Romans 3:9-26
New International Version
No One Is Righteous
9 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) 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law;(M) rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.(N)
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God(O) has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.(P) 22 This righteousness(Q) is given through faith(R) in[g] Jesus Christ(S) to all who believe.(T) There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,(U) 23 for all have sinned(V) and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified(W) freely by his grace(X) through the redemption(Y) that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[h](Z) through the shedding of his blood(AA)—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished(AB)— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Footnotes
- Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
- Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
- Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
- Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
- Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
- Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1
- Romans 3:22 Or through the faithfulness of
- Romans 3:25 The Greek for sacrifice of atonement refers to the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant (see Lev. 16:15,16).
Romans 3:9-26
New King James Version
All Have Sinned(A)
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that (B)they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
(C)“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their(D) throat is an open [a]tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
(E)“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose(F) mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their(G) 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(H) is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever (I)the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that (J)every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [b]guilty before God. 20 Therefore (K)by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now (L)the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, (M)being witnessed by the Law (N)and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all [c]and on all who believe. For (O)there is no difference; 23 for (P)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [d]freely (Q)by His grace (R)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth (S)as a [e]propitiation (T)by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over (U)the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 3:13 grave
- Romans 3:19 accountable
- Romans 3:22 NU omits and on all
- Romans 3:24 without any cost
- Romans 3:25 mercy seat
Romans 3:9-26
Contemporary English Version
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off[a] than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 (A) The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 (B) Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 (C) and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 (D) These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 (E) They don't even fear God.”
19 We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. 20 (F) God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
God's Way of Accepting People
21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets[b] tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 (G) God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26 (H) God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.
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Romans 3:9-26
New Living Translation
All People Are Sinners
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles,[a] are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”[b]
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”[c]
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d]
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”[e]
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”[f]
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[g] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
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