1 T hen what advantage remains to the Jew? Or what is the value or benefit of circumcision?

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

2 M uch in every way. To begin with, to the Jews were entrusted the oracles (the brief communications, the intentions, the utterances) of God.

Much in every way: first, certainly, that the oracles of God have been entrusted unto them.

3 W hat if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify and make ineffective and void the faithfulness of God and His fidelity ?

For what if some of them did not believe? Shall their unbelief have made the truth of God without effect?

4 B y no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged.

No, in no wise: for God is true, and every man a liar; as it is written, That thou might be justified in thy words and might overcome when thou dost judge.

5 B ut if our unrighteousness thus establishes and exhibits the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust and wrong to inflict His wrath upon us ? I speak in a human way.

And if our iniquity commends the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Shall for this reason God be unjust who sends punishment? (I speak as a man.)

6 B y no means! Otherwise, how could God judge the world?

No, in no wise: for then how shall God judge the world?

7 B ut if through my falsehood God’s integrity is magnified and advertised and abounds to His glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?

For if the truth of God has more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why even so am I also judged as a sinner?

8 A nd why should we not do evil that good may come?—as some slanderously charge us with teaching. Such is justly condemned by them.

And why not say (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? The condemnation of whom is just.

9 W ell then, are we superior and better off than they? No, not at all. We have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), are 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;

10 A s it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one.

as it is written, There is no one righteous, no, not one;

11 N o one understands; no one seeks out God.

there is no one that understands; there is no one that seeks after God.

12 A ll have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!

They are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; there is no one that does good, no, not one.

13 T heir throat is a yawning grave; they use their tongues to deceive (to mislead and to deal treacherously). The venom of asps is beneath their lips.

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

14 T heir mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;

15 T heir feet are swift to shed blood.

their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 D estruction and misery mark their ways.

destruction and misery are in their ways,

17 A nd they have no experience of the way of peace.

and the way of peace they have not known;

18 T here is no fear of God before their eyes.

there is no fear of God before their eyes.

19 N ow we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.

¶ Now we know that all that the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may submit themselves unto God.

20 F or no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin '> not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].

For by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 B ut now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets,

But now, without the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets:

22 N amely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

the righteousness, that is, of God by the faith of Jesus, the Christ, for all and upon all those that believe in him, for there is no difference;

23 S ince all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.

for all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God,

24 a re justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ,

25 W hom God put forward '> before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.

whom God purposed for reconciliation through faith in his blood for the manifestation of his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, by the patience of God,

26 I t was to demonstrate and prove at the present time ( in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has faith in Jesus.

manifesting in this time his righteousness that he only be the just one and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus.

27 T hen what becomes of pride and boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled out entirely). On what principle? of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No, but by the law of faith.

28 F or we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law).

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

29 O r is God merely of Jews? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

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

30 S ince it is one and the same God Who will justify the circumcised by faith '> which germinated from Abraham] and the uncircumcised through their faith..

seeing it is one God who shall justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision by faith.

31 D o we then by faith make the Law of no effect, overthrow it or make it a dead letter? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law.

Do we then make void the law through faith? No, in no wise; to the contrary, we establish the law.