²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in ^[a]the Spirit to ^(A)go to Jerusalem ^(B)after he had passed through ^(C)Macedonia and ^(D)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(E)I must also see Rome.”

¹⁰ always in my prayers requesting if perhaps now, at last by ^(A)the will of God, I will succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For ^(B)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be ^[a]established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. ^13 (C)I do not want you to be unaware, ^(D)brothers and sisters, that often I ^(E)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some ^(F)fruit among you also just as among the rest of the Gentiles. ^14 (G)I am ^[b]under obligation both to Greeks and to the ^[c](H)uncultured, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to ^(I)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ^(J)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(K)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(L)Jew first and also to ^(M)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(N)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[d]from faith to faith; as it is written: “^[e](O)But the righteous one will live by faith.”

Unbelief and Its Consequences

¹⁸ For ^(P)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who ^(Q)suppress the truth ^[f]in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because ^(R)that which is known about God is evident ^[g]within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For ^(S)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ^(T)being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not ^[h]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(U)futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ^22 (V)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and they ^(W)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and ^[i]crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore ^(X)God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be ^(Y)dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[j](Z)falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(AA)who is blessed ^[k]forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(AB)God gave them over to ^(AC)degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations ^[l]with women and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(AD)males with males committing ^[m]shameful acts and receiving in ^[n]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[o]to acknowledge God, ^(AE)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, ²⁹ people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are ^(AF)gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, ^[p](AG)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(AH)disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(AI)unfeeling, and unmerciful; ³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(AJ)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(AK)approve of those who practice them.

²⁹ I know that when ^(A)I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³² so that ^(A)I may come to you in joy by ^(B)the will of God and relax in your company.