Romans 2
Expanded Bible
You People Also Are Sinful
2 [L Therefore] If you think you can judge others, [L O man,] you are ·wrong [L without excuse]. [L For] When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty, because you [L who are judging] do the same things they do. 2 God judges those who do ·wrong [L such] things, and we know that his judging is ·right [just; justified; L based on truth]. 3 You judge those who do ·wrong [L such things], but you do ·wrong [L the same things] yourselves. Do you think [L O man,] you will be able to escape the judgment of God? 4 You [L Do 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 [L have an unrepentant heart], you are ·making your own punishment even greater [L storing 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 [L glory], 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 [L the Greek; C here 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 [L the Greek; v. 9]. 11 For ·God judges all people in the same way [L there is no partiality with God].
12 ·People [or For all those] who do not have the law [C Gentiles 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 [C Jews 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 [C the written law of Moses]. 15 They show that ·in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands [L the requirements of the law are written on their hearts]. And they show this by their consciences [L bearing witness]. Sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did wrong [L accuse 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 [L law] and ·brag that you are close to God [L boast 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 [L are an instructor to the foolish] and ·teach [L a 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 [L have 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 [C perhaps (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 [L the 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 [C a 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 [L by (physical) appearance]; true circumcision is not ·only on the outside of the body [L the 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.
Romans 2
Common English Bible
Jews are without excuse
2 So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. 2 We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. 3 If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life? 5 You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. 6 God will repay everyone based on their works.[a] 7 On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. 8 But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 11 God does not have favorites.
12 Those who have sinned outside the Law will also die outside the Law, and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 13 It isn’t the ones who hear the Law who are righteous in God’s eyes. It is the ones who do what the Law says who will be treated as righteous. 14 Gentiles don’t have the Law. But when they instinctively do what the Law requires they are a Law in themselves, though they don’t have the Law. 15 They show the proof of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences affirm it. Their conflicting thoughts will accuse them, or even make a defense for them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the hidden truth about human beings through Christ Jesus.
Jews will be judged as well
17 But,
if you call yourself a Jew;
if you rely on the Law;
if you brag about your relationship to God;
18 if you know the will of God;
if you are taught by the Law so that you can figure out the things that really matter;
19 if you have persuaded yourself that you are:
a guide for the blind;
a light to those who are in darkness;
20 an educator of the foolish;
a teacher of infants (since you have the full content of knowledge and truth in the Law);
21 then why don’t you who are teaching others teach yourself?
If you preach, “No stealing,” do you steal?
22 If you say, “No adultery,” do you commit adultery?
If you hate idols, do you rob temples?
23 If you brag about the Law, do you shame God by breaking the Law? 24 As it is written: The name of God is discredited by the Gentiles because of you.[b]
25 Circumcision is an advantage if you do what the Law says. But if you are a person who breaks the Law, your status of being circumcised has changed into not being circumcised. 26 So if the person who isn’t circumcised keeps the Law, won’t his status of not being circumcised be counted as if he were circumcised? 27 The one who isn’t physically circumcised but keeps the Law will judge you. You became a lawbreaker after you had the written Law and circumcision. 28 It isn’t the Jew who maintains outward appearances who will receive praise from God, and it isn’t people who are outwardly circumcised on their bodies. 29 Instead, it is the person who is a Jew inside, who is circumcised in spirit, not literally. That person’s praise doesn’t come from people but from God.
Footnotes
罗马书 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
上帝公义的审判
2 因此，你这论断人的啊，不管你是谁，都难逃罪责。你在什么事上论断别人，就在什么事上定了自己的罪，因为你论断别人的事，自己也在做。 2 我们都知道，上帝必按真理审判做这些事的人。 3 你这人啊，你论断别人，自己却做同样的事，你以为自己能逃脱上帝的审判吗？ 4 还是你藐视祂深厚的慈爱、宽容和忍耐，不知道祂的慈爱是要引导你悔改吗？ 5 你这样硬着心不肯悔改等于是为自己积蓄烈怒，上帝的烈怒在祂施行公义审判的那天必临到你。 6 上帝必照各人的行为施行赏罚。 7 凡是恒心行善、寻求荣耀、尊贵和永恒福分的人，祂要把永生赐给他们； 8 至于那些自私自利、违背真理、行为不义的人，祂的烈怒和怒气要降在他们身上。 9 一切作恶之人必受患难和痛苦，先是犹太人，然后是希腊人。 10 祂要将荣耀、尊贵和平安赐给一切行善的人，先是犹太人，然后是希腊人。 11 因为上帝不偏待人。
12 没有上帝律法的人若犯罪，虽然不按律法受审判，仍要灭亡；有上帝律法的人若犯罪，必按律法受审判。 13 因为上帝眼中的义人不是听到律法的人，而是遵行律法的人。 14 没有律法的外族人若顺着天性做合乎律法的事，他们虽然没有律法，自己就是自己的律法。 15 这表明律法的要求刻在他们心里，他们的良心也可以证明，因为他们的思想有时指控他们，有时为他们辩护。 16 按照我所传的福音，到了审判之日，上帝要借着耶稣基督审判人一切隐秘的事。
犹太人与律法
17 你自称是犹太人，倚仗上帝所赐的律法，自夸与上帝有特别的关系； 18 你受过律法的教导，知道上帝的旨意，能明辨是非； 19 你自信可以做盲人的向导、黑暗中的人的光、 20 愚昧人的师傅、小孩子的老师，因为你从律法中得到了知识和真理。 21 那么，你这教导别人的，为什么不教导自己呢？你教导人不可偷盗，自己却偷盗吗？ 22 你告诉他人不可通奸，自己却通奸吗？你憎恶偶像，自己却去偷庙里的东西吗？ 23 你以律法自夸，自己却违犯律法羞辱上帝吗？ 24 正如圣经上说：“因你们的缘故，上帝的名在外族人中受到亵渎！”
25 如果你遵行律法，割礼才有价值；如果你违犯律法，受了割礼也如同未受割礼。 26 如果未受割礼的人遵行律法的教导，他岂不算是受了割礼吗？ 27 身体未受割礼却遵行律法的人，必审判你这有律法条文、受了割礼却违犯律法的人。 28 因为徒具外表的犹太人不是真正的犹太人，身体上的割礼也不是真正的割礼。 29 唯有从心里做犹太人的才是真犹太人，真割礼是借着圣灵在心里受的割礼，不在于律法条文。这样的人得到的称赞不是从人来的，而是从上帝来的。
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