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.
問候
1我是基督耶穌的奴僕保羅，蒙召作使徒，奉命傳上帝的福音。 2這福音是上帝從前藉著眾先知在聖經中應許的， 3講的是上帝的兒子——我們的主耶穌基督的事。從肉身來說，祂是大衛的後裔； 4從聖潔的靈來看，祂從死裡復活，用大能顯明自己是上帝的兒子。 5我們從祂領受了恩典並成為使徒，要帶領萬民信從祂，使祂的名得榮耀。 6你們也是其中蒙召信從耶穌基督的人。 7我問候所有住在羅馬、上帝所愛、蒙召做聖徒的人。願我們的父上帝和主耶穌基督賜給你們恩典和平安！
保羅渴望去羅馬
8首先，我藉著耶穌基督為各位感謝我的上帝，因為你們的信心正在傳遍天下。 9-10我在祂兒子的福音事工上全心事奉的上帝可以為我做見證：我如何在禱告中常常想到你們，並求上帝讓我照祂的旨意最終能去你們那裡。 11因為我實在想見你們，好將一些屬靈的恩賜分給你們，使你們堅固， 12也可以說是藉著我們彼此的信心互相激勵。
13弟兄姊妹，我希望你們知道，我曾多次計劃去你們那裡，要在你們中間收穫一些福音的果子，像在其他外族人中一樣，只是至今仍有攔阻。 14不論是希臘人、非希臘人1·14 「非希臘人」希臘文是「未開化的人」，指在希臘、羅馬文化影響之外的人。、智者、愚人，我對他們都有義務。 15所以，我也切望能將福音傳給你們在羅馬的人。
16我不以福音為恥，因為這福音是上帝的大能，要拯救一切相信的人，先是猶太人，然後是希臘人。 17這福音顯明了上帝的義，這義始於信，終於信，正如聖經上說：「義人必靠信心而活。」
人類的罪惡
18上帝的烈怒從天上降下，要懲罰一切心中無神、行為不義、壓制真理的人。 19有關上帝的事情，可以讓人類知道的都已經顯而易見，因為上帝已經向人類顯明了。 20自從創造天地以來，上帝永恆的大能和神性是明明可知的，雖然肉眼看不見，但透過受造之物就可以領悟，因而人類毫無藉口推說不知。 21他們雖然明知有上帝，卻不把祂當作上帝，既不將榮耀歸給祂，也不感謝祂。他們的思想因此變得荒謬無用，無知的心也變得昏暗不明。 22他們自以為聰明，其實愚不可及， 23以必朽的人、飛禽、走獸和爬蟲的形像來取代永恆上帝的榮耀。
24因此，上帝任憑他們隨從內心的情慾行污穢的事，玷污彼此的身體。 25他們把上帝的真理當作謊言，祭拜、供奉受造之物，卻不敬拜、事奉造物主。主是永遠值得稱頌的。阿們！
26因此，上帝任憑他們放縱可恥的情慾。女人放棄正常的兩性關係，做出變態反常的事。 27男人也背棄了和女人正常的兩性關係，慾火焚燒，同性之間彼此貪戀。男人和男人做出羞恥不堪的事，他們必在自己的身體上遭受應得的報應。
28既然他們故意不認識上帝，上帝就任憑他們心思敗壞，做不當做的事。 29他們心裡塞滿了各種不義、邪惡、貪婪、陰險、嫉妒、兇殺、紛爭、詭詐、惡毒；說長道短、 30背後批評、怨恨上帝、欺侮別人、心驕氣傲、自高自大、自我吹捧、無惡不作、違背父母、 31愚鈍無知、不守信用、無情無義、毫無憐憫。 32他們明知，按上帝公義的法則，做這些事的人該死，不但執迷不悟，還喜歡別人跟他們同流合污。
