1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life1:3 Or who according to the flesh was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power1:4 Or was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from1:5 Or that is faith for his name’s sake. 6And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,1:13 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 7:1, 4; 8:12, 29; 10:1; 11:25; 12:1; 15:14, 30; 16:14, 17. that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,1:17 Or is from faith to faith just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”1:17 Hab. 2:4
God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Pavlov pozdrav
1Ovo je pismo od Pavla, sluge Isusa Krista, koji je izabran za apostola, poslan propovijedati Božju Radosnu vijest. 2Tu je Radosnu vijest Bog već odavno obećao po svojim prorocima u Svetome pismu. 3Ta je Radosna vijest o njegovu Sinu Isusu Kristu, našemu Gospodinu, koji je postao čovjekom rodivši se kao potomak kralja Davida. 4Isus Krist, naš Gospodin, pokazao je da je Božji Sin kad ga je Bog silnom moći podignuo od mrtvih Duhom svetosti. 5Kroz Krista nam je Bog iskazao milost i dao apostolstvo da naviještamo svim narodima što je Bog učinio za njih, tako da uzvjeruju i poslušaju ga te donesu slavu njegovu imenu.
6I vi ste među onima koji su pozvani pripadati Isusu Kristu. 7Svima vama u Rimu, koje on istinski ljubi: pozvani ste po Isusu Kristu da budete njegovi, njegov sveti narod.
Neka vam je milost i mir od našega Boga Oca i Gospodina Isusa Krista.
Božja Radosna vijest
8Najprije zahvaljujem svojemu Bogu po Isusu Kristu za sve vas, što vaša vjera postaje poznata po svemu svijetu. 9Bog mi je svjedok koliko se često molim za vas. Neprekidno se molim za vas onomu kojemu služim svim srcem1:9 U grčkome: svojim duhom. navješćujući drugima Radosnu vijest o njegovu Sinu.
10Stalno se molim i za priliku, ako bude Božja volja, da vas napokon uspijem posjetiti. 11Čeznem vas vidjeti da podijelim s vama darove Svetoga Duha, da se osnažite u Gospodinu, 12te da vas ohrabrim u vjeri, ali i da se ja ohrabrim vašom vjerom.
13Htio bih da znate, draga braćo, da sam više puta kanio doći da djelujem među vama i vidim dobre rezultate, baš kao što sam vidio i među drugim narodima, ali dosad sam bio spriječen. 14Dužan sam služiti i civiliziranim i barbarskim narodima,1:14 U grčkome: i Grcima i barbarima učenima jednako kao i neukima. 15Zato i vama u Rimu želim propovijedati Radosnu vijest.
16Zaista, ne stidim se Radosne vijesti o Isusu Kristu jer je ona Božja sila koja spašava svakoga tko vjeruje—ponajprije Židove, ali i druge narode.1:16 U grčkome: Grke. 17Ta nam Radosna vijest govori na koji nas način Bog čini pravednima u svojim očima: od početka do svršetka samo vjerom. Kao što piše u Svetome pismu: “Pravednik će živjeti po vjeri.”1:17 Habakuk 2:4.
Božji gnjev na grijeh
18Ali s neba se zaista očituje Božji gnjev na svaku bezbožnost i nepravednost ljudi koji bezbožnim životom sprečavaju da istina o Bogu iziđe na vidjelo. 19Jer što se o Bogu može znati, zapravo im je već poznato. On im je to obznanio: 20njegova nevidljiva svojstva—vječna sila i božanstvo još se od stvaranja svijeta mogu umom razabrati po njegovim djelima. Zato nemaju isprike.
21Jer iako su znali da Bog postoji, nisu mu kao Bogu iskazali ni slavu ni zahvalnost, nego su im misli postale ispraznima, a nerazumno im je srce potamnjelo. 22Tvrdeći za sebe da su mudri, postali su bezumnima 23te su se, umjesto slavnome i besmrtnome Bogu, počeli klanjati raspadljivim obličjima, kipovima i slikama čovjeka, ptica, četveronožaca i gmazova.
24Zato ih je Bog prepustio nečistoći njihova pohotnog srca pa sami obeščašćuju svoja tijela. 25Jer oni su umjesto Božje istine odabrali laž. Klanjali su se i služili stvorenju umjesto Stvoritelju kojemu pripada slava uvijeke. Amen.
26Bog ih je zato predao njihovim sramotnim strastima: umjesto da imaju prirodne spolne odnose, žene opće međusobno, što je protunaravno, 27a muškarci također nemaju naravne odnose sa ženama, već su usplamtjeli pohotom jedni za drugima. Muškarci s muškarcima čine sramotne stvari te na sebi primaju zasluženu kaznu za svoje zastranjenje.
28Zato što nisu držali vrijednim spoznati Boga, Bog ih je predao pokvarenu načinu razmišljanja da čine ono što ne dolikuje. 29Žive u kojekakvim grijesima, pokvarenosti, lakomosti i pakosti; puni su zavisti, ubojstva, svađe, lukavštine i podmuklosti; ogovaraju, 30klevetnici su, mrze Boga, nasilnici su, oholi, umišljeni. Stalno smišljaju nova zla, neposlušni su roditeljima, 31nerazumni, nevjerni, bešćutni i nemilosrdni. 32Znaju da prema Božjoj odredbi ljudi koji tako čine zaslužuju smrt, ali svejedno tako postupaju. Štoviše, i drugima odobravaju takve postupke te ih tako na njih potiču.
