Beginning
The Gospel Exalted
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, [a](A)called as an apostle, having been (B)set apart for (C)the gospel of God, 2 which He (D)promised beforehand through His (E)prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born (F)of the seed of David (G)according to the flesh, 4 who was designated as (H)the Son of God in power, according to the [b]Spirit of holiness, [c]by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we received grace and (I)apostleship for the (J)obedience of faith among (K)all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, 6 among whom you also are the (L)called of Jesus Christ;
7 to all who are (M)beloved of God in Rome, called as [d](N)saints: (O)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, (P)I thank my God through Jesus Christ [e]for you all, because (Q)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. 9 For (R)God, whom I (S)serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how without ceasing (T)I make mention of you, 10 always in my prayers earnestly asking, if perhaps now at last by (U)the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For (V)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be strengthened; 12 that is, to be mutually encouraged, while among you, by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 (W)I do not want you to be unaware, (X)brothers, that often I (Y)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some (Z)fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 (AA)I am [f]under obligation both to Greeks and to (AB)barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 In this way, for my part, I am eager to (AC)proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not (AD)ashamed of the gospel, for (AE)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the (AF)Jew first and also to (AG)the Greek. 17 For in it (AH)the righteousness of God is revealed [g]from faith to faith; as it is written, “[h](AI)But the righteous will live by faith.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For (AJ)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who (AK)suppress the truth [i]in unrighteousness, 19 because (AL)that which is known about God is evident [j]within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For (AM)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, (AN)being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became (AO)futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 (AP)Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and (AQ)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore (AR)God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be (AS)dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [k]a (AT)lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, (AU)who is blessed [l]forever. Amen.
26 For this reason (AV)God gave them over to (AW)dishonorable passions; for their (AX)females exchanged the natural function for that which is [m]unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the (AY)males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, (AZ)males with males committing [n]indecent acts and receiving in [o]their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit [p]to acknowledge God, (BA)God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are (BB)gossips, 30 slanderers, [q](BC)haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, (BD)disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, (BE)unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of (BF)death, they not only do the same, but also (BG)give hearty approval to those who practice them.
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 Therefore you are (BH)without excuse, (BI)O man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which (BJ)you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God [r]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you presume this, (BK)O man—who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of (BL)the riches of His (BM)kindness and (BN)forbearance and (BO)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But [s]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart (BP)you are storing up wrath for yourself (BQ)in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 (BR)who will repay to each according to his works: 7 to those who by (BS)perseverance in doing good seek for (BT)glory and honor and (BU)immortality, (BV)eternal life; 8 but to those who are (BW)selfishly ambitious and (BX)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. 9 There will be (BY)affliction and turmoil [t]for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew (BZ)first and also of the Greek, 10 but (CA)glory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew (CB)first and also to the Greek. 11 For (CC)there is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned [u](CD)without the Law will also perish [v]without the Law, and all who have sinned [w]under the Law will be judged [x]by the Law. 13 For it is (CE)not the hearers [y]of the Law who are [z]just before God, but the doers [aa]of the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have [ab]the Law (CF)naturally do the things of the Law, these, not having [ac]the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they demonstrate (CG)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, (CH)according to my gospel, (CI)God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
The Jew Is Judged by the Law
17 But if you bear the name “Jew” and (CJ)rely [ad]upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and [ae](CK)approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a [af]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of [ag]the immature, having in the Law (CL)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, (CM)who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who [ah]preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you (CN)rob temples? 23 You who (CO)boast [ai]in the Law, through your transgression of the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For “(CP)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles (CQ)because of you,” just as it is written.
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you (CR)practice [aj]the Law, but if you are a transgressor [ak]of the Law, (CS)your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 (CT)So if (CU)the [al]uncircumcised man (CV)observes the righteous requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And (CW)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he [am]fulfills the Law, will he not (CX)judge you who, through the letter of the Law and circumcision, are a transgressor [an]of the Law? 28 For (CY)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But (CZ)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and (DA)circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the (DB)Spirit, not by the letter; (DC)and his praise is not from men, but from God.
There Is None Righteous
3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that (DD)they were entrusted with the (DE)oracles of God. 3 What then? If (DF)some [ao]did not believe, does their [ap]unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? 4 (DG)May it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man (DH)a liar, as it is written,
5 But if our unrighteousness [ar](DJ)demonstrates the righteousness of God, (DK)what shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? ((DL)I am speaking in human terms.) 6 (DM)May it never be! For otherwise, how will (DN)God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie (DO)the truth of God abounded to His glory, (DP)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “(DQ)Let us do evil that good may come”? [as]Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? (DR)Are we [at]better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both (DS)Jews and (DT)Greeks are (DU)all under sin; 10 as it is written,
“(DV)There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “(DW)Their throat is an open tomb,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“(DX)The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “(DY)Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “(DZ)Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “(EA)There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the (EB)Law says, it speaks to (EC)those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and (ED)all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because (EE)by the works [au]of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for [av](EF)through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now apart [aw]from the Law (EG)the righteousness of God has been manifested, being (EH)witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the (EI)righteousness of God through (EJ)faith (EK)in Jesus Christ for (EL)all those [ax]who believe; for (EM)there is no distinction; 23 for all [ay](EN)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift (EO)by His grace through (EP)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as (EQ)a [az]propitiation [ba](ER)in His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, [bb]because in the (ES)forbearance of God He (ET)passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who [bc]has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is (EU)boasting? It is excluded. By (EV)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 [bd]For (EW)we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works [be]of the Law. 29 Or (EX)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed (EY)God, (EZ)who will justify the [bf]circumcised [bg]by faith and the [bh]uncircumcised through that faith, (FA)is one.
31 Do we then abolish [bi]the Law through faith? (FB)May it never be! On the contrary, we (FC)establish the Law.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.