arrogante og overlegne. De er i oprør mod forældre, praler af deres bedrifter og finder altid på nye ondskabsfuldheder. 31 De er tåbelige, illoyale, afstumpede og ubarmhjertige. 32 De ved godt, hvad Gud ønsker, de skal gøre, og at han har ret til at straffe den slags med døden. Alligevel lever de på den måde og bekræfter hinanden i deres umoralske livsstil.
Romans 1
King James Version
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 To 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.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For 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;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now 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.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For 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.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For 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:
21 Because 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.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And 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.
28 And 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;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who 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.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Bibelen på hverdagsdansk (Danish New Living Bible) Copyright © 2002, 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.