God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For ^(A)the wrath of God ^(B)is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be ^(C)known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, ^(D)have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they ^(E)became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (F)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and ^(G)exchanged the glory of ^(H)the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore ^(I)God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to ^(J)the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for ^(K)a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(L)who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(M)God gave them up to ^(N)dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷ and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, ^(O)men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ^(P)God gave them up to ^(Q)a debased mind to do ^(R)what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know ^(S)God's righteous decree that those who practice such things ^(T)deserve to die, they not only do them but ^(U)give approval to those who practice them.

God's Righteous Judgment

2 Therefore you have ^(V)no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For ^(W)in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. ² We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. ³ Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you presume on ^(X)the riches of his kindness and ^(Y)forbearance and ^(Z)patience, ^(AA)not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, ^(A)by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is ^(B)written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ^16 (C)on that day when, ^(D)according to my gospel, God judges ^(E)the secrets of men ^(F)by Christ Jesus.