Romans 1:1-15—A Translation for Pagans

1 [A letter from] Paul

[known to his pagan friends as “Tiny”]:

who is in devoted lifelong service to the Messiah, Jesus,

and has been called to be his diplomatic envoy,

appointed to make a declaration—the declaration—

that comes ultimately from the Divine One; 2

this declaration was promised beforehand through the Divine One’s prophets,

whose words are preserved in the holy Scriptures, 3

and concerns his son,

the one who was born as a human being like us, from the seed of David, 4

but who was appointed the son of the Divine in power

by his resurrection from the dead,

 and who is now a cleansing spirit:

Jesus, the Messiah and divine ruler.

5 It was from him that I received the gift of being an envoy on his behalf

to the pagan nations,

 seeking the obedience that springs from a mind with a new, transformed, understanding; 

6 and you are numbered among them as those who have been called

by the long-awaited King of Israel who now rules on high, Jesus the Messiah.   

7[This letter is addressed] to all those who are in Rome

who are beloved by the Divine One

and are now rightly called cleansed.

 

May the generosity and peace that flow from our Divine Father

and from the Messiah Jesus, our Divine Ruler,

continue to touch you.

8 First of all I give thanks to my Divinity through Jesus the Messiah for all of you because your

new understanding is being talked about everywhere.  9 Indeed the Divine One—whom I

serve, empowered by the divine spirit within me, to make the ongoing declaration concerning

his son —can be a witness if necessary to how constantly I call you to mind, 10 asking

incessantly as I pray that somehow, possibly, now in some way, I might be allowed by the

Divine One’s permission to come to you.  11 I am desperate to see you so that I can give you a

spiritual gift, ultimately so that you will be strengthened.  12 (Of course, this will also be

mutually beneficial because of the transformed understanding that we share together, yours

and mine.) 13 I really want you, who are as dear to me as my family, to know that I have

planned many times to come to you although up until this moment I have been frustrated. I

want to harvest some fruit from around you as I have from among the rest of the pagan

nations.  14 And I say this because I am positively indebted to the pagans, whether to those

who speak Greek or those who know only barbaric tongues, and to both the educated and to

those who have not had that privilege.  15 Hence my constant desire to make the great

declaration among you who live in Rome.