Romans 1 – NIRV & BPH

New International Reader’s Version

Romans 1:1-32

1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I serve Christ Jesus. I have been appointed to be an apostle. God set me apart to tell others his good news. 2He promised the good news long ago. He announced it through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 3The good news is about God’s Son. He was born into the family line of King David. 4By the Holy Spirit, he was appointed to be the mighty Son of God. God did this by raising him from the dead. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5We received grace because of what Jesus did. He made us apostles to the Gentiles. We must invite all of them to obey God by trusting in Jesus. We do this to bring glory to him. 6You also are among those Gentiles who are appointed to belong to Jesus Christ.

7I am sending this letter to all of you in Rome. You are loved by God and appointed to be his holy people.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul Longs to Visit Rome

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. People all over the world are talking about your faith. 9I serve God with my whole heart. I preach the good news about his Son. God knows that I always remember you 10in my prayers. I pray that now at last it may be God’s plan to open the way for me to visit you.

11I long to see you. I want to make you strong by giving you a gift from the Holy Spirit. 12I want us to encourage one another in the faith we share. 13Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to visit you. But until now I have been kept from coming. My work has produced results among the other Gentiles. In the same way, I want to see results among you.

14I have a duty both to Greeks and to non-Greeks. I have a duty both to wise people and to foolish people. 15So I really want to preach the good news also to you who live in Rome.

16I want to preach it because I’m not ashamed of the good news. It is God’s power to save everyone who believes. It is meant first for the Jews. It is meant also for the Gentiles. 17The good news shows God’s power to make people right with himself. God’s power to be made right with him is given to the person who has faith. It happens by faith from beginning to end. It is written, “The one who is right with God will live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

God’s Anger Against Sinners

18God shows his anger from heaven. It is against all the godless and evil things people do. They are so evil that they say no to the truth. 19The truth about God is plain to them. God has made it plain. 20Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I’m talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do.

21They knew God. But they didn’t honor him as God. They didn’t thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark. 22They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves. 23They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles.

24So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to. He let them commit sexual sins. They made one another’s bodies impure by what they did. 25They chose a lie instead of the truth about God. They worshiped and served created things. They didn’t worship the Creator. But he is praised forever. Amen.

26So God let them continue to have their shameful desires. Their women committed sexual acts that were not natural. 27In the same way, the men turned away from their natural love for women. They burned with sexual desire for each other. Men did shameful things with other men. They suffered in their bodies for all the wrong things they did.

28They didn’t think it was important to know God. So God let them continue to have evil thoughts. They did things they shouldn’t do. 29They are full of every kind of sin, evil and ungodliness. They want more than they need. They commit murder. They want what belongs to other people. They fight and cheat. They hate others. They say mean things about other people. 30They tell lies about them. They hate God. They are rude and proud. They brag. They think of new ways to do evil. They don’t obey their parents. 31They do not understand. They can’t be trusted. They are not loving and kind. 32They know that God’s commands are right. They know that those who do evil things should die. But they continue to do those very things. They also approve of others who do them.

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Romerbrevet 1:1-32

Indledende hilsen—Jesus som Guds Søn

1Kære medkristne i Rom!

Dette brev er fra Paulus, som er kaldet til at være apostel i tjenesten for Jesus Kristus. Det var Gud, der udvalgte mig til at sprede det glædelige budskab, 2som han for længe siden talte om gennem sine profeter, og som er nedskrevet i de hellige Skrifter. 3-4Profeterne forudsagde, at der skulle komme en Frelser, og det er Jesus, Guds Søn og vores Herre. Hvad hans menneskelighed angår, nedstammer han fra Kong David, men hvad hans hellige åndsnatur angår, blev han ved opstandelsen fra de døde anerkendt som Guds magtfulde Søn. 5Det er ham, der har givet os nåde og kraft til at være hans apostle og hjælpe folk fra alle folkeslag til at leve i tillidsfuld lydighed over for Gud. 6Det gælder også jer i Rom, som er kaldet til at tilhøre Jesus Kristus.

7Nåde være med jer og fred fra Gud, vores Far, og Jesus Kristus, vores Herre. I skal vide, at Gud elsker jer, og at I er kaldet til at leve for ham.

Paulus ønsker at besøge de kristne i Rom

8Først af alt takker jeg Gud for alt, hvad han har gjort for jer gennem Jesus Kristus. Jeres tro er jo blevet kendt i hele verden! 9Gud er mit vidne på, at jeg tit tænker på jer og beder for jer, alt imens jeg sætter hele mit liv ind på at forkynde budskabet om hans Søn. 10Og jeg beder til stadighed om, at Gud snart vil gøre det muligt for mig at komme og besøge jer. 11Jeg længes efter at se jer, for at jeg kan udruste jer med Åndens gaver, så I kan blive styrket i jeres tro, 12eller snarere, at vi kan opmuntre og styrke hinanden gennem vores fælles tro.

13I skal vide, kære venner, at jeg tit har tænkt på at besøge jer, så jeg kunne være til hjælp for jer ligesom for de andre menigheder. Men der er altid kommet noget i vejen. 14-15Jeg længes efter at forkynde budskabet om Jesus også i Rom, for det er min opgave at forkynde det for alle mennesker, uanset om de er veluddannede eller uuddannede, om de bliver set op til eller set ned på.

Kristendommens kerne

16Jeg skammer mig bestemt ikke over at fortælle budskabet om Jesus, for det indeholder en guddommelig kraft, som er i stand til at give evigt liv til alle, der tror på ham. Budskabet kom først til jøderne, men nu når det ud til alle mennesker. 17Kernen i budskabet er, at vi bliver accepteret af Gud og erklæret skyldfri bare ved at overgive os til ham i tro og leve i den tro. Der står jo også i Skriften: „Den retskafne får livet ved sin tro.”1,17 Citatet er fra Hab. 2,4. Ordene „retskaffen” og „retfærdig” henviser i bibelsk sammenhæng til en person, Gud kan acceptere, en, som gør Guds vilje.

Ugudelige mennesker vil blive straffet for deres ondskab

18Guds straf hænger over hovedet på de mennesker, der undertrykker sandheden ved deres ugudelighed og uretfærdighed. 19-20De kan ikke undskylde sig med, at de ikke kender noget til Gud, for han har sat sine tydelige spor i skaberværket. Godt nok kan man ikke direkte se eller måle den evige Gud, men den verden, han har skabt, viser hans guddommelige magt. 21De kender altså noget til Gud, men de viser ham hverken respekt eller taknemmelighed. Tværtimod har deres tåbelige tanker ført dem ud i et tomt og håbløst liv. 22De tror, de er så kloge, men i virkeligheden er de det modsatte. 23I stedet for at tilbede den evige og mægtige Gud dyrker de alle mulige slags hjemmelavede afguder, der forestiller mennesker, fugle, slanger eller andre dyr.

24Derfor har Gud ladet dem følge deres egne lyster, selvom de ødelægger sig selv gennem de skamløse ting, de gør med hinanden. 25De vil hellere tro på en løgn end på sandheden om Gud, og de tilbeder det skabte i stedet for Skaberen, som fortjener evig tilbedelse. 26Derfor har Gud ladet dem følge deres skamløse lyster. Kvinder har imod naturens orden et seksuelt forhold til andre kvinder i stedet for til mænd. 27På samme måde har mænd et forhold til andre mænd, og på den måde tilfredsstiller de deres lyster. Men resultatet af deres fejltagelse rammer dem selv.

28Fordi de ikke sætter pris på at lære Gud bedre at kende, har han overladt dem til deres egen forfejlede tankegang og umoralske livsførelse. 29De er ondskabsfulde, selviske, jaloux, voldelige, stridslystne, uhæderlige, skadefro og fulde af løgn. 30De taler ondt om andre mennesker og hader Gud. De er arrogante og overlegne. De er i oprør mod forældre, praler af deres bedrifter og finder altid på nye ondskabsfuldheder. 31De er tåbelige, illoyale, afstumpede og ubarmhjertige. 32De ved godt, hvad Gud ønsker, de skal gøre, og at han har ret til at straffe den slags med døden. Alligevel lever de på den måde og bekræfter hinanden i deres umoralske livsstil.