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 a debtor 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 worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is for ever 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 worth while 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 practise them.
1Saa nhoma yi fi me, Paulo, Yesu Kristo somfo a wɔayi me sɛ ɔsɛnkafo a wɔasoma me sɛ menkɔka Onyankopɔn asɛmpa no nkyɛn. 2Wɔnam Onyankopɔn adiyifo so dii kan hyɛɛ asɛmpa no ho nkɔm wɔ Apam Dedaw no mu. 3Saa bɔhyɛ yi fa ne Ba Yesu Kristo a ɔyɛ yɛn Awurade a ɔba ma wɔwoo no sɛ akokoaa too Ɔhene Dawid abusua mu no ho. 4Na Honhom Kronkron da no adi pefee sɛ Yesu Kristo yɛ Onyankopɔn Ba, efisɛ wonyan no fii awufo mu. 5Ɛnam Kristo so nti na Onyankopɔn ma meyɛɛ ɔsomafo maa Kristo, sɛnea nnipa nyinaa nam gyidi so bɛyɛ osetie ama Onyankopɔn. 6Mo a mowɔ Roma a Onyankopɔn afrɛ mo sɛ mommɛyɛ Kristo akyidifo no nso moka ho bi.
7Ɛno nti, merekyerɛw mo a mowɔ Roma nyinaa a Onyankopɔn dɔ mo na wafrɛ mo sɛ mommɛyɛ nʼakyidifo no:
Ɔdom ne asomdwoe a efi yɛn Agya Onyankopɔn ne Awurade Yesu Kristo nka mo.
Aseda Mpae
8Ansa na mɛka biribiara no, menam Yesu Kristo so da me Nyankopɔn ase ma mo nyinaa, efisɛ mo gyidi a mowɔ no adu wiase mmaa nyinaa. 9Onyankopɔn a mede me koma nyinaa som no, na menam asɛmpa a menam ne Ba so ka no nim sɛ nea meka no yɛ nokware. Onyankopɔn nim sɛ mekae mo daa. 10Bere biara a mebɔ mpae no, mesrɛ Awurade sɛ ɔmmoa mma mintumi mmɛsra mo mprempren ara.
11Efisɛ mepere hwehwɛ sɛ mehu mo na maboa mo ama moanya Onyankopɔn honhom mu nhyira na ahyɛ mo den. 12Nea mekyerɛ ne sɛ me ne mo nyinaa benya honhom mu ahoɔden bere koro mu a yɛde bɛhyɛ yɛn ho yɛn ho gyidi mu den. 13Me nuanom, monkae sɛ bere biara a mɛyɛ mʼadwene sɛ merebɛsra mo no, na biribi abɛbɔ mu. Mepɛ sɛ mesakra nnipa adwene wɔ mo mu sɛnea mayɛ wɔ amanamanmufo mu no.
14Mo ne obiara, wɔn a wɔn ani atew ne wɔn a wɔn ani ntewee, wɔn a wɔasua ade ne wɔn a wonsuaa ade nyinaa ho asɛm yɛ mʼasodi. 15Ɛno nti mede mʼahoɔden a mewɔ nyinaa aboa me ho sɛ mɛba mo nkyɛn wɔ Roma abɛka Onyankopɔn asɛmpa no kyerɛ mo.
16Mʼani nwu Asɛmpa no ho, efisɛ ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn tumi a ɔnam so gye wɔn a wɔwɔ gyidi nyinaa nkwa; Yudafo kan na amanamanmufo no nso. 17Asɛmpa no kyerɛ yɛn sɛnea Onyankopɔn ma yɛyɛ atreneefo, na ɛnam gyidi so na wama yɛayɛ saa. Sɛnea Kyerɛwsɛm no ka no, ɔtreneeni fi gyidi mu benya nkwa.
18Onyankopɔn da nʼabufuw adi fi ɔsoro de tia nnebɔneyɛfo nyinaa ne nnipa a wɔde nokware no hintaw afoforo no. 19Efisɛ Onyankopɔn ada ne nokwasɛm no adi wɔ wɔn mu, na ɔde ne ho nimdeɛ ahyɛ wɔn koma mu. 20Efi bere a Onyankopɔn bɔɔ wiase no, ne tumi a ɛwɔ hɔ daa no ne ne nyamesu no ada adi. Nnipa nam Onyankopɔn abɔde so tumi hu saa nneɛma yi, enti wonni anoyi biara.
21Wonim Onyankopɔn, nanso wɔmfa ne nidi a ɛfata no no mma no na wɔnna no ase nso. Ayɛ saa ma wɔn adwene mu nnɔ na esum aduru mu. 22Wɔka se wɔyɛ anyansafo nanso wɔyɛ nkwaseafo. 23Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsom Onyankopɔn onuonyamfo a ɔte hɔ daa no, wɔfaa nnua ne abo yɛɛ ahoni te sɛ nnomaa, mmoadoma, awɔ ne nnipa som wɔn.
24Ɛno nti, Onyankopɔn gyaa wɔn maa afide a efi wɔn koma mu maa wɔne wɔn ho wɔn ho yɛɛ aniwude nso. 25Wɔde Onyankopɔn ho nokwasɛm no sesaa atosɛm na wɔsom abɔde sen Ɔbɔade a daa wɔkamfo no no. Amen.
26Esiane saa nti, Onyankopɔn gyaa wɔn maa honam mu akɔnnɔ a ɛyɛ aniwude. Na mpo wɔn mmea fa wɔn yɔnkonom mmea. 27Saa ara nso na na mmarima ne mmea nna, na mmom, bɔne akɔnnɔ hyɛɛ wɔn ma wɔne wɔn ho wɔn ho dae, nam so nyaa akatua a ɛsɛ wɔn.
28Esiane sɛ nnipa poo Onyankopɔn ho nokware no nti, wɔfaa wɔn adwemmɔne so yɛɛ nneɛma a ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔyɛ mmom. 29Amumɔyɛ ahorow nyinaa, bɔne, anibere ne nnebɔne hyɛɛ wɔn ma. Nitan, awudi, akasakasa, asisi ne ɔbra bɔne nso ka ho. Wodii nseku, 30kaa nsɛm a ɛmfata faa afoforo ho; wokyi Onyankopɔn; wɔyɛɛ atutuwpɛ, ahantan ne ahomaso. Na daa wodwen sɛ wɔbɛyɛ bɔne. Wɔantie wɔn awofo asɛm. 31Na wonni suban; na wonni wɔn bɔhyɛ so; na wonni ayamye ne ahummɔbɔ ma afoforo. 32Na wonim sɛ Onyankopɔn mmara kyerɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔtena ase wɔ saa ɔkwan no so no sɛ owu. Nanso wɔnko ara anyɛ saa afide no, na mmom wɔpenee afoforo a wɔyɛɛ saa bɔne koro no ara bi no so.
