Romans 3

Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς;

What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?

What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ.

Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

τί γάρ; εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες, μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει;

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε.

Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”

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.

εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω.

But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

μὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον;

Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?

God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ ψεύσματι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τί ἔτι κἀγὼ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς κρίνομαι,

However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

καὶ μὴ καθὼς βλασφημούμεθα καὶ καθώς φασίν τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά; ὧν τὸ κρίμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν.

Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!

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.

Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως, προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφʼ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι,

What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.

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;

καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς,

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν·

There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν,

“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει·

“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα,

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Their feet are swift to shed blood:

σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν,

ruin and misery lie in their wake,

Destruction and misery are in their ways:

καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν.

and the way of peace they have not known.”

And the way of peace have they not known:

οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ·

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

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.

διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.

Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.

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.

Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν,

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή.

And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,

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:

πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·

and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων

God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

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;

ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.

He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; ἐξεκλείσθη. διὰ ποίου νόμου; τῶν ἔργων; οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

λογιζόμεθα γὰρ δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου.

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ θεὸς μόνον; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν,

Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεός, ὃς δικαιώσει περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως.

since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν.

Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.