Romans 7:14-25
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold into slavery to sin.(A) 15 What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.(B) 19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. 20 Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. 22 For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, 23 (C)but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.[a] 24 Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.(D)
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Romans 7:14-25
Good News Translation
The Conflict in Us
14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to sin. 15 (A)I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate. 16 Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right. 17 So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it. 19 I don't do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do. 20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I have. 22 My inner being delights in the law of God. 23 But I see a different law at work in my body—a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body. 24 What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ!
This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.
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Romans 7:14-25
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Inner Conflict
14 For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin.[a] 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.
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- Romans 7:14 Gk sold under sin
Romans 7:14-25
New American Standard Bible
The Conflict of Serving Two Masters
14 For we know that the Law is (A)spiritual, but I am (B)fleshly, (C)sold [a](D)into bondage to sin. 15 For (E)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing (F)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 (G)the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, (H)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 (I)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (J)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, (K)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then (L)the [b]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God [c]in (M)the inner person, 23 but I see (N)a different law in [d]the parts of my body waging war against the (O)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner [e]of (P)the law of sin, the law which is in [f]my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [g](Q)the body of this (R)death? 25 (S)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 (T)the law of sin.
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- Romans 7:14 Lit under sin
- Romans 7:21 Lit law
- Romans 7:22 Or with respect to
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts waging
- Romans 7:23 Lit in
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts
- Romans 7:24 Or this body of death
Romans 7:14-25
New International Version
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(A) sold(B) as a slave to sin.(C) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(D) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(E) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(F) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a](G) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(H) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(I)
21 So I find this law at work:(J) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(K) I delight in God’s law;(L) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(M) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(N) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(O) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(P)
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(Q) but in my sinful nature[b] a slave to the law of sin.(R)
Footnotes
- Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
- Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh
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