| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? | 1Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? |
| 2Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. | 2Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. |
| 3True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? | 3What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? |
| 4Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.” | 4Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: "so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged." |
| 5“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) | 5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.) |
| 6Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? | 6Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world? |
| 7“But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” | 7For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner? |
| 8And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned. All People Are Sinners | 8And why not say, "Let us do evil so that good may come of it"?--as some who slander us allege that we say. (Their condemnation is deserved!) |
| 9Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. | 9What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, |
| 10As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. | 10just as it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one, |
| 11No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. | 11there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. |
| 12All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” | 12All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one." |
| 13“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” | 13"Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips." |
| 14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” | 14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." |
| 15“They rush to commit murder. | 15"Their feet are swift to shed blood, |
| 16Destruction and misery always follow them. | 16ruin and misery are in their paths, |
| 17They don’t know where to find peace.” | 17and the way of peace they have not known." |
| 18“They have no fear of God at all.” | 18"There is no fear of God before their eyes." |
| 19Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. | 19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. |
| 20For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Christ Took Our Punishment | 20For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. |
| 21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. | 21But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed-- |
| 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. | 22namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, |
| 23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. | 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. |
| 24Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. | 24But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. |
| 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, | 25God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. |
| 26for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. | 26This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus' faithfulness. |
| 27Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. | 27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! |
| 28So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. | 28For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. |
| 29After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. | 29Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! |
| 30There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. | 30Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. |
| 31Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. | 31Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law. |
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