Romans 3
New Matthew Bible
Paul shows what preferment the Jews have, and that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, and are justified only by the grace of God in Christ.
3 What preferment, then, has the Jew? Or what advantage from circumcision? 2 Surely very much. The word of God was committed first to them. 3 What, then, if some of them did not believe? Does their unbelief make the promise of God without effect? 4 God forbid. Let God be true and all men liars, as it is written: That you may be justified in your words, and should overcome when you are judged.
5 If our unrighteousness makes the righteousness of God more excellent, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous, who takes vengeance? I speak after the manner of men. 6 God forbid, for how then will God judge the world? 7 If the truth of God appears more excellent through my lie, to his glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say rather (as some ill report of us, and as some allege we say), let us do evil, so that good may come of it? Their condemnation is just.
9 What are we saying then? Are we better than they? No, not in any way. For we have already established that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, 10 as it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one. 11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way. They are all unprofitable. There is no one who does good: no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre. With their tongues they have deceived. The poison of asps is under their lips. 14 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16 Destruction and wretchedness are in their ways, 17 and the way of peace they have not known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Yea and we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that all mouths may be stopped, and all the world be subdued to God, 20 because no flesh can be justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the law. For by the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now is declared the righteousness that comes of God without the fulfilling of the law, yet having the witness of the law and of the prophets. 22 Without doubt, the righteousness which is good before God comes by the faith of Jesus Christ, to all and upon all who believe.
There is no difference. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 but are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 Him God has made a seat of mercy, through faith in his blood, to show the righteousness that is of value before him, in that he forgives the sins that are past. 26 These God suffered in order to show at this time the righteousness that is granted by him, so that he may be counted just, and a justifier of the person who believes on Jesus.
27 Where then is self-righteousness? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we hold that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, even of the Gentiles also. 30 For there is one God, who justifies circumcision which is of faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then destroy the law through faith? God forbid. But we rather maintain the law.
Romerne 3
Bibelen på hverdagsdansk
Gud er retfærdig og vil dømme al ondskab
3 „Jamen, er omskærelsen da til ingen nytte? Har vi jøder da slet ingen fortrin?” er der måske nogle af jer, der vil spørge. 2 Jo, vi har mange fortrin. Først og fremmest var det os, der fik Guds ord betroet. 3 Ganske vist var mange jøder ikke lydige mod det, Gud sagde til dem, men deres manglende trofasthed betyder ikke, at Gud holder op med at være trofast. 4 Gud står ved sit ord, om så alle andre svigter. Som David sagde til Gud: „Du anklager mig med rette, din dom er retfærdig.”[a]
5 „Jamen, hvis nu vores synder får folk til at kunne se Guds godhed, er det så ikke uretfærdigt af ham at straffe os?” Sikke noget sludder! 6 Selvfølgelig ikke! Hvordan skulle Gud kunne være en retfærdig dommer, hvis han ikke straffer alt det onde? 7 „Jamen, hvis nu mine små løgne sætter Guds sandhed i relief og dermed ophøjer ham, så burde han vel ikke se på mig som en synder?” 8 Hvis det var rigtigt, kunne man lige så godt sige: „Lad os gøre det onde, for så kan folk lettere se det gode.” Der er ligefrem nogle, der ondskabsfuldt påstår, at vi siger sådan. De vil få deres velfortjente straf.
Også jøderne er under Guds dom
9 „Hvad så?” spørger du måske. „Er vi jøder da ikke bedre end andre mennesker?” Nej, for jeg har jo allerede gjort rede for, at alle mennesker, både jøder og ikke-jøder, er under syndens magt. 10 Det fremgår også af følgende citater fra Skrifterne:[b]
„Ingen gør Guds vilje,
ikke en eneste.
11 Ingen er forstandig,
ingen søger Gud.
12 Alle er kommet på afveje,
fordærvede af synd.
Ingen gør det gode,
ikke én eneste.”
13 „Deres strube stinker som en åben grav,
deres tunge er belagt med smiger.”
„Deres ord dræber som slangegift.”
14 „De har munden fuld af forbandelser og trusler.”
15 „De kommer hurtigt ind i slagsmål og vold.
16 Der er ødelæggelse og elendighed i deres kølvand.
17 De kender ikke fredens vej.”
18 „De har ingen respekt for Gud.”
19 Vi ved, at Skriften[c] henvender sig til dem, der tror på den. Når Skriften på den måde udtaler dom over jøderne, forstår vi, at hele verden er under Guds dom, også jøderne. Ingen kan undskylde sig. 20 Der er nemlig ingen mennesker, der kan blive accepteret af Gud ved at prøve at overholde Guds lov. Den afslører kun, at vi ikke kan overholde den.
Hvordan bliver man accepteret af Gud?
21-22 Gud har nu åbenbaret en ny måde, hvorpå vi kan blive accepteret af ham, og den er allerede omtalt i Toraen[d] og de Profetiske Bøger. Det sker ikke ved at overholde den jødiske lov, men ved at tro på Jesus Kristus, og det gælder alle mennesker, uanset deres baggrund. 23 Alle har jo svigtet og lever ikke op til Guds ideal.[e] 24 Men vi bliver erklæret skyldfri på grund af Guds nåde. Det er en gave til os. Gaven består i, at Jesus Kristus påtog sig den straf, vi skulle have haft. 25-26 Gud sendte Kristus, for at han ved sin død skulle tage straffen for alle menneskers synder. Før Kristus døde, var Gud på grund af sin barmhjertighed villig til at udskyde straffen for de synder, som blev begået i fortiden. Nu, da Kristus er kommet, bliver alle, som tror på ham, erklæret skyldfri på trods af deres synd.[f] Det er ikke i strid med Guds retfærdighed at gøre sådan, for Kristus har taget straffen for alle menneskers oprør og synd.
27 Hvad har vi så at rose os af? Ingenting, for Gud accepterer os ikke på grund af vores gode gerninger, men på grund af vores tro. 28 Et menneske bliver accepteret af Gud ved at tro på Kristus og ikke ved at skulle leve op til det, som den jødiske lov forlanger.
29 Eller er Gud måske kun Gud for os jøder? Er han ikke også Gud for alle de andre folkeslag? Jo, det er han. 30 For der er kun én Gud, og han accepterer alle mennesker som skyldfri, hvis de tror på Jesus, hvad enten de er jøder eller ej.
31 Betyder vores tro så, at vi bare skal smide Guds lov væk? Nej, bestemt ikke, vi skal opfylde[g] den.
Footnotes
- 3,4 Sl. 51,6 LXX.
- 3,10 Henviser til Sl. 14,1-3 (= 53,2-4); Sl. 5,10b; Sl. 140,4b; Sl. 10,7a; Es. 59,7-8 og Sl. 36,2.
- 3,19 Ordret: „Loven”. Det græske ord svarer til det hebraiske Torah, som nogle gange henviser til de fem første bøger i Bibelen, kaldet Mosebøgerne, nogle gange som her til hele den jødiske Skrift, vores Gamle Testamente.
- 3,21-22 På græsk „loven”, som er den almindelige oversættelse af det hebraiske Torah. Det henviser her til de fem Mosebøger.
- 3,23 Eller: Guds herlighed.
- 3,25-26 „Synd” betyder manglende tillid til Guds godhed og kærlighed med deraf følgende oprør imod ham.
- 3,31 Eller: „give den sin rette plads”. Det græske ords betydning er omstridt. Oversættelsen her bygger på, at det samme ord bruges i Es. 44,26 (LXX), og det ser ud til at være den samme tanke, som findes i Matt. 5,17. Desuden må teksten sammenlignes med, hvad Paulus skriver i Rom. 8,4; 13,8-10 og Ef. 2,15. Det er også muligt at oversætte: „Men den skal bestå” eller „Men den skal fortsat eksistere.” Derimod er det næppe korrekt at oversætte med „vi hævder loven” (1907), „vi stadfæster loven” (1948) eller „vi gør loven gældende” (1992).
Romans 3
King James Version
3 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
9 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.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
Bibelen på hverdagsdansk (Danish New Living Bible) Copyright © 2002, 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.