1 Paulus, 'n dienskneg van Jesus Christus, 'n geroepe apostel, afgesonder tot die evangelie van God --
2 wat Hy tevore beloof het deur sy profete in die heilige Skrifte,
3 aangaande sy Seun wat gebore is na die vlees uit die geslag van Dawid
4 en na die Gees van heiligheid met krag verklaar is as die Seun van God deur die opstanding uit die dode, Jesus Christus, onse Here,
5 deur wie ons genade en die apostelskap ontvang het om geloofsgehoorsaamheid te verkry onder al die heidene ter wille van sy Naam,
6 onder wie julle ook is, geroepenes van Jesus Christus
7 aan al die geliefdes van God, geroepe heiliges wat in Rome is: Genade vir julle en vrede van God onse Vader en die Here Jesus Christus!
8 In die eerste plek dank ek my God deur Jesus Christus oor julle almal dat julle geloof verkondig word in die hele wêreld.
9 Want God wat ek in my gees dien in die evangelie van sy Seun, is my getuie hoe ek onophoudelik aan julle dink
10 en altyd in my gebede smeek of ek tog nou eindelik 'n goeie geleentheid sal vind deur die wil van God om na julle te kom;
11 want ek verlang om julle te sien, om julle een of ander geestelike genadegawe mee te deel, sodat julle versterk kan word;
12 dit is, dat ek saam bemoedig kan word onder julle deur die gemeenskaplike geloof, van julle sowel as van my.
13 Maar, broeders, ek wil julle nie daarvan onkundig laat dat ek my dikwels voorgeneem het om na julle te kom nie en ek is tot nog toe verhinder sodat ek ook onder julle een of ander vrug kan insamel net soos onder die ander heidene.
14 Teenoor Grieke sowel as nie Grieke, teenoor wyse sowel as onverstandige mense is ek 'n skuldenaar.
15 Vandaar die verlange van my kant om ook aan julle wat in Rome is, die evangelie te verkondig.
16 Want ek skaam my nie oor die evangelie van Christus nie, want dit is 'n krag van God tot redding vir elkeen wat glo, eerste vir die Jood en ook vir die Griek.
17 Want die geregtigheid van God word daarin geopenbaar uit geloof tot geloof, soos geskrywe is: Maar die regverdige sal uit die geloof lewe.
18 Want die toorn van God word van die hemel af geopenbaar oor al die goddeloosheid en ongeregtigheid van die mense wat in ongeregtigheid die waarheid onderdruk,
19 omdat wat van God geken kan word, in hulle openbaar is, want God het dit aan hulle geopenbaar.
20 Want sy onsigbare dinge kan van die skepping van die wêreld af in sy werke verstaan en duidelik gesien word, naamlik sy ewige krag en goddelikheid, sodat hulle geen verontskuldiging het nie;
21 omdat hulle, alhoewel hulle God geken het, Hom nie as God verheerlik of gedank het nie; maar hulle het dwaas geword in hul oorlegginge, en hul onverstandige hart is verduister.
22 Terwyl hulle voorgee dat hulle wys is, het hulle dwaas geword
23 en die heerlikheid van die onverganklike God verander in die gelykvormigheid van die beeld van 'n verganklike mens en van voëls en viervoetige en kruipende diere.
24 Daarom het God hulle ook in die begeerlikhede van hulle harte oorgegee aan onreinheid, om hulle liggame onder mekaar te onteer
25 hulle wat die waarheid van God verruil het vir die leuen en die skepsel vereer en gedien het bo die Skepper wat geprys moet word tot in ewigheid. Amen.
26 Daarom het God hulle oorgegee aan skandelike hartstogte, want hulle vroue het die natuurlike verkeer verander in die wat teen die natuur is;
27 en net so het ook die manne die natuurlike verkeer met die vrou laat vaar en in hulle wellus teenoor mekaar ontbrand: manne het met manne skandelikheid bedrywe en in hulleself die noodwendige vergelding van hulle dwaling ontvang.
28 En omdat hulle dit nie die moeite werd geag het om God in erkentenis te hou nie, het God hulle oorgegee aan 'n slegte gesindheid, om te doen wat nie betaam nie:
29 hulle is vervul met allerhande ongeregtigheid, hoerery, boosheid, hebsug, ondeug; vol nydigheid, moord, twis, bedrog, kwaadaardigheid;
30 nuusdraers, kwaadsprekers, haters van God, geweldenaars, trotsaards, grootpraters, uitvinders van slegte dinge, ongehoorsaam aan die ouers;
31 onverstandig, ontrou, sonder natuurlike liefde, onversoenlik, onbarmhartig,
32 mense wat al ken hulle die verordening van God goed, dat die wat sulke dinge doen, die dood verdien die dinge nie alleen self doen nie, maar ook hulle goedkeuring skenk aan die wat dit doen.
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle by the selection of God, given authority as a preacher of the good news,
2 Of which God had given word before by his prophets in the holy Writings,
3 About his Son who, in the flesh, came from the family of David,
4 But was marked out as Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through the coming to life again of the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord,
5 Through whom grace has been given to us, sending us out to make disciples to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom you in the same way have been marked out to be disciples of Jesus Christ:
7 To all those who are in Rome, loved by God, marked out as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First of all, I give praise to my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because news of your faith has gone into all the world.
9 For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,
10 And that I am ever making prayers that God will give me a good journey to you.
11 For I have a strong desire to see you, and to give you some grace of the spirit, so that you may be made strong;
12 That is to say, that all of us may be comforted together by the faith which is in you and in me.
13 You may be certain, my brothers, that it has frequently been in my mind to come to you (but till now I was kept from it), so that I might have some fruit from you in the same way as I have had it from the other nations.
14 I have a debt to Greeks and to the nations outside; to the wise and to those who have no learning.
15 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.
16 For I have no feeling of shame about the good news, because it is the power of God giving salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.
17 For in it there is the revelation of the righteousness of God from faith to faith: as it is said in the holy Writings, The man who does righteousness will be living by his faith.
18 For there is a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all the wrongdoing and evil thoughts of men who keep down what is true by wrongdoing;
19 Because the knowledge of God may be seen in them, God having made it clear to them.
20 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:
21 Because, having the knowledge of God, they did not give glory to God as God, and did not give praise, but their minds were full of foolish things, and their hearts, being without sense, were made dark.
22 Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,
23 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.
24 For this reason God gave them up to the evil desires of their hearts, working shame in their bodies with one another:
25 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.
26 For this reason God gave them up to evil passions, and their women were changing the natural use into one which is unnatural:
27 And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing.
28 And because they had not the mind to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an evil mind, to do those things which are not right;
29 Being full of all wrongdoing, evil, desire for the goods of others, hate, envy, putting to death, fighting, deceit, cruel ways, evil talk, and false statements about others;
30 Hated by God, full of pride, without respect, full of loud talk, given to evil inventions, not honouring father or mother,
31 Without knowledge, not true to their undertakings, unkind, having no mercy:
32 Who, though they have knowledge of the law of God, that the fate of those who do these things is death, not only go on doing these things themselves, but give approval to those who do them.