Romans 3
Legacy Standard Bible
There Is None Righteous
3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that (A)they were entrusted with the (B)oracles of God. 3 What then? If (C)some [a]did not believe, does their [b]unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? 4 (D)May it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man (E)a liar, as it is written,
5 But if our unrighteousness [d](G)demonstrates the righteousness of God, (H)what shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? ((I)I am speaking in human terms.) 6 (J)May it never be! For otherwise, how will (K)God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie (L)the truth of God abounded to His glory, (M)why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “(N)Let us do evil that good may come”? [e]Their condemnation is just.
9 What then? (O)Are we [f]better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both (P)Jews and (Q)Greeks are (R)all under sin; 10 as it is written,
“(S)There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “(T)Their throat is an open tomb,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“(U)The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “(V)Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “(W)Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “(X)There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the (Y)Law says, it speaks to (Z)those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and (AA)all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because (AB)by the works [g]of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for [h](AC)through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now apart [i]from the Law (AD)the righteousness of God has been manifested, being (AE)witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the (AF)righteousness of God through (AG)faith (AH)in Jesus Christ for (AI)all those [j]who believe; for (AJ)there is no distinction; 23 for all [k](AK)have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift (AL)by His grace through (AM)the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as (AN)a [l]propitiation [m](AO)in His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, [n]because in the (AP)forbearance of God He (AQ)passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who [o]has faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is (AR)boasting? It is excluded. By (AS)what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 [p]For (AT)we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works [q]of the Law. 29 Or (AU)is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed (AV)God, (AW)who will justify the [r]circumcised [s]by faith and the [t]uncircumcised through that faith, (AX)is one.
31 Do we then abolish [u]the Law through faith? (AY)May it never be! On the contrary, we (AZ)establish the Law.
Footnotes
- Romans 3:3 Or were unfaithful
- Romans 3:3 Or unfaithfulness
- Romans 3:4 Lit in Your judging
- Romans 3:5 Or commends
- Romans 3:8 Lit Whose
- Romans 3:9 Or worse
- Romans 3:20 Or of law
- Romans 3:20 Or through law
- Romans 3:21 Or from law
- Romans 3:22 Or who believe. For there is no distinction, since they all have sinned...and are being justified
- Romans 3:23 Or sinned
- Romans 3:25 Or propitiatory sacrifice
- Romans 3:25 Or by
- Romans 3:25 Lit because of the passing over of the sins previously committed in the forbearance of God
- Romans 3:26 Lit is of the faith of Jesus
- Romans 3:28 One early ms Therefore
- Romans 3:28 Or of law
- Romans 3:30 Lit circumcision
- Romans 3:30 Lit out of
- Romans 3:30 Lit uncircumcision
- Romans 3:31 Or law
Romans 3
New International Reader's Version
God Is Faithful
3 Is there any advantage in being a Jew? Is there any value in being circumcised? 2 There is great value in every way! First of all, the Jews have been given the very words of God.
3 What if some Jews were not faithful? Will the fact that they weren’t faithful keep God from being faithful? 4 Not at all! God is true, even if every human being is a liar. It is written,
“You are right when you sentence me.
You are fair when you judge me.” (Psalm 51:4)
5 Doesn’t the fact that we are wrong prove more clearly that God is right? Then what can we say? Can we say that God is not fair when he brings his anger down on us? As you can tell, I am just using human ways of thinking. 6 God is certainly fair! If he weren’t, how could he judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “When I lie, it becomes clearer that God is truthful. It makes his glory shine more brightly. Why then does he find me guilty of sin?” 8 Why not say, “Let’s do evil things so that good things will happen”? Some people actually lie by reporting that this is what we say. They are the ones who will rightly be found guilty.
No One Is Right With God
9 What should we say then? Do we Jews have any advantage? Not at all! We have already claimed that Jews and Gentiles are sinners. Everyone is under the power of sin. 10 It is written,
“No one is right with God, no one at all.
11 No one understands.
No one trusts in God.
12 All of them have turned away.
They have all become worthless.
No one does anything good,
no one at all.” (Psalms 14:1–3; 53:1–3; Ecclesiastes 7:20)
13 “Their throats are like open graves.
With their tongues they tell lies.” (Psalm 5:9)
“The words from their lips are like the poison of a snake.” (Psalm 140:3)
14 “Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.” (Psalm 10:7)
15 “They run quickly to commit murder.
16 They leave a trail of harmful actions.
17 They do not know how to live in peace.” (Isaiah 59:7,8)
18 “They don’t have any respect for God.” (Psalm 36:1)
19 What the law says, it says to those who are ruled by the law. Its purpose is to shut every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God. 20 So no one will be considered right with God by obeying the law. Instead, the law makes us more aware of our sin.
Becoming Right With God by Faith
21 But now God has shown us his saving power without the help of the law. But the Law and the Prophets tell us about this. 22 We are made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. This happens to all who believe. It is no different for the Jews than for the Gentiles. 23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. 24 The free gift of God’s grace makes us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. 25 God gave Christ as a sacrifice to pay for sins through the spilling of his blood. So God forgives the sins of those who have faith. God did all this to prove that he does what is right. He is a God of mercy. So he did not punish for their sins the people who lived before Jesus lived. 26 God did all this to prove in our own time that he does what is right. He also makes right with himself those who believe in Jesus.
27 So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by the law that requires them to obey? Not at all! They are saved because of the law that requires faith. 28 We firmly believe that a person is made right with God because of their faith. They are not saved by obeying the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of Gentiles? Yes, he is their God too. 30 There is only one God. When those who are circumcised believe in him, he makes them right with himself. Suppose those who are not circumcised believe in him. Then God also will make them right with himself. 31 Does faith make the law useless? Not at all! We agree with the law.
Romans 3
Jubilee Bible 2000
3 ¶ What advantage then has the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much in every way: first, certainly, that the oracles of God have been entrusted unto them.
3 For what if some of them did not believe? Shall their unbelief have made the truth of God without effect?
4 No, in no wise: for God is true, and every man a liar; as it is written, That thou might be justified in thy words and might overcome when thou dost judge.
5 And if our iniquity commends the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Shall for this reason God be unjust who sends punishment? (I speak as a man.)
6 No, in no wise: for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why even so am I also judged as a sinner?
8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? The condemnation of whom is just.
9 What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin;
10 as it is written, There is no one righteous, no, not one;
11 there is no one that understands; there is no one that seeks after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; there is no one that does good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips,
14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
15 their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 destruction and misery are in their ways,
17 and the way of peace they have not known;
18 there is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 ¶ Now we know that all that the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may submit themselves unto God.
20 For by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now, without the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets:
22 the righteousness, that is, of God by the faith of Jesus, the Christ, for all and upon all those that believe in him, for there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ,
25 whom God purposed for reconciliation through faith in his blood for the manifestation of his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, by the patience of God,
26 manifesting in this time his righteousness that he only be the just one and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 seeing it is one God who shall justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision by faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? No, in no wise; to the contrary, we establish the law.
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