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.
1Ndine Paulo, mtumiki wa Khristu Yesu, woyitanidwa ndi Mulungu kukhala mtumwi. Ndinapatulidwa kuti ndilalikire Uthenga Wabwino wa Mulungu 2umene analonjeza kale mʼMalemba Oyera kudzera mwa aneneri ake. 3Uthengawu ndi wonena za Mwana wake amene mwa umunthu wake anali wochokera mwa Davide. 4Iyeyu ndi amene anatsimikizidwa kukhala Mwana wa Mulungu mwamphamvu za Mzimu Woyera pamene anauka kwa akufa. Kudzera mwa Ambuye athu Yesu Khristu, 5ife tinalandira chisomo chokhala atumwi oyitana anthu a mitundu yonse kuti amukhulupirire ndi kumumvera mwachikhulupiriro kuti dzina lake lilemekezedwe. 6Inunso muli mʼgulu la Amitundu oyitanidwawo kukhala ake a Yesu Khristu.
7Ndikulembera kwa onse okhala ku Roma amene Mulungu amakukondani nakuyitanani kuti mukhale oyera mtima.
Chisomo ndi mtendere zochokera kwa Mulungu Atate athu ndi kwa Ambuye Yesu Khristu zikhale ndi inu.
Paulo Afunitsitsa Kukacheza ku Roma
8Poyamba, ndikuthokoza Mulungu wanga kudzera mwa Yesu Khristu chifukwa cha nonsenu, pakuti pa dziko lonse lapansi anthu akukamba za chikhulupiriro chanu. 9Mulungu amene ndimamutumikira ndi mtima wanga onse polalikira Uthenga Wabwino wa Mwana wake, ndi mboni yanga kuti ndimakupemphererani nthawi zonse. 10Mʼmapemphero anga, nthawi zonse, ndimapemphera kuti ngati nʼkotheka mwachifuniro cha Mulungu, njira inditsekukire kuti ndibwere kwanuko.
11Ine ndikulakalaka kukuonani kuti ndikugawireni mphatso zina zauzimu kuti zikulimbikitseni 12ndiponso kuti tonsefe tilimbikitsane mʼchikhulupiriro wina ndi mnzake. 13Abale, ine sindifuna kuti mukhale osadziwa kuti nthawi zambiri ndakhala ndikufuna zobwera kwanuko, koma mpaka pano pali zolepheretsa, ndi cholinga choti ndidzapezeko zipatso pakati panupo monga momwe ndakhala ndikuchitira pakati pa a mitundu ina.
14Ine ndi wokakamizidwa ndi udindo wotumikira Agriki pamodzi ndi omwe si Agriki, kwa anzeru ndi kwa opusa omwe. 15Pa chifukwa chimenechi, ine ndikufunitsitsa kulalikira Uthenga Wabwino kwa inunso amene muli ku Roma.
16Ine sindichita manyazi ndi Uthenga Wabwino chifukwa ndiwo mphamvu za Mulungu zopulumutsa aliyense amene akhulupirira, poyamba Myuda, kenaka Mhelene. 17Pakuti mu Uthenga Wabwino anawulula kuti chilungamo chimachokera kwa Mulungu. Kuyambira pachiyambi mpaka potsiriza ndi chilungamo chobwera mwachikhulupiriro, monga kwalembedwera kuti, “Wolungama adzakhala ndi moyo mwachikhulupiriro.”
Mkwiyo wa Mulungu pa Mtundu wa Anthu
18Mkwiyo wa Mulungu ukuonekera kuchokera kumwamba. Ukutsutsana ndi kusapembedza konse ndi kuyipa kwa anthu amene amapondereza choonadi mwa chikhalidwe chawo choyipa. 19Za Mulungu zimene zingathe kudziwika, ndi zomveka bwino kwa iwo pakuti Mulungu anazionetsera kwa iwo. 20Pakuti kuyambira pamene dziko lapansi linalengedwa, zinthu zosaoneka za Mulungu, mphamvu zake zosatha ndi chikhalidwe cha umulungu, zakhala zikuoneka bwinobwino. Akhala akuzindikira poona zimene Mulungu analenga, kotero kuti anthu sangathe kuwiringula.
21Ngakhale iwo anadziwa Mulungu, sanamulemekeze ngati Mulungu kapena kumuthokoza, koma maganizo awo anasanduka wopanda pake ndipo mʼmitima yawo yopusa munadzaza mdima. 22Ngakhale ankadzitama kuti ndi anzeru, anasanduka opusa. 23Iwo anasinthanitsa ulemerero wa Mulungu wosafa ndi mafano opangidwa ndi manja wooneka ngati munthu amene amafa, kapena ngati mbalame, ndi nyama kapena zokwawa.
24Nʼchifukwa chake Mulungu anawasiya kuti azingochita zilakolako zochititsa manyazi zauchimo zomwe mitima yawo inkafuna. Zotsatira zake anachita za chiwerewere wina ndi mnzake kunyazitsa matupi awo. 25Iwo anasinthanitsa choonadi cha Mulungu ndi bodza ndipo anapembedza ndi kutumikira zinthu zolengedwa mʼmalo mwa Mlengi amene ali woyenera kutamandidwa mpaka muyaya. Ameni.
26Chifukwa cha ichi, Mulungu anawasiya kuti azitsata zilakolako zochititsa manyazi. Ngakhale akazi omwe anasiya machitidwe achibadwidwe pa za ukwati, namachita machitidwe ena otsutsana ndi chibadwa chawo. 27Chimodzimodzinso amuna analeka machitidwe a ukwati ndi akazi nʼkumakhumbana amuna okhaokha. Amuna ankachita zochitisa manyazizi ndi amuna anzawo, ndipo analandira chilango choyenera molingana ndi zochita zawo zachitayikozo.
28Ndipo popeza anaona kuti nʼchopanda nzeru kumvera Mulungu, Iye anawasiya kuti atsatire maganizo achitayiko kuti achite zosayenera kuchitazo. 29Iwo ndi odzazidwa ndi mtundu uliwonse wa makhalidwe oyipa, zonyansa, umbombo ndi dumbo. Iwo ndi odzazidwa ndi kaduka, kupha, mikangano, chinyengo ndi udani. Iwowo ndi amiseche, 30osinjirira, odana ndi Mulungu, achipongwe, odzitama ndi odzitukumula. Iwo amapeza njira zochitira zoyipa. Samvera makolo awo, 31alibe nzeru, chikhulupiriro, sakhudzidwa mu mtima ndipo ndi ankhanza. 32Ngakhale kuti amadziwa chiweruzo cholungama cha Mulungu chakuti amene amachita zinthu zotere amayenera imfa, iwo sangopitiriza chabe zimenezi, koma amavomerezanso amene amazichita zimenezi.
