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21 for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened.(A) 22 While claiming to be wise,(B) they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.(C)

24 Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts[a] for the mutual degradation of their bodies.(D) 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.(E) 26 Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, 27 and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity.(F) 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. 29 (G)They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips 30 and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. 31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:24 In order to expose the depth of humanity’s rebellion against the Creator, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts. Instead of curbing people’s evil interests, God abandoned them to self-indulgence, thereby removing the facade of apparent conformity to the divine will. Subsequently Paul will show that the Mosaic law produces the same effect; cf. Rom 5:20; 7:13–24. The divine judgment expressed here is related to the theme of hardness of heart described in Rom 9:17–18.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.(A) 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools(B) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images(C) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over(D) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.(E) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,(F) and worshiped and served created things(G) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.(H) Amen.(I)

26 Because of this, God gave them over(J) to shameful lusts.(K) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.(L) 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.(M)

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over(N) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,(O) 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;(P) 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love,(Q) no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,(R) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve(S) of those who practice them.

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