2. that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures.
5. Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, so that people of all nations would obey and have faith.
6. You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ.
7. This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
8. First, I thank God in the name of Jesus Christ for all of you. I do this because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith.
9. God has seen how I never stop praying for you, while I serve him with all my heart and tell the good news about his Son.
14-15. It doesn't matter if people are civilized and educated, or if they are uncivilized and uneducated. I must tell the good news to everyone. That's why I am eager to visit all of you in Rome.
16. I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
17. The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”
18. From heaven God shows how angry he is with all the wicked and evil things that sinful people do to crush the truth.
19. They know everything that can be known about God, because God has shown it all to them.
20. God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse.
21. They know about God, but they don't honour him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark.
22. They claim to be wise, but they are fools.