A TRANSLATION OF
CALVIN'S VERSION OF
THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.
CHAPTER 1
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called Apostle, chosen for the gospel of God,
2 Which he had before promised by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3 Concerning his Son, who came from the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 Declared the Son of' God in power, through the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ our Lord;
5 Through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all nations, for his name's sake;
6 Among whom ye are also the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all of you who are at Rome, beloved by God, called saints: grace to you, and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First indeed I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all, because your faith is proclaimed through the whole world.
9 For my witness is God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that I continually make mention of you, in all my prayers,
10 Requesting that by some means a prosperous journey may some time be given me, through God's will, to come to you:
11 For I desire to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to confirm you;
12 That is, that we may mutually partake of encouragement through mutual faith, even yours and mine.
13 And I would not that you should not know, brethren, that I have often proposed to come to you, (and have been hitherto hindered,) that I might have some fruit among you as also among other nations.
14 Both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish, am I a debtor;
15 So that, as far as I can, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also who are at Rome;
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, since it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first, then to the Greek;
17 For the righteousness of God is in it revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just by his faith shall live."
18 Revealed also is the wrath of God from heaven, against all the impiety and injustice of men, who unjustly suppress the truth of God;
19 Because what may be known of God, is manifest in them, for God has manifested it to them;
20 Since his invisible things are seen from the creation of the world, being understood by his works, even his eternal power and divinity, so that they are inexcusable;
21 inasmuch as when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, nor were thankful; but became vain in their thoughts, and darkened was their foolish heart:
22 When they thought themselves wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image, into that of a corruptible man and of birds and of quadrupeds and of reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them up to the lusts of their own hearts for uncleanness, that they might degrade their bodies among themselves,
25 Who had transformed the truth respecting God into falsehood, and worshipped and adored the creature above the Creator; who is blessed for ever; Amen
26 Therefore, I say, God gave them up to disgraceful passions; for their women turned the natural habit into that which is contrary to nature;
27 And in like manner the men also, having left off the natural use of the woman, burned with mutual lust, one towards another, males working filthiness with males, and receiving in themselves the reward due to them for their going astray.
28 And as they chose not to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do things not becoming;
29 That they might be full of all unrighteousness, wickedness, lust, avarice, malignity, being filled with envy, murder, strife, guile, perversity, being whisperers,
30 Calumniators, haters of God, villaneus, disdainful, haughty, inventors of evils, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, insociable, void of natural affections, truce-breakers, merciless;
32 Who, when they knew the judgment of God, that they who do such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but approve of those who do them.