Roma 1:21-25

1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts ¹  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ²  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ³  or birds or four-footed animals ⁴  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ⁵  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ⁶  their bodies among themselves. ⁷  1:25 They ⁸  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ⁹  and worshiped and served the creation ¹⁰  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Roma 1:28-31

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ¹¹  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ¹²  1:29 They are filled ¹³  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ¹⁴  envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, ¹⁵  heartless, ruthless.

¹ tn Grk “heart.”

² tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

³ tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

⁴ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

⁵ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

⁶ tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

⁷ tn Grk “among them.”

⁸ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁹ tn Grk “the lie.”

¹⁰ tn Or “creature, created things.”

¹¹ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

¹² tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

¹³ tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

¹⁴ tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

¹⁵ tn Or “promise-breakers.”