Romans 1 – NIRV & CCB

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.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)

罗马书 1:1-32

问候

1我是基督耶稣的奴仆保罗,蒙召做使徒,奉命传上帝的福音。 2这福音是上帝从前借着众先知在圣经中应许的, 3讲的是上帝的儿子——我们的主耶稣基督的事。从肉身来说,祂是大卫的后裔; 4从圣洁的灵来看,祂从死里复活,用大能显明自己是上帝的儿子。 5我们从祂领受了恩典并成为使徒,要带领万民信从祂,使祂的名得荣耀。 6你们也是其中蒙召信从耶稣基督的人。 7我问候所有住在罗马、上帝所爱、蒙召做圣徒的人。愿我们的父上帝和主耶稣基督赐给你们恩典和平安!

保罗渴望去罗马

8首先,我借着耶稣基督为各位感谢我的上帝,因为你们的信心正在传遍天下。 9-10我在祂儿子的福音事工上全心事奉的上帝可以为我做见证:我如何在祷告中常常想到你们,并求上帝让我照祂的旨意最终能去你们那里。 11因为我实在想见你们,好将一些属灵的恩赐分给你们,使你们坚固, 12也可以说是借着我们彼此的信心互相激励。

13弟兄姊妹,我希望你们知道,我曾多次计划去你们那里,要在你们中间收获一些福音的果子,像在其他外族人中一样,只是至今仍有拦阻。 14不论是希腊人、非希腊1:14 非希腊人”希腊文是“未开化的人”,指在希腊、罗马文化影响之外的人。、智者、愚人,我对他们都有义务。 15所以,我也切望能将福音传给你们在罗马的人。

16我不以福音为耻,因为这福音是上帝的大能,要拯救一切相信的人,先是犹太人,然后是希腊人。 17这福音显明了上帝的义,这义始于信,终于信,正如圣经上说:“义人必靠信心而活。”

人类的罪恶

18上帝的烈怒从天上降下,要惩罚一切心中无神、行为不义、压制真理的人。 19有关上帝的事情,可以让人类知道的都已经显而易见,因为上帝已经向人类显明了。 20自从创造天地以来,上帝永恒的大能和神性是明明可知的,虽然肉眼看不见,但透过受造之物就可以领悟,因而人类毫无借口推说不知。 21他们虽然明知有上帝,却不把祂当作上帝,既不将荣耀归给祂,也不感谢祂。他们的思想因此变得荒谬无用,无知的心也变得昏暗不明。 22他们自以为聪明,其实愚不可及, 23以必朽的人、飞禽、走兽和爬虫的形象来取代永恒上帝的荣耀。

24因此,上帝任凭他们随从内心的情欲行污秽的事,玷污彼此的身体。 25他们把上帝的真理当作谎言,祭拜、供奉受造之物,却不敬拜、事奉造物主。主是永远值得称颂的。阿们!

26因此,上帝任凭他们放纵可耻的情欲。女人放弃正常的两性关系,做出变态反常的事。 27男人也背弃了和女人正常的两性关系,欲火焚烧,同性之间彼此贪恋,男人和男人做出羞耻不堪的事。他们必在自己的身体上遭受应得的报应。

28既然他们故意不认识上帝,上帝就任凭他们心思败坏,做不当做的事。 29他们心里塞满了各种不义、邪恶、贪婪、阴险、嫉妒、凶杀、纷争、诡诈、恶毒;说长道短、 30背后批评、怨恨上帝、欺侮别人、心骄气傲、自高自大、自我吹捧、无恶不作、违背父母、 31愚钝无知、不守信用、无情无义、毫无怜悯。 32他们明知,按上帝公义的法则,做这些事的人该死,不但执迷不悟,还喜欢别人跟他们同流合污。