Romans 2:17-3:20

New American Standard Bible

The Jews under the Law

¹⁷But if you call yourself a ^[a]Jew and ^(A)rely ^[b]upon the Law and boast in God, ¹⁸and know His will and ^[c]^(B)distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, ¹⁹and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, ²⁰a ^[d]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^[e]the immature, possessing in the Law ^(C)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— ²¹you, therefore, ^(D)who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who ^[f]preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? ²²You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you ^(E)rob temples? ²³You who ^(F)boast ^[g]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? ²⁴For “^(G)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles ^(H)because of you,” just as it is written.

²⁵For indeed circumcision is of value if you ^(I)practice ^[h]the Law; but if you are a violator ^[i]of the Law, ^(J)your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision. ²⁶^(K)So if ^(L)the ^[j]uncircumcised man ^(M)keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷And ^(N)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ^(O)judge you who ^[k]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator ^[l]of the Law? ²⁸For ^(P)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹But ^(Q)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and ^(R)circumcision is of the heart, by the ^(S)Spirit, not by the letter; ^(T)and his praise is not from people, but from God.

All the World Guilty

3 Then what ^[m]advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ²Great in every respect. First, that ^(U)they were entrusted with the ^(V)actual words of God. ³What then? If ^(W)some ^[n]did not believe, their ^[o]unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? ⁴^[p]^(X)Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found ^(Y)a liar, as it is written:

“^(Z)So that You are justified in Your words,
And prevail ^[q]when You are judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness ^[r]^(AA)demonstrates the righteousness of God, ^(AB)what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (^(AC)I am speaking from a human viewpoint.) ⁶^(AD)Far from it! For otherwise, how will ^(AE)God judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie ^(AF)the truth of God abounded to His glory, ^(AG)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? ⁸And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “^(AH)Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? ^[s]Their condemnation is deserved.

⁹What then? ^[t]^(AI)Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both ^(AJ)Jews and ^(AK)Greeks are ^(AL)all under sin; ¹⁰as it is written:

“^(AM)There is no righteous person, not even one;
¹¹There is no one who understands,
There is no one who seeks out God;
¹²They have all turned aside, together they have become ^[u]corrupt;
There is no one who does good,
There is not even one.”
¹³“^(AN)Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“^(AO)The venom of ^[v]asps is under their lips”;
¹⁴“^(AP)Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
¹⁵“^(AQ)Their feet are swift to shed blood,
¹⁶Destruction and misery are in their paths,
¹⁷And they have not known the way of peace.”
¹⁸“^(AR)There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the ^(AS)Law says, it speaks to ^(AT)those who are ^[w]under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and ^(AU)all the world may become accountable to God; ²⁰because ^(AV)by the works ^[x]of the Law ^[y]none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for ^[z]^(AW)through the Law comes ^[aa]knowledge of sin.