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10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?”
    For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

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10 Do not say, “Why were the old days(A) better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

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10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

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13 Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.”(A)

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13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders(A) that our ancestors told(B) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned(C) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

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13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

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22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.(A)

24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves.(B) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.(C)

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Their females exchanged natural intercourse[a] for unnatural,(D) 27 and in the same way also the males, giving up natural intercourse[b] with females, were consumed with their passionate desires for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.(E)

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind and to do things that should not be done.(F) 29 They were filled with every kind of injustice, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters,[c] insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents,(G) 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.(H) 32 They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die, yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.26 Gk use
  2. 1.27 Gk use
  3. 1.30 Or God-hated

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools(A) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images(B) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over(C) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.(D) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,(E) and worshiped and served created things(F) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.(G) Amen.(H)

26 Because of this, God gave them over(I) to shameful lusts.(J) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.(K) 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.(L)

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over(M) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,(N) 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;(O) 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love,(P) no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,(Q) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve(R) of those who practice them.

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22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

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17 Instead, we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her, just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. We used to have plenty of food and prospered and saw no misfortune.(A) 18 But from the time we stopped making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything and have perished by the sword and by famine.”(B) 19 And the women said,[a] “Indeed we will go on making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her; do you think that we made cakes for her, marked with her image, and poured out libations to her without our husbands’ being involved?”(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 44.19 Gk: Heb lacks And the women said

17 We will certainly do everything we said we would:(A) We will burn incense(B) to the Queen of Heaven(C) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials(D) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.(E) At that time we had plenty of food(F) and were well off and suffered no harm.(G) 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings(H) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.(I)

19 The women added, “When we burned incense(J) to the Queen of Heaven(K) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands(L) know that we were making cakes(M) impressed with her image(N) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

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17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

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None Is Righteous

What then? Are we any better off?[a] No, not at all, for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin,(A) 10 as it is written:

“There is no one who is righteous, not even one;(B)
11     there is no one who has understanding;
        there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    there is no one who shows kindness;
        there is not even one.”
13 “Their throats are opened graves;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of vipers is under their lips.”(C)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;(D)
16     ruin and misery are in their paths,
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, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.9 Or at any disadvantage?

No One Is Righteous

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?(A) Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.(B) 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[a](C)
13 “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”[b](D)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[c](E)
14     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d](F)
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[e](G)
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[f](H)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says,(I) it says to those who are under the law,(J) so that every mouth may be silenced(K) and the whole world held accountable to God.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
  2. Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
  3. Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
  4. Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
  5. Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
  6. Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1

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 none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth 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 have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

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50 Thus says the Lord:
Where is your mother’s bill of divorce
    with which I dismissed her?
Or which of my creditors is it
    to whom I have sold you?
No, because of your sins you were sold,
    and for your transgressions your mother was dismissed.(A)

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Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(A)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell(B) you?
Because of your sins(C) you were sold;(D)
    because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

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50 Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

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The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
    to see if there are any who are wise,
    who seek after God.(A)

They have all gone astray; they are all alike perverse;
    there is no one who does good,
    no, not one.(B)

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The Lord looks down from heaven(A)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(B)
    any who seek God.(C)
All have turned away,(D) all have become corrupt;(E)
    there is no one who does good,(F)
    not even one.(G)

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The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

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11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.(A)

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11 Now the earth was corrupt(A) in God’s sight and was full of violence.(B) 12 God saw how corrupt(C) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.(D)

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11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

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