You People Also Are Sinful

2 [^LTherefore] If you think you can judge others, [^LO man,] you are ·wrong [^Lwithout excuse]. [^LFor] When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty, because you [^Lwho are judging] do the same things they do. ² God judges those who do ·wrong [^Lsuch] things, and we know that his judging is ·right [just; justified; ^Lbased on truth]. ³ You judge those who do ·wrong [^Lsuch things], but you do ·wrong [^Lthe same things] yourselves. Do you think [^LO man,] you will be able to escape the judgment of God? ⁴ You [^LDo you…?] ·think nothing of [despise; have contempt for; disregard] his kindness, ·tolerance [forbearance] and patience. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will ·change your hearts and lives [repent]. ⁵ But because you are stubborn and ·refuse to change [^Lhave an unrepentant heart], you are ·making your own punishment even greater [^Lstoring up wrath for yourself] on the day ·he shows his anger [of (God’s) wrath]. ·On that day everyone will see [^L…and the day of the revelation of] God’s ·right [righteous; just] judgments. ⁶ God will ·reward or punish [give back to; repay] every person for what that person has done. ⁷ Some people, by ·always continuing [persevering] to do good, ·live for [seek after; aim for] ·God’s glory [^Lglory], for honor, and for ·life that has no end [immortality]. God will give them ·life forever [eternal life]. ⁸ But other people are ·selfish [self-seeking], ·refusing to follow [disobeying; or disbelieving] truth and instead ·following [obeying; or believing] evil. God will give them his ·punishment [wrath] and anger. ⁹ ·He will give [or There will be] ·trouble [affliction; tribulation] and ·suffering [distress] to everyone who does evil—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [^Lthe Greek; ^Chere meaning all Gentiles; see 1:13, 14, 16]. ¹⁰ But ·he will give [or there will be] glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [^Lthe Greek; v. 9]. ¹¹ For ·God judges all people in the same way [^Lthere is no partiality with God].

¹² ·People [or For all those] who do not have the law [^CGentiles without the written law of Moses] and who are sinners will ·be lost [perish], although they do not have the law. And, in the same way, those who have the law [^CJews who have the law of Moses] and are sinners will be judged by the law. ¹³ Hearing the law does not make people ·right with [righteous/justified before] God. It is those who obey the law who will be ·right with [justified/declared righteous before] him. ¹⁴ (·Those who are not Jews [Gentiles] do not have the law, but when they ·freely [by nature; instinctively] do what the law commands, they ·are the law for themselves [or reveal their awareness of God’s law]. This is true even though they do not have the law [^Cthe written law of Moses]. ¹⁵ They show that ·in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands [^Lthe requirements of the law are written on their hearts]. And they show this by their consciences [^Lbearing witness]. Sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did wrong [^Laccuse them], and sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did right [defend them].) ¹⁶ ·All these things [or This] will happen on the day when, according to ·my Gospel [the Good News I preach], God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts.

The Jews and the Law

¹⁷ What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You ·trust in [rely on] the ·law of Moses [^Llaw] and ·brag that you are close to God [^Lboast in God]. ¹⁸ You know ·what he wants you to do [his will] and ·what is important [can discern/test what is best/superior], because you have ·learned [been instructed in] the law. ¹⁹ You ·think [are convinced/confident that] you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness. ²⁰ You think you ·can show foolish people what is right [^Lare an instructor to the foolish] and ·teach [^La teacher for] ·those who know nothing [the immature/ignorant; or children/infants]. You have the law; so you think you ·know everything and have all truth [^Lhave the embodiment/formulation of knowledge and truth]. ²¹ You teach others, so why don’t you teach yourself? You ·tell [preach to] others not to steal, but do you steal? ²² You say that others must not commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You ·hate [abhor; detest] idols, but do you steal from temples [^Cperhaps (1) profiting by selling stolen idols to Gentiles; or (2) withholding what is due to God and so “robbing” his temple]? ²³ You ·brag [boast] about ·having God’s law [^Lthe law], but do you ·bring shame to [dishonor] God by breaking his law? ²⁴ It is just as the Scriptures say: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you [Is. 52:5; Ezek. 36:20].”

²⁵ If you follow the law, your circumcision [^Ca key distinctive of Jewish identity; Gen. 17] has ·meaning [value; benefit]. But if you ·break [transgress; disobey] the law, it is as if you were never circumcised. ²⁶ If those who are not circumcised ·do [keep; obey] ·what the law says [or the law’s righteous requirements], it is as if they were circumcised. ²⁷ Those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still ·obey [fulfill; carry out] the law, will ·pass judgment on [condemn] you who, though having the written law and circumcision, ·break [transgress; disobey] the law. ²⁸ They can do this because a person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew ·in his physical body [^Lby (physical) appearance]; true circumcision is not ·only on the outside of the body [^Lthe appearance of the flesh]. ²⁹ A person is a Jew only if he is a Jew ·inside [inwardly]; true circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God rather than from people.