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)

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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

The Whole World Guilty before God

What then? Are we any better?[a] Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews(A) and Gentiles[b](B) are all under sin,[c](C) 10 as it is written:[d]

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;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.(D)[e]
13 Their throat is an open grave;
they deceive with their tongues.(E)[f]
Vipers’ venom is under their lips.(F)[g]
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.(G)[h]
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
17 and the path of peace they have not known.(H)[i]
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.(I)[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:9 Are we Jews any better than the Gentiles?
  2. Romans 3:9 Lit Greeks
  3. Romans 3:9 Under sin’s power or dominion
  4. Romans 3:10 Paul constructs this charge from a chain of OT quotations, mainly from the Psalms.
  5. Romans 3:12 Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ec 7:20
  6. Romans 3:13 Ps 5:9
  7. Romans 3:13 Ps 140:3
  8. Romans 3:14 Ps 10:7
  9. Romans 3:17 Is 59:7-8
  10. Romans 3:18 Ps 36:1