Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God’s good news—

[the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises],

and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about faithful obedience among all the gentiles for the sake of his name.

and you also are among those who are called of Jesus Christ to belong to Him;

To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Inasmuch as, what may be known of God, is manifest among them, for, God, unto them, hath made it manifest, -

for from the world's creation the invisible things of him are perceived, being apprehended by the mind through the things that are made, both his eternal power and divinity, so as to render them inexcusable.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Wherefore God gave them up in the covetings of their hearts unto impurity, so as to be dishonouring their bodies among them, -

For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural.

And likewise also the men left the natural use of the woman, and burnt in their lusts, one on another, among themselves. And man with man wrought filthiness: and received in themselves the reward of their error, as it was according.

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;

as they were filled with all unrighteousness, lewdness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity;

In short, though knowing full well the sentence which God pronounces against actions such as theirs, as things which deserve death, they not only practise them, but even encourage and applaud others who do them.

Therefore you have no excuse or justification, everyone of you who [hypocritically] judges and condemns others; for in passing judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, because you who judge [from a position of arrogance or self-righteousness] are habitually practicing the very same things [which you denounce].

We know, however, that, the sentence of God, is according to truth against them who, such things as these, do practise.

And you who pronounce judgement upon those who do such things although your own conduct is the same as theirs--do you imagine that you yourself will escape unpunished when God judges?

Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

Hard-hearted and impenitent as you are, you are storing up for yourself Wrath on the 'Day of Wrath,' when God's justice as a judge will be revealed;

He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]:

While as to those who are factious, and disobedient to Truth but obedient to Evil, wrath and anger, distress and despair,

There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well.

But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well,

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

For it is not the hearers of the law who will be judged as having righteousness before God, but only the doers:

since they exhibit proof that a knowledge of the conduct which the Law requires is engraven on their hearts, while their consciences also bear witness to the Law, and their thoughts, as if in mutual discussion, accuse them or perhaps maintain their innocence--

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.

But as for you who have the name of Jew, and are resting on the law, and take pride in God,

and have persuaded yourself that, as for you, you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

a tutor of the foolish, a teacher of the young, since you have a knowledge of the truth as formulated in the law --

as you teach others, do you fail to teach yourself? As you preach against stealing, do you steal?

As you forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? As you abhor idols, do you rob temples?

As you boast about the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law?

For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

It is true that circumcision is of use if you keep the law, but if you go against the law it is as if you had it not.

So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded [by God] as circumcision?

although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law, shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written Law and circumcision, are yet a Law-breaker?

But the [true] Jew is the person who is one on the inside, and [his] circumcision is a heart condition, [produced] by the Holy Spirit and not by the written law of Moses. [Note: Some translate "Spirit" here as "spirit" and make it simply an amplification of "heart"]. This person receives his praise from God and not [merely] from people.

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

I speak as a man. God forbid; for then how should God judge the world?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

What then? are we worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:

Their throat is an open grave, they are treacherous with their tongues, the venom of an asp lies under their lips.

Destruction and misery are in their paths,

And we have known that as many things as the law saith, to those in the law it doth speak, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may come under judgment to God;

Inasmuch as, by works of law, shall no flesh be declared righteous before him, - through law, in fact, is discovery of sin.

being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion].

It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].

For we maintain that it is as the result of faith that a man is held to be righteous, apart from actions done in obedience to Law.

Or is God only the God of Jews? Is he not the God of the Gentiles as well? Surely he is.

Seeing there is but one God, who will accept the circumcised as righteous by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

For if Abraham was justified [that is, acquitted from the guilt of his sins] by works [those things he did that were good], he has something to boast about, but not before God.

for what does the scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.

but to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!'

Does this blessedness then rest on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision? For we say that faith has been reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.

Under what circumstances was it credited to him as right standing? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? Not after but before he was circumcised.

And he received the sign of circumcision as seal of the righteousness of faith which he had being in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all them that believe being in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned to them also;

and [that he would be] the [spiritual] father of those circumcised who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had before he was circumcised.

Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] 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.

In hope against hope Abraham believed that he would become a father of many nations, as he had been promised [by God]: “So [numberless] shall your descendants be.”

And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb;

But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith, giving glory to God,

wherefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Now these words-'it was regarded as righteousness'-were not written with reference to Abraham only;

but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

who was delivered up on account of our trespasses, and raised from the dead that we might be accepted as righteous.

Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom also, as the result of faith, we have obtained an introduction into that state of favour with God in which we stand, and we exult in hope of some day sharing in God's glory.

And not only so: we also exult in our sufferings, knowing as we do, that suffering produces fortitude;

Seeing that, Christ, we being weak as yet, seasonably, in behalf of such as were ungodly, died.

But God commendeth his own love unto us in that - we as yet being sinners, Christ in our behalf died.

Much more then, being now accepted as righteous through his blood, we shall be saved through him from the [coming] wrath.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

For even unto the time of the law was sin in the world: but sin was not regarded, as long as there was no law:

Yet death ruled [over mankind] from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who had not sinned as Adam did. Adam is a type of Him (Christ) who was to come [but in reverse—Adam brought destruction, Christ brought salvation].

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 not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (Adam), much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in [eternal] life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Now the law came in as a side issue, in order that the trespass could increase, but where sin increased, grace was present in greater abundance,

That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Of course not! How can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?