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.
1Nnwoma yi firi me, Paulo, Yesu Kristo ɔsomfoɔ a wɔayi me sɛ ɔsɛnkafoɔ a wɔasoma me sɛ menkɔka Onyankopɔn asɛmpa no nkyɛn. 2Wɔnam Onyankopɔn adiyifoɔ so dii kan hyɛɛ asɛmpa no ho nkɔm wɔ Apam Dada no mu. 3Saa bɔhyɛ yi fa ne Ba Yesu Kristo a ɔyɛ yɛn Awurade a ɔba ma wɔwoo no sɛ akɔkoaa too Ɔhene Dawid abusua mu no ho. 4Na Honhom Kronkron da no adi pefee sɛ Yesu Kristo yɛ Onyankopɔn Ba, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔnyanee no firii awufoɔ mu. 5Ɛnam Kristo so enti na Onyankopɔn maa meyɛɛ ɔsomafoɔ maa Kristo, sɛdeɛ nnipa nyinaa nam gyidie so bɛyɛ ɔsetie ama Onyankopɔn. 6Mo a mowɔ Roma a Onyankopɔn afrɛ mo sɛ mommɛyɛ Kristo akyidifoɔ no nso, moka ho bi.
7Ɛno enti, meretwerɛ mo a mowɔ Roma nyinaa a Onyankopɔn dɔ mo na wafrɛ mo sɛ mommɛyɛ nʼakyidifoɔ no:
Adom ne asomdwoeɛ a ɛfiri yɛn agya Onyankopɔn ne Awurade Yesu Kristo nka mo.
Aseda Mpaeɛ
8Ansa na mɛka biribiara no, menam Yesu Kristo so da me Onyankopɔn ase ma mo nyinaa, ɛfiri sɛ mo gyidie a mowɔ no aduru ewiase afanan nyinaa. 9Onyankopɔn a mede mʼakoma nyinaa som no, na menam asɛmpa a menam ne Ba so ka no nim sɛ, deɛ meka no yɛ nokorɛ. Onyankopɔn nim sɛ mekae mo daa. 10Ɛberɛ biara a mebɔ mpaeɛ no, mesrɛ Awurade sɛ ɔmmoa mma mentumi mmɛsra mo seesei ara.
11Ɛfiri sɛ, mepere mehwehwɛ sɛ, mɛhunu mo na maboa mo ama moanya Onyankopɔn honhom mu nhyira na ahyɛ mo den. 12Deɛ mekyerɛ ne sɛ, me ne mo nyinaa bɛnya honhom mu ahoɔden ɛberɛ korɔ mu a yɛde bɛhyɛ yɛn ho yɛn ho gyidie mu den. 13Me nuanom, monkae sɛ ɛberɛ biara a mɛyɛ mʼadwene sɛ merebɛsra mo no, na biribi abɛbɔ mu. Mepɛ sɛ mesakra nnipa adwene wɔ mo mu sɛdeɛ mayɛ wɔ amanamanmufoɔ mu no.
14Mo ne obiara, wɔn a wɔn ani ate ne wɔn a wɔn ani nteeɛ, wɔn a wɔasua adeɛ ne wɔn a wɔnsuaa adeɛ nyinaa ho asɛm yɛ mʼasodie. 15Ɛno enti, mede mʼahoɔden a mewɔ nyinaa aboa me ho sɛ mɛba mo nkyɛn wɔ Roma abɛka Onyankopɔn asɛmpa no akyerɛ mo.
16Mʼani nwu Asɛmpa no ho, ɛfiri sɛ ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn tumi a ɔnam so gye wɔn a wɔwɔ gyidie nyinaa nkwa; Yudafoɔ kane ɛnna amanamanmufoɔ no nso. 17Asɛmpa no kyerɛ yɛn sɛdeɛ Onyankopɔn ma yɛyɛ ateneneefoɔ, na ɛnam gyidie so na wama yɛayɛ saa. Sɛdeɛ Atwerɛsɛm no ka no, ɔteneneeni firi gyidie mu bɛnya nkwa.
18Onyankopɔn da nʼabufuo adi firi ɔsoro de tia nnebɔneyɛfoɔ nyinaa ne nnipa a wɔde nokorɛ no hinta afoforɔ no. 19Ɛfiri sɛ Onyankopɔn ada ne nokwasɛm no adi wɔ wɔn mu, na ɔde ne ho nimdeɛ ahyɛ wɔn akoma mu. 20Ɛfiri ɛberɛ a Onyankopɔn bɔɔ ewiase no, ne tumi a ɛwɔ hɔ daa no ne ne nyamesu no ada adi. Nnipa nam Onyankopɔn abɔdeɛ so tumi hunu saa nneɛma yi, enti wɔnni anoyie biara.
21Wɔnim Onyankopɔn, nanso wɔmfa ne anidie a ɛfata no no mma no na wɔnna no ase nso. Ayɛ saa ma wɔn adwene mu nnɔ na esum aduru mu. 22Wɔka sɛ wɔyɛ anyansafoɔ nanso wɔyɛ nkwaseafoɔ. 23Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsom Onyankopɔn onimuonyamfoɔ a ɔte hɔ daa no, wɔfaa nnua ne aboɔ yɛɛ ahoni te sɛ nnomaa, mmoadoma, awɔ ne nnipa somm wɔn.
24Ɛno enti, Onyankopɔn gyaa wɔn maa afideɛ a ɛfiri wɔn akoma mu, ɛno enti, wɔne wɔn ho wɔn ho yɛɛ aniwudeɛ nso. 25Wɔde Onyankopɔn ho nokwasɛm no sesaa atorɔsɛm na wɔsomm abɔdeɛ sene Ɔbɔadeɛ a daa wɔkamfo no no. Amen.
26Esiane saa enti, Onyankopɔn gyaa wɔn maa honam mu akɔnnɔ a ɛyɛ aniwudeɛ. Na mpo wɔn mmaa fa wɔn yɔnkonom mmaa. 27Saa ara nso na na mmarima ne mmaa nna, na mmom, bɔne akɔnnɔ hyɛɛ wɔn maa wɔne wɔn ho wɔn ho daeɛ nam so nyaa akatua a ɛsɛ wɔn.
28Esiane sɛ nnipa poo Onyankopɔn ho nokorɛ no enti, wɔfaa wɔn adwemmɔne so yɛɛ nneɛma a ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔyɛ mmom. 29Amumuyɛ ahodoɔ nyinaa, bɔne, anibereɛ ne nnebɔne hyɛɛ wɔn ma. Nitan, awudie, akasakasa, nsisie ne ɔbra bɔne nso ka ho. Wɔdii nsekuro, 30kaa nsɛm a ɛmfata faa afoforɔ ho; wɔkyirii Onyankopɔn; wɔyɛɛ atutupɛ, ahantan ne ahomasoɔ. Na daa wɔdwene sɛ wɔbɛyɛ bɔne. Wɔantie wɔn awofoɔ asɛm. 31Na wɔnni suban; na wɔnni wɔn bɔhyɛ so; na wɔnni ayamyɛ ne ahummɔborɔ ma afoforɔ. 32Na wɔnim sɛ Onyankopɔn mmara kyerɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔtena ase saa kwan so no sɛ owuo. Nanso wɔnko ara anyɛ saa afideɛ no, na mmom, wɔpenee afoforɔ a wɔyɛɛ saa bɔne korɔ no ara bi no so.
