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Romans 7
New American Standard Bible

Believers United to Christ

7 Or do you not know, (A)brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the [a]Law), that the [b]Law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For (B)the married woman is bound by law to her [c]husband as long as he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law [d]concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is alive she [e]gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she [f]gives herself to another man.

4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were (C)put to death (D)in regard to the Law (E)through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were (F)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were (G)brought to light by the Law, were at work (H)in [g]the parts of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been (I)released from the Law, having (J)died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in (K)newness of (L)the [h]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

7 (M)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (N)[i]Far from it! On the contrary, (O)I would not have come to know sin except [j]through the Law; for I would not have known about [k]coveting if the Law had not said, “(P)You shall not [l]covet.” 8 But sin, (Q)taking an opportunity (R)through the commandment, produced in me [m]coveting of every kind; for (S)apart [n]from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart [o]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [p](T)to result in life, proved [q]to result in death for me; 11 for sin, (U)taking an opportunity (V)through the commandment, (W)deceived me, and through it, killed me. 12 (X)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? [r](Y)Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

The Conflict of Serving Two Masters

14 For we know that the Law is (Z)spiritual, but I am (AA)fleshly, (AB)sold [s](AC)into bondage to sin. 15 For (AD)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing (AE)what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with (AF)the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, (AG)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my (AH)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (AI)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, (AJ)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then (AK)the [t]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God [u]in (AL)the inner person, 23 but I see (AM)a different law in [v]the parts of my body waging war against the (AN)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner [w]of (AO)the law of sin, the law which is in [x]my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [y](AP)the body of this (AQ)death? 25 (AR)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh (AS)the law of sin.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:1 Or law
  2. Romans 7:1 Or law
  3. Romans 7:2 Lit living husband; but if
  4. Romans 7:2 Lit of
  5. Romans 7:3 Lit becomes another man’s
  6. Romans 7:3 I.e., in marriage; lit becomes another man’s
  7. Romans 7:5 Lit our parts to bear
  8. Romans 7:6 Or spirit
  9. Romans 7:7 Lit May it never happen!
  10. Romans 7:7 Or through law
  11. Romans 7:7 Or lust
  12. Romans 7:7 Or lust
  13. Romans 7:8 Or lust
  14. Romans 7:8 Or from law
  15. Romans 7:9 Or from law
  16. Romans 7:10 Lit to life
  17. Romans 7:10 Lit to death
  18. Romans 7:13 Lit May it never happen!
  19. Romans 7:14 Lit under sin
  20. Romans 7:21 Lit law
  21. Romans 7:22 Or with respect to
  22. Romans 7:23 Lit my parts waging
  23. Romans 7:23 Lit in
  24. Romans 7:23 Lit my parts
  25. Romans 7:24 Or this body of death
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Romans 7
International Standard Version

Now We are Released from the Law

7 Don’t you realize, brothers—for I am speaking to people who know the Law—that the Law can press its claims over a person only as long as he is alive? 2 For a married woman is bound by the Law to her husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the Law concerning her husband. 3 So while her husband is living, she will be called an adulterer if she lives with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from this Law, so that she is not an adulterer if she marries another man.

4 In the same way, my brothers, through the Messiah’s[a] body you also died as far as the Law is concerned, so that you may belong to another person, the one who was raised from the dead, and may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living according to our human nature,[b] sinful passions were at work in our bodies[c] by means of the Law, to bear fruit resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the Law by dying to what enslaved us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit, not under the old writings.

The Law Shows Us What Sin Is

7 What should we say, then? Is the Law sinful? Of course not! In fact, I wouldn’t have become aware of sin if it had not been for the Law. I wouldn’t have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said, “You must not covet.”[d] 8 But sin seized the opportunity provided by this commandment and produced in me all kinds of sinful desires, since apart from the Law, sin is dead. 9 At one time I was alive without any connection to[e] the Law.[f] But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life, 10 and I died. I found that the very rule that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity provided by the rule, deceived me and used it to kill me. 12 So then, the Law[g] itself is holy, and the rule is holy, just, and good.

The Problem of the Sin that Lives in Us

13 Now, did something good bring me death? Of course not! But in order that sin might be recognized as being sin, it used something good to cause my death, so that through the rule, sin might become more exposed as being[h] sinful than ever before. 14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am merely human,[i] sold as a slave to sin.[j] 15 I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate. 16 Now if I practice what I don’t want to do, I am admitting that the Law is good. 17 As it is, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me.

18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I don’t do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don’t want to do. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me.

21 So I find this to be a principle:[k] when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. 22 For I delight in the Law of God in my inner being, 23 but I see in my body[l] a different principle[m] waging war with the Law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that exists in my body.[n] 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by[o] death? 25 Thank God through Jesus the Messiah,[p] our Lord, because with my mind I myself can serve the Law of God, even while with my human nature[q] I serve the law of sin.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:4 Or Christ’s
  2. Romans 7:5 Lit. our flesh
  3. Romans 7:5 Lit. members
  4. Romans 7:7 Cf. Exod 20:17
  5. Romans 7:9 The Gk. lacks any connection to
  6. Romans 7:9 Or instruction
  7. Romans 7:12 Or instruction
  8. Romans 7:13 The Gk. lacks exposed as being
  9. Romans 7:14 Lit. am flesh
  10. Romans 7:14 Lit. sold under sin
  11. Romans 7:21 Lit. law
  12. Romans 7:23 Lit. in my members
  13. Romans 7:23 Lit. law
  14. Romans 7:23 Lit. in my members
  15. Romans 7:24 Lit. body of death
  16. Romans 7:25 Or Christ
  17. Romans 7:25 Lit. my flesh
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Romans 6
Romans 8
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