⁴ for it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an ^(A)avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

²⁶ For this reason ^(A)God gave them over to ^(B)degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations ^[a]with women and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(C)males with males committing ^[b]shameful acts and receiving in ^[c]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[d]to acknowledge God, ^(D)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,