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Romans 7
New English Translation

The Believer’s Relationship to the Law

7 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters[a] (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person[b] as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her[c] husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.[d] 3 So then,[e] if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her[f] husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. 4 So, my brothers and sisters,[g] you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God.[h] 5 For when we were in the flesh,[i] the sinful desires,[j] aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body[k] to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died[l] to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.[m]

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I[n] would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else[o] if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”[p] 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires.[q] For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 10 and I died. So[r] I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death![s] 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died.[t] 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.[u] 15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate.[v] 16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.[w] 17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.[x] 19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be[y] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then,[z] I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but[aa] with my flesh I serve[ab] the law of sin.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  2. Romans 7:1 sn Here person refers to a human being.
  3. Romans 7:2 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  4. Romans 7:2 tn Grk “husband.”sn Paul’s example of the married woman and the law of the marriage illustrates that death frees a person from obligation to the law. Thus, in spiritual terms, a person who has died to what controlled us (v. 6) has been released from the law to serve God in the new life produced by the Spirit.
  5. Romans 7:3 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
  6. Romans 7:3 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  7. Romans 7:4 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  8. Romans 7:4 tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”
  9. Romans 7:5 tn That is, before we were in Christ.
  10. Romans 7:5 tn Or “sinful passions.”
  11. Romans 7:5 tn Grk “our members”; the words “of our body” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.
  12. Romans 7:6 tn Grk “having died.” The participle ἀποθανόντες (apothanontes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
  13. Romans 7:6 tn Grk “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”
  14. Romans 7:7 sn Romans 7:7-25. There has been an enormous debate over the significance of the first person singular pronouns (“I”) in this passage and how to understand their referent. Did Paul intend (1) a reference to himself and other Christians too; (2) a reference to his own pre-Christian experience as a Jew, struggling with the law and sin (and thus addressing his fellow countrymen as Jews); or (3) a reference to himself as a child of Adam, reflecting the experience of Adam that is shared by both Jews and Gentiles alike (i.e., all people everywhere)? Good arguments can be assembled for each of these views, and each has problems dealing with specific statements in the passage. The classic argument against an autobiographical interpretation was made by W. G. Kümmel, Römer 7 und die Bekehrung des Paulus. A good case for seeing at least an autobiographical element in the chapter has been made by G. Theissen, Psychologische Aspekte paulinischer Theologie [FRLANT], 181-268. One major point that seems to favor some sort of an autobiographical reading of these verses is the lack of any mention of the Holy Spirit for empowerment in the struggle described in Rom 7:7-25. The Spirit is mentioned beginning in 8:1 as the solution to the problem of the struggle with sin (8:4-6, 9).
  15. Romans 7:7 tn Grk “I would not have known covetousness.”
  16. Romans 7:7 sn A quotation from Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21.
  17. Romans 7:8 tn Or “covetousness.”
  18. Romans 7:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the result of the statement in the previous verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
  19. Romans 7:10 tn Grk “and there was found in/for me the commandment which was for life—this was for death.”
  20. Romans 7:11 tn Or “and through it killed me.”
  21. Romans 7:14 tn Grk “under sin.”
  22. Romans 7:15 tn Grk “but what I hate, this I do.”
  23. Romans 7:16 tn Grk “I agree with the law that it is good.”
  24. Romans 7:18 tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”
  25. Romans 7:25 tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 M sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א1 [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506), the reading of NA28. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucharistō tō theō) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א1 Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 M lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.
  26. Romans 7:25 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
  27. Romans 7:25 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
  28. Romans 7:25 tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.
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رومیوں 7
Urdu Bible: Easy-to-Read Version

شادی کی مثال

7 اے بھا ئیو اوربہنو! کیا تم نہیں جانتے (میں ان لوگوں سے کہہ رہا ہوں جو شریعت کو جانتے ہیں ) کہ جب تک آدمی جیتا ہے اسی وقت تک شریعت اس پر اختیار رکھتی ہے۔ 2 مثال کے طور پر ایک شادی شدہ عورت شریعت کے مطا بق اپنے شوہر کی زندگی تک ہی پابند رہتی ہے لیکن جب اسکا شوہر مر جاتا ہے تو وہ بیاہتا کی پا بندی سے آزاد ہو جا تی ہے۔ 3 شوہر کی زندگی میں اگر کسی دوسرے شخص سے رشتہ رکھے تو وہ زانیہ ہے۔ لیکن اسکا شوہر مرگیا ہے تو بیاہتا کی شریعت اس پر لا گو نہیں ہو تی یہاں تک کہ اگر وہ دوسرے مرد کی بھی ہو جائے تو بھی وہ حرام کاری کر نے کی قصور وار نہ ٹھہرے گی۔

4 پس اے میرے بھائیو اور بہنو! تم بھی مسیح کے بدن کے وسیلے شریعت کے اعتبار سے مر چکے ہو اسی لئے اب تم بھی کسی دوسرے کے ہو جاؤ جو مرُدوں میں سے جلایا گیا تاکہ تم خدا کے لئے کھیتی پیدا کر سکو۔ 5 جب ہم گنہگار فطرت کے مطابق جی رہے ہیں اس سے گناہ کے جذبہ کی خواہش جو شریعت کے باعث آئی تھی وہ ہمارے جسموں پر حاوی تھا تا کہ ہم عمل کی ایسی کھیتی کریں جسکا خاتمہ صرف روحانی موت میں ہو۔ 6 لیکن اب ہمیں شریعت سے آزاد کردیا گیا ہے کیوں کہ جس شریعت کے تحت ہم کو قید میں ڈالا گیا تھا ہم اس کے لئے مر چکے ہیں۔اور اب خدا کی خدمت روحانی طور پر نئے طریقے سے کر تے ہیں نہ کہ لکھے ہوئے پرا نے اصول کے طور پر کر تے ہیں۔

گناہ کے خلاف لڑا ئی

7 پس ہم کیا کہیں ؟ کیا ہم کہیں کہ وہ شریعت گناہ ہے ؟ نہیں، ہر گز نہیں۔ حقیقت میں اگر شریعت نہ ہو تی تو میں پہچان ہی نہیں پا تا کہ گناہ کیا ہے ؟مثلاًاگر شریعت نہ کہتی کہ “تو خواہش نہ کر کہ وہ تیرا نہیں ہے” [a] تو میں نہ جانتا کہ خواہش کا کرنا غلطی ہے۔ 8 مگر گناہ نے موقع پا کر اس حکم کے ذریعہ سے مجھ میں ہر طرح کی غلط خواہشات پیدا کردی۔ کیوں کہ شریعت کے بغیر گناہ مردہ ہے۔ 9 ایک زمانے میں میں شریعت کے بغیر زندہ تھا۔ مگر جب شریعت آئی تب گناہ زندگی میں ابھر آیا۔ 10 اور میں مر گیا۔ وہی شریعت جو زندگی کا حکم دینے کے لئے تھی میرے لئے موت لے آئی۔ 11 کیوں کہ گناہ نے موقع پا کر اس حکم کے ذریعے سے مجھے بہکایا اور اسی کے ذریعے سے مجھے بھی مارڈالا۔

12 پس شریعت مقدس ہے اور اسکا حکم بھی مقدس اور راستباز اور اچھا ہے۔ 13 تب پھر کیا اسکا مطلب یہ ہے کہ جو اچھا ئی ہے وہی میری موت کا سبب بنا ؟ہر گز نہیں۔ بلکہ گناہ میرے واسطے موت لا نے کے لئے کچھ اچھی چیز استعمال کیا یہ ایسا ہوا تا کہ ہم گناہ کو پہچان سکیں۔ یہ ایسا ہوا یہ ظا ہر کر نے کے لئے کہ گناہ بہت ہی برا ہے۔ اور اسے ظا ہر کر نے کے لئے حکم کا استعمال کیا گیا۔

انسان کی اندرونی کشمکش

14 کیوں کہ ہم جانتے ہیں کہ شریعت تو روحانی ہے لیکن میں روحانی نہیں ہوں۔ مگر میں گناہ کے لئے غلام بنکر بکا ہوا ہوں۔ 15 میں نہیں جانتا کہ میں کیا کر رہا ہوں کیوں کہ میں جو کر نا چاہتا ہوں وہ نہیں کر تا۔ بلکہ جس سے مجھے نفرت ہے اور وہی کر تا ہوں۔ 16 اور اگر چہ میں وہی کر تا ہوں جو مجھے نہیں کرنا چاہئے اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ میں قبول کرتا ہوں کہ شریعت خوب ہے۔ 17 لیکن اصل میں میں وہ نہیں ہوں جو یہ سب کچھ کر رہا ہوں یہ گناہ ہے جو مجھ میں بسا ہوا ہے۔ 18 ہاں میں جانتا ہوں کہ مجھ میں یعنی میرے جسم میں کوئی نیکی بسی ہو ئی نہیں۔ حالانکہ مجھے نیک کام کر نے کی خواہش تو ہے۔ نیک کام مجھ سے بن نہیں پڑتے۔ 19 کیوں کہ اچھا کام کر نا پسند کرتا ہوں لیکن وہ تو نہیں کر تا۔ مگر جس برے کام کا ارادہ نہیں کر تا اسے کر لیتا ہوں۔ 20 اور اگر میں وہی کام کر تا ہوں جنہیں نہیں کر نا چاہتا تو اس کا کر نے والا میں نہ رہا بلکہ گناہ ہے جو مجھ میں رہتا ہے۔

21 غرض میں ایسی شریعت پا تا ہوں کہ جب نیکی کا ارادہ کر تا ہوں تو بدی میرے پاس رہتی ہے۔ 22 کیونکہ باطنی انسانیت کی رو سے میں خدا کی شریعت میں خوش ہوں۔ 23 لیکن میں اپنے جسم میں ایک دوسری ہی شریعت کو کام کر تے دیکھتا ہوں جو میری عقل کی شریعت سے لڑ کر مجھے اس گناہ کی شریعت کی قید میں لے آتی ہے جو میرے بدن میں ہے۔ 24 میں ایک کمبخت انسان ہوں مجھے اس بدن سے جو موت کا نوالہ ہے نجات کون دلائے گا۔ 25 اپنے خداوند یسوع مسیح کے وسیلہ سے میں خدا کا شکر کر تا ہوں۔

غرض میں خود ہی خدا کی شریعت کی خدمت اپنی عقل سے کر تا ہوں لیکن انسا نی فطرت میں گناہ کی شریعت کی خدمت کر تا ہوں۔

Footnotes

  1. رومیوں 7:7 اِقتِباس خروج ۱۷:۲۰
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Romans 7
New International Version

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

7 Do you not know, brothers and sisters(A)—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.(B) 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.(C) But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law(D) through the body of Christ,(E) that you might belong to another,(F) to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh,[a](G) the sinful passions aroused by the law(H) were at work in us,(I) so that we bore fruit for death.(J) 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law(K) so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.(L)

The Law and Sin

7 What shall we say, then?(M) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!(N) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.(O) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[b](P) 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(Q) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.(R) 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life(S) actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(T) deceived me,(U) and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.(V)

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good(W) to bring about my death,(X) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(Y) sold(Z) as a slave to sin.(AA) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(AB) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(AC) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(AD) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c](AE) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(AF) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(AG)

21 So I find this law at work:(AH) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(AI) I delight in God’s law;(AJ) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(AK) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(AL) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(AM) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AN)

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(AO) but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.(AP)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
  2. Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deut. 5:21
  3. Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
  4. Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh
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