Romans 1:9

New Living Translation

God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Every time I pray, I always remember you. God knows this is true. He is the one I serve with all my heart by telling people the Good News about his Son. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you. It will happen if God wants it.

Revised Standard Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For God is my witnes whom I serve with my sprete in the Gospell of his sonne that with out ceasinge I make mencion of you alwayes in my prayers

Hebrew Names Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the Good News of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

International Standard Version
For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospelin the gospel">[fn] of his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention youActs 27:23; Romans 9:1; 2 Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:5; 3:10; 2 Timothy 1:3;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

New Century Version
God, whom I serve with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son, knows that I always mention you

Update Bible Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how I unceasingly remember you

Webster's Bible Translation
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

English Standard Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you

World English Bible
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how incessantly I make mention of you,

Weymouth's New Testament
I call God to witness--to whom I render priestly and spiritual service by telling the Good News about His Son-- how unceasingly I make mention of you in His presence,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For God is a witnesse to me, to whom Y serue in my spirit, in the gospel of his sone,

English Revised Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers

Berean Standard Bible
God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

Contemporary English Version
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.

Amplified Bible
For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you

American Standard Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers

Bible in Basic English
For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,

Complete Jewish Bible
For God, whom I serve in my spirit by spreading the Good News about his Son, is my witness that I regularly remember you

Darby Translation
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the glad tidings of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Etheridge Translation
For a witness unto me is Aloha, whom I serve in the spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing at all time I remember you in my prayers.

Murdock Translation
And God, whom in spirit I serve in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, that I unceasingly make mention of you, at all times, in my prayers.

King James Version (1611)
For God is my witnesse, whom I serue with my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne, that without ceasing I make mention of you, alwayes in my prayers,

New Life Bible
God knows how I work for Him. He knows how I preach with all my heart the Good News about His Son. He knows how I always pray for you.

New Revised Standard
For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers,

Geneva Bible (1587)
For God is my witnesse (whom I serue in my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne) that without ceasing I make mention of you

George Lamsa Translation
For God, whom I serve in spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness that unceasingly I make mention of you in my prayers;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For God is, my witness, - unto whom I am rendering divine service in my spirit, in the glad message of his Son, - how incessantly, I am making mention of you

Douay-Rheims Bible
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For God is my witnesse, whom I serue with my spirite in the Gospell of his sonne, that without ceassyng I make mention of you,

Good News Translation
God is my witness that what I say is true—the God whom I serve with all my heart by preaching the Good News about his Son. God knows that I remember you

Christian Standard Bible®
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about his Son—that I constantly mention you,

King James Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

Lexham English Bible
For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you,

Literal Translation
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how without ceasing I make mention of you

Young's Literal Translation
for God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For God is my witnesse ( whom I serue in my sprete in the Gospell of his sonne) that without ceassynge I make mencion of you besekinge allwayes in my prayers,

Mace New Testament (1729)
for God is my witness, to whom I am entirely devoted, in preaching the gospel of his son, that I constantly make mention of you, in my prayers, requesting,

New English Translation
For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually remember you

New King James Version
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Simplified Cowboy Version
I serve God by spreading the good news of his son everywhere I ride. God knows y'all are

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

Legacy Standard Bible
For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how without ceasing I make mention of you,

Contextual Overview

⁸ Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. ⁹ God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. ¹⁰ One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. ¹¹ For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. ¹² When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. ¹³ I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. ¹⁴ For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. ¹⁵ So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Romans 9:1, Job 16:19, 2 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 11:10, 2 Corinthians 11:11, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Galatians 1:20, Philippians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:5-10, 1 Timothy 2:7

whom: Acts 27:23, Philippians 2:22, Colossians 1:28, Colossians 1:29, 2 Timothy 1:3

with: or, in, John 4:23, John 4:24, Acts 19:21, 1 Corinthians 14:14, 1 Corinthians 14:15, Philippians 3:3

the: Mark 1:1, Acts 3:26, 1 John 5:9-12

that: 1 Samuel 12:23, Luke 18:1, Acts 12:5, Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 2 Timothy 1:3

I make: Ephesians 1:16-19, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 1:4, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-13, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:4

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 10:12 - to serve Joshua 22:5 - serve Judges 11:10 - The Lord Jeremiah 42:5 - The Lord be Malachi 3:18 - between him Acts 6:4 - prayer Acts 20:19 - Serving Romans 1:1 - a servant Romans 1:3 - his Son Romans 7:6 - serve Philippians 1:3 - I thank Philippians 1:27 - the gospel Colossians 1:3 - give 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - thank 2 Thessalonians 1:11 - we pray 3 John 1:3 - when

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Genesis 1:5
God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

Genesis 1:6
Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth."

Genesis 1:8
God called the space "sky." And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear." And that is what happened.

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And that is what happened.

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."

Genesis 1:29
Then God said, "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

Job 26:7
God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For God is my witness, whom I serve,.... These words are an appeal to God, and carry in them the nature and form of an oath; the reason of the apostle's using it was, because he was personally unknown to the Romans, and they to him, and so might doubt of his affectionate regard unto them; and therefore for the confirmation thereof he uses it: this was a case which was only known to God and himself, and hence he appeals to him for the truth of it. The object of his oath or appeal, or by which he speaks, is not himself, or anything that belonged to him, nor any creature in heaven or on earth, but God; who in a solemn oath is only to be appealed to and sworn by: he describes him as the God "whom [he] served", to distinguish him from all false gods, and to show that he that takes an oath, should be one that fears and serves the Lord; what he served him in was not the law, but

the Gospel of his Son; Jesus Christ, who is the author, minister, and subject matter of it: he served him in it, by preaching, spreading, and defending it. This is a service, and a very laborious one, and makes for the honour and glory of God. The manner in which he served him was, as he says,

with my Spirit; either with the Spirit of God, which was given to him; or in a spiritual manner, in opposition to the carnal worship of the Jews; internally, in opposition to bodily exercise only, and voluntarily, with his whole heart, soul, and spirit. The matter or substance of his appeal or oath was,

that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; whence may be observed, that prayer to God ought to be constant; and that we should be concerned for others as well as for ourselves; all the saints should share therein.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For God is my witness - The reason of this strong appeal to God is, to show to the Romans the deep interest which he felt in their welfare This interest was manifested in his prayers, and in his earnest desires to see them. A deep interest shown in this way was well suited to prepare them to receive what he had to say to them.

Whom I serve - See Romans 1:1; compare Acts 17:23. The expression denotes that he was devoted to God in this manner; that he obeyed him; and had given himself to do his will in making known his gospel.

With my spirit - Greek, ἐν en, in my spirit, that is, with my “heart.” It is not an external service merely; it is internal, real, sincere. He was really and sincerely devoted to the service of God.

In the gospel of his Son - In making known the gospel, or as a minister of the gospel.

That without ceasing - ἀδιαλείπτως adialeiptōs. This word means constantly, always, without intermission. It was not only once, but repeatedly. It had been the burden of his prayers. The same thing he also mentions in regard to other churches, 1Th 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

I make mention - I call you to remembrance, and present your case before God. This evinced his remarkable interest in a church which he had never seen, and it shows that Paul was a man of prayer; praying not for his friends and kindred only, but for those whom he had never seen. If with the same intensity of prayer all Christians, and Christian ministers, would remember the churches, what a different aspect would the Christian church soon assume!

Always - This word should be connected with the following verse, “Always making request,” etc.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 1:9. Whom I serve with my spirit — λατπευω Whom I worship with the profoundest religious reverence; for so the original certainly means: I not only employ all the powers of my body in this service, but all those of my soul; being thoroughly convinced of the absolute truth of the religion I preach. Probably St. Paul opposes, in this place, the spiritual worship of the Gospel to the external, or what some call the carnal, worship of the Jews. Mine is not a religion of ceremonies, but one in which the life and power of the eternal Spirit are acknowledged and experienced.