PAUL, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart to the gospel of God,??2 which he promised by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures,??3 concerning his Son born of the posterity of David as to the flesh,

(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

of the which heathen are ye a part also, which are Jesus Christ's by vocation.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, which may be for your confirmation;

that is, to have mutual comfort among you, each by the faith which is in the other, both yours and mine.

But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that I often proposed to come to you, (and have been hindered until the present time,) that I might have some fruit among you too, even as among the other nations also.

For I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to them which are no Greeks, unto the learned and also unto the unlearned.

For which reason I have the desire, as far as I am able, to give the knowledge of the good news to you who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is God's power which is at work for the salvation of every one who believes--the Jew first, and then the Gentile.

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.”

For the wrath of God appeareth from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men which withhold the truth in unrighteousness.

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made, so that men have no reason for wrongdoing:

And by them the glory of the eternal God was changed and made into the image of man who is not eternal, and of birds and beasts and things which go on the earth.

For which reason God delivered them up, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, that they might dishonor their bodies among themselves;

Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, every one who judgest, for in that in which thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

which will reward every man according to his deeds,

that is to say: praise, honour, and immortality, to them which continue in good doing, and seek eternal life.

But glory and honour and peace be to every man who doeth that which is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek:

For before God they are not righteous which hear the law: but the doers of the law shall be justified.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

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.

And have knowledge of his desires, and are a judge of the things which are different, having the learning of the law,

And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

You who take pride in the law, are you doing wrong to the honour of God by behaviour which is against the law?

Therefore if uncircumcision watch the justification of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision?

And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

If our unrighteousness make the righteousness of God more excellent: what shall we say? Is God unrighteous which taketh vengeance? I speak after the manner of men.

Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.

Yea and we know that whatsoever the law saith, he saith it to them which are under the law: That all mouths may be stopped, and all the world be subdued to God,

For no person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].

But now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given by the law and the prophets;

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

- whom God hath set forth for a mercy seat through faith in his blood, to show the righteousness which before him is of valour, in that he forgiveth the sins that are passed,

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

For if Abraham were justified by works, he has something in which to boast; but not before God.

What then were the circumstances under which this took place? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before?

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 the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

For the promise that he should be heir of the world was not given to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law: but through the righteousness which cometh of faith.

For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

(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.

Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Without becoming weak in faith he considered his own body, now as good as dead [for producing children] since he was about a hundred years old, and [he considered] the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

For which reason it was put to his account as righteousness.

Which was delivered for our sins, and rose again for to justify us.

For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

by whom we have also access by faith into this favour in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

endurance produces character, and character produces hope ??5 a hope which never disappoints us, since God's love floods our hearts through the holy Spirit which has been given to us.

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

For when we were yet weak according to the time: Christ died for us which were ungodly.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through [the action of] one man [i.e., Adam] and [physical] death through that sin, so [physical] death has spread to all people, because all people have sinned. [Note: This difficult passage (verses 12-21) seems to be saying that the entire human race must experience physical death because of Adam's sin (I Cor. 5:22), which is somehow considered to be everyone's sin. See Murray, pp. 180-187, for a thorough discussion].

Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them also that sinned not, with like transgression as did Adam: which is the similitude of him that is to come.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

And it is not with the gift as it was with the results of one individual's sin; for the judgement which one individual provoked resulted in condemnation, whereas the free gift after a multitude of transgressions results in acquittal.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

It follows then that just as the result of a single transgression is a condemnation which extends to the whole race, so also the result of a single decree of righteousness is a life-giving acquittal which extends to the whole race.

so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness which brings eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Remember ye not, that all we which are baptised in the name of Christ Jesus, are baptised to die with him?

We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

Death has no longer any power over Him. For by the death which He died He became, once for all, dead in relation to sin; but by the life which He now lives He is alive in relation to God.

For this cause do not let sin be ruling in your body which is under the power of death, so that you give way to its desires;

Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

I am speaking in [familiar] human terms because of your natural limitations [your spiritual immaturity]. For just as you presented your bodily members as slaves to impurity and to [moral] lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now offer your members [your abilities, your talents] as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification [that is, being set apart for God’s purpose].

What fruit therefore had ye then in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of them is death.

But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the end is eternal life!

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

but now we are clear from the law, having died in that in which we were held, so that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.

But sin, taking its chance through that which was ordered by the law, was working in me every form of desire: because without the law sin is dead.

And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

For I was tricked and put to death by sin, which took its chance through the law.

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me.

Hence, I find the law, to me who wish to be doing the right, that, unto me, the wrong lieth near:

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.