Romans 1
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
1 Paul[a], a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle[b], having been separated[c] for the good-news of God 2 which He promised-beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 concerning His Son— the One having come from the seed of David according-to[d] the flesh, 4 the One having been designated[e] as the Son of God with power according to the Spirit[f] of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord— 5 through Whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of [g] faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, 6 among whom you also are called ones of Jesus Christ, 7 to all the ones being in Rome, beloved ones of God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I am giving-thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for you all because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. 9 For God is my witness— Whom I am serving in my spirit in[h] the good-news of His Son— how unceasingly I am making mention of you 10 always in my prayers, asking if somehow now at last I shall be prospered in the will of God to come to you.
11 For I am yearning to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you so that you may be established. 12 And this is that I may be encouraged-together-with you among you— through each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
13 And I do not want you to be-unaware, brothers, that often I planned to come to you— and was prevented until now— in order that I might have some fruit among you also, as indeed among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and foolish. 15 So for my part, I am eager also to announce-the-good-news to you, the ones in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed-of the good-news, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone believing[i]— both to the Jew first and to the Greek. 17 For the righteousness of [j] God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it has been written [in Hab 2:4]: “But the righteous one shall live by faith”.
God’s Wrath Is Upon All Sin
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness[k] and unrighteousness[l] of people holding-down[m] the truth in[n] unrighteousness.
Because God Revealed Enough of Himself In Creation For The World To Be Without Excuse
19 Because the thing known of God is evident[o] in[p] them, for God made it evident to them. 20 For His invisible things— both His eternal power and divine-nature— are clearly-seen, being understood since the creation of the world in the things made, so that they are without-excuse.
And Having Known This Truth About God, The World Did Not Honor Him As God
21 Because having known God, they did not glorify Him as God or give-thanks, but became futile in their thoughts, and their senseless heart was darkened.
They Turned From The Glory of The Immortal God To Their Crafted Images of God
22 While claiming to be wise, they became-foolish 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a likeness— an image of a mortal person and of birds and of four-footed-animals and of reptiles. 24 Therefore God handed them over[q] in the desires of their hearts to impurity so that [r] their bodies are dishonored among them.
They Turned From The Truth To Worship The Creation Rather Than The Creator
25 Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie[s], and worshiped and served the creation[t] rather than the One having created— Who is blessed forever, amen. 26 For this reason God handed them over to passions of [u] dishonor. For both their females exchanged the natural [sexual] function for the one contrary to nature, 27 and likewise also the males, having left the natural [sexual] function of the female, were inflamed by their craving for one another— males with males committing the indecent-act[v] and receiving-back in themselves the return[w] which was due their error[x].
They Disapproved of Keeping God In Mind
28 And as they did not approve to have[y] God in their knowledge, God handed them over to a disapproved mind, to do the things not being proper— 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, evilness, greed, badness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; whisperers[z], 30 slanderers, God-haters[aa], violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evils, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, unfaithful[ab], unaffectionate[ac], unmerciful; 32 who, having known the regulation of God that the ones practicing such things are worthy of death, not only are doing them, but are also giving-approval to the ones practicing them.
Footnotes
- Romans 1:1 On when this book was written, see Act 20:3. Paul was in Corinth, Rom 16:23.
- Romans 1:1 Or, called to be an apostle.
- Romans 1:1 That is, set apart, appointed.
- Romans 1:3 Or, with respect to.
- Romans 1:4 Or, declared to be.
- Romans 1:4 Or, His spirit.
- Romans 1:5 That is, consisting of; or, proceeding from.
- Romans 1:9 That is, in connection with.
- Romans 1:16 Or, exercising faith. Same root word as ‘faith’ in v 17.
- Romans 1:17 That is, from God; or, belonging to God; or, the God-kind of-righteousness.
- Romans 1:18 That is, lack of reverence toward God; profaneness.
- Romans 1:18 That is, wrongdoing; actions violating God’s standards.
- Romans 1:18 Or, suppressing, holding back, restraining.
- Romans 1:18 That is, in connection with; or, by means of.
- Romans 1:19 Or, clear, visible, plainly seen.
- Romans 1:19 Or, among.
- Romans 1:24 Or, gave them up.
- Romans 1:24 Or ‘impurity, the dishonoring as to their bodies among themselves’.
- Romans 1:25 That is, the lie of false religion. Or, falsehood.
- Romans 1:25 Or, creature.
- Romans 1:26 That is, characterized by; or, leading to; or, proceeding from.
- Romans 1:27 Or, the shameful-deed.
- Romans 1:27 This is a neutral rendering; negatively it means ‘penalty’.
- Romans 1:27 Or, deception, delusion.
- Romans 1:28 Or, hold, retain.
- Romans 1:29 That is, gossips.
- Romans 1:30 Or, God-hated. These may be combined as slandering whisperers, God-hated violent ones, proud boasters.
- Romans 1:31 Or, undutiful.
- Romans 1:31 Or, without good feelings for others.
罗马书 1
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
問安
1 基督耶穌的僕人保羅，蒙召作使徒，奉派傳 神的福音。 2 這福音是 神藉著眾先知在聖經上預先所應許的， 3 就是論到他的兒子我們的主耶穌基督：按肉身說，他是從大衛的後裔生的； 4 按聖潔的靈說，因為從死人中復活，顯明他是大有能力的、 神的兒子（“顯明他是大有能力的、 神的兒子”或譯：“以大能顯明他是 神的兒子）。 5 我們從他領受了恩典和使徒的職分，在萬族中使人因他的名相信而順服， 6 其中也有你們這蒙耶穌基督所召的人。 7 我寫信給各位住在羅馬，為 神所愛，蒙召為聖徒的人。願恩惠平安從我們的父 神和主耶穌基督臨到你們。
保羅渴想到羅馬去
8 首先，我靠著耶穌基督，為你們大家感謝我的 神，因為你們的信心傳遍天下。 9 我在傳揚他兒子福音的事上，用心靈事奉的 神，可以作證我是怎樣不斷地記念你們， 10 常常在禱告中懇切祈求，也許我可以照著他的旨意，終於能夠順利地到你們那裡去。 11 因為我很想見你們，好把一些屬靈的恩賜分給你們，使你們可以堅定； 12 也使我在你們中間，藉著你我彼此的信心，大家一同得到安慰。 13 弟兄們，我不願意你們不知道，我好幾次預先定好了要到你們那裡去，為了要在你們中間也得一些果子，像在其他的民族中間一樣，可是直到現在還有阻礙。 14 無論是希臘人或是未開化的人，聰明的人或是愚笨的人，我都欠他們的債。 15 所以，對我來說，我隨時都願意把福音也傳給你們在羅馬的人。
福音是 神的大能
16 我不以福音為恥；這福音是 神的大能，要救所有相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。 17 神的義就是藉著這福音顯明出來，本於信而歸於信，正如經上所記：“義人必因信得生。”
人類不尊 神為 神
18 神的震怒，從天上向所有不虔不義的人顯露出來，就是向那些以不義壓制真理的人顯露出來。 19 神的事情，人所能知道的，在他們裡面原是明顯的，因為 神已經向他們顯明了。 20 其實自從創世以來， 神那看不見的事，就如他永恆的大能和神性，都是看得見的，就是從他所造的萬物中可以領悟，叫人沒有辦法推諉。 21 因為他們雖然知道 神，卻不尊他為 神，也不感謝他，反而心思變為虛妄，愚頑的心就迷糊了。 22 他們自以為是聰明的，卻成了愚蠢的。 23 他們用必朽壞的人、飛禽、走獸和昆蟲的形象，取代了永不朽壞的 神的榮耀。
人類種種的罪惡
24 因此， 神就任憑他們順著心中的私慾去作污穢的事，以致羞辱自己的身體。 25 他們用虛謊取代了 神的真理，敬拜事奉受造之物，卻不敬拜事奉造物的主。他是永遠可稱頌的，阿們。 26 因此， 神就任憑他們放縱可恥的情慾：他們的女人把原來的性的功能，變成違反自然的功能； 27 同樣地，男人也捨棄了女人原來的性功能，彼此慾火攻心，男人與男人作出可恥的事。他們這樣妄為，就在自己身上受到應該受的報應。 28 他們既然故意不認識 神， 神就任憑他們存著敗壞的心，去作那些不正當的事。 29 這些人充滿了各樣的不義、邪惡、貪心、陰險；滿懷嫉妒、兇殺、好鬥、欺詐、幸災樂禍；又是好說讒言的、 30 毀謗人的、憎恨 神的、凌辱人的、傲慢的、自誇的、製造惡事的、忤逆父母的、 31 冥頑不靈的、不守信用的、冷酷無情的、沒有惻隱之心的。 32 他們雖然明明知道行這些事的人， 神判定他們是該死的，然而他們不單自己去行，也喜歡別人去行。
Romans 1
New Century Version
1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News.
2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. 3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead. 5 Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle, which was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for him. 6 And you who are in Rome are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people:
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 by telling the Good News about his Son, knows that I always mention you 10 every time I pray. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it. 11 I want very much to see you, to give you some spiritual gift to make you strong. 12 I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you. 13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you, but this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.
14 I have a duty to all people—Greeks and those who are not Greeks, the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I want so much to preach the Good News to you in Rome.
16 I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews. 17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.”[a]
All People Have Done Wrong
18 God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. 19 God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them. Yes, God has shown himself to them. 20 There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. 21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. 22 They said they were wise, but they became fools. 23 They traded the glory of God who lives forever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals, and snakes.
24 Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other. 25 They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised forever. Amen.
26 Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women. 27 In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.
28 People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do. 29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip 30 and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents. 31 They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others. 32 They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them.
Footnotes
- 1:17 “But those . . . faith.” Quotation from Habakkuk 2:4.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
