because what should be known of God they are acquainted with; for God hath manifested it unto them.

For, the unseen things of him, from a world's creation, by the things made, being perceived, are clearly seen, even his eternal power and divinity, - to the end they should be without excuse;

Inasmuch as, having come to know God, not, as God, did they glorify him, or give him thanks, but were made fruitless in their reasonings, and darkened was their undiscerning heart,

Professing to be wise, they were made foolish,

the honour due to God, who is immortal, they transferr'd to idols representing men, who are mortal, to birds, and beasts, and insects.

wherefore God abandon'd them to the impure passions of their own hearts, so that they themselves dishonour'd their own bodies;

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

and the men unnaturally leaving the sex, were inflamed with mutual passions, which they shamefully indulged, and received in their own persons, the retribution that was justly due to such enormities.

And, even as they did not approve to be holding, God, in acknowledgment, God gave them up unto a disapproved mind to be doing the things that are not becoming,

They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

they are secret backbiters, open slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful; inventors of new forms of evil, undutiful to parents,

they do not have any sense; they do not keep their promises; they fail to show natural affection; and they are merciless.

Who, indeed, having acknowledged the righteous sentence of God, - that, they who such things as these do practise, are worthy of death, not only, the same things, are doing, but are even delighting together with them who are practising them .

To them truly by perseverance of the good work they seek glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

All who, when they sin, are without Law will also perish without Law; while all who, when they sin, are under Law, will be judged as being under Law.

for not the bare hearers of the law, but they who observe the law, are such as shall be justified, before God.

So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law.

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them

on that day when, as my gospel proclaims, God will judge the secrets [all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins] of men through Christ Jesus.

You say that a person should not commit adultery [i.e., sexual unfaithfulness to their mate], [but] do you commit adultery? You [claim to] hate idols, [but] do you rob [their] temples? [Note: It is difficult to determine how the Jews were doing this. Perhaps they were guilty of the "spirit" of idolatry by devoting their efforts and affections to material things instead of to God].

So if people who are uncircumcised observe the requirements of the Law, will they not be treated as though they were circumcised?

And they, by their keeping of the law without circumcision, will be judges of you, by whom the law is broken though you have the letter of the law and circumcision.

Much, every way: - First, indeed, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

And why not say, as people abuse us for saying and charge us with saying, "Let us do evil that good may come out of it"? Such people will be condemned as they deserve!

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

All have turned away;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.

A sepulchre opened, is their throat, with their tongues, have they used deceit, the poison of asps, is under their lips,

[Isa. 59:7ff says], "Their feet [take them where they] are quick to commit murder.

And, the way of peace, have they not known:

[Psa. 36:1 says], "They do not view God with reverence."

They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Well then, there is one God, a God who will justify the circumcised as they believe and the uncircumcised on the score of faith.

Just as David himself describes the bliss of the man who has righteousness counted to him by God apart from what he does ??7 Blessed are they whose breaches of the Law are forgiven, whose sins are covered!

Happy, they whose lawlessnesses have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered,

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

And that he might be the father of the circumcised: not because they are circumcised only: but because they walk also in the steps of that faith, that was in our father Abraham before the time of circumcision.

For, if they who are of law are heirs, made void is faith and of no effect is the promise.

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

but they were written for our sake also, who will be considered righteous by God for believing in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

For, if, by the fault of the one, death reigned through the one, much more, they who the superabundance of the favour and of the free-gift ofthe righteousness do receive, in life, shall reign through the one, Jesus Christ.

Neither give ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: But give yourselves unto God, as they that are alive from death. And give your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

what benefit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? since they terminated all in death.

For whilst we were under the thraldom of our earthly natures, sinful passions-- made sinful by the Law--were always being aroused to action in our bodily faculties that they might yield fruit to death.

For, they who according to flesh have their being, the things of the flesh do prefer, but, they according to the spirit, the things of the spirit;

For the interests of the flesh are hostile to God; they do not yield to the law of God (indeed they cannot).

They, moreover, who in flesh have their being, cannot please, God.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

in hope that they also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

For those which he knew before, he also ordained before, that they should be like fashioned unto the shape of his son, that he might be the first begotten son among many brethren.

As it stands written in the Scripture, "For Thy sake they are, all day long, trying to kill us. We have been looked upon as sheep destined for slaughter."

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.

whose also are the fathers, and they of whom; as concerning the flesh; Christ came: which is God over all things, blessed forever. Amen.

It is not, however, as though the word of God had failed; for, not all they who are of Israel, the same are Israel.

Neither, because they are seed of Abraham, are all children, - but, In Isaac, shall there be called unto thee a seed.

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

They, in fact, not being yet born, nor having practised anything good or bad, - in order that the purpose of God by way of election might stand, - not by works but by him that was calling,

And what if God, intending to reveal his displeasure and make his power known, bore most patiently with the objects of his displeasure, though they were fit only to be destroyed,

As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.

And it shall be - in the place where it was said to them- not my people are, ye! there, shall they be called - Sons of a Living God.

What, then, shall we say? That, they of the nations, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have laid hold of righteousness, - a righteousness, however, which is by faith;

Wherefore? Because, not by faith but as by works, have they sought it : they have stumbled at the stone of stumbling,

Even as it is written [Ex. 28:16], "Look, I am placing a stone in the city of Zion that people will stumble over and a rock on which they will trip and fall. But the person who believes in Him will not be put to shame [i.e., he will never have unforgiven sin brought up against him]."

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have, a zeal for God, - but not according to correct knowledge;

For, not knowing God's righteousness and, their own, seeking to establish, unto the righteousness of God, have they not submitted;

For in their hearts people exercise the faith that leads to right standing, and with their lips they make the acknowledgment which means salvation.

In reality there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: they have all the same Lord, who is bountiful to all that call upon him.

How, then, shall men call upon one in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without one to proclaim?

And how shall they proclaim, except they be sent? Even as it is written - How beautiful the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

But I say: Have they not heard? Yea indeed, - into all the earth, hath gone forth their sound, and, unto the ends of the inhabited world, their declarations.

But I say, Israel did not know, did they? First, Moses says, "I will provoke you [to jealousy] by [those who are] not a nation; by a senseless nation I will provoke you [to anger]."

Lord! Thy prophets, have they slain, thine altars, have they overthrown, and, I, am left alone, and they are seeking my life!

But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all.

What then? [Just this]: The very thing that the Israelites are looking for [i.e., a right relationship with God], they have not found. But God's selected ones obtained [this right relationship with Him] and the rest [of the Israelites] were made insensitive to God's call,

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent continually.

I say then - Did they stumble in order that they might fall? Far be it! But, by their fall, salvation hath come unto the nations, to the end of provoking them to jealousy.

Wherefore, if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the gentiles, how much more should it be so if they all believed?

Well: by their want of faith, they have been broken out, - and, thou, by thy faith, dost stand! - Regard not lofty things, but be afraid;

See then that God is good but his rules are fixed: to those who were put away he was hard, but to you he has been good, on the condition that you keep in his mercy; if not, you will be cut off as they were.

Whereas, they also, unless they abide still in their want of faith, shall be grafted in, for God is, able, again to engraft them!

for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who are according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?

And they shall see the fulfillment of my Covenant, when I have taken away their sins.'

As touching the joyful-message, indeed, they are enemies for your sake, but, as touching the election, beloved for their father's sake;

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].

For just as you once disobeyed God, but now have had mercy shown you because they disobeyed,

so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now may receive mercy.

Let, every soul, unto protecting authorities be in subjection; for there is no authority save by God, and, they that are in being, have by God been arranged, -

So that, he who rangeth himself against the authority, against the arrangement of God opposeth himself, and, they who oppose, shall unto themselves a sentence of judgment receive.

For, they who bear rule, are not a terror unto the good work but unto the evil. Wouldst thou not be afraid of the authority? That which is good, be thou doing, and thou shall have praise of the same;

For the civil authorities are God's servants to do you good. But if you practice doing wrong, you should dread them, for they do not wield the sword for nothing. Indeed, they are God's servants to inflict punishment upon people who do wrong.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience.

For, because of this, are ye paying tribute also, - for, God's ministers of state, they are, unto this very thing, giving constant attendance.

Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.

For these commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not desire, and so forth: if there be any other commandment, they are all comprehended in this saying, "Love thine neighbor as thyself."

This man puts one day before another: to that man they are the same. Let every man be certain in his mind.

do not for such a thing as meat, pull down what God has been raising. all things indeed are pure; but they become evil to him who by eating giveth offence.

For even the Christ did not seek His own pleasure. His principle was, "The reproaches which they addressed to Thee have fallen on me."