1 و َأسألُكُمْ أنتُمُ الإخْوَةَ العارِفِينَ بِالشَّريعَةِ: ألَسْتُمْ تَعلَمُونَ أنَّ لِلشَّرِيعَةِ سُلطاناً عَلَى النّاسِ ما دامُوا أحياءَ؟

Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?

2 ت َربِطُ الشَّرِيعَةُ المَرأةَ المُتَزَوِّجَةَ بِزَوجِها مادامَ حَيّاً. لَكِنْ إذا ماتَ زَوجُها، فَإنَّها تَتَحَرَّرُ مِنْ شَرِيعَةِ الزَّواج.

For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

3 و َإنْ تَزَوَّجَتْ رَجُلاً آخَرَ أثناءَ حَياةِ زَوجِها، فَإنَّها تَكُونُ زانِيَةً. لَكِنْ إذا ماتَ زَوجُها، فَإنَّها حُرَّةٌ مِنْ شَرِيعَةِ الزَّواجِ، فَلا تَكُونُ زانِيَةً إذا تَزَوَّجَتْ آخَرَ.

So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

4 ه َكَذا أيُّها الإخوَةُ قَدْ مِتُّمْ أنتُمْ أيضاً، فَتَحَرَّرتُمْ مِنَ الشَّرِيعَةِ بِجَسَدِ المَسِيحِ، لِكَي يُمكِنَكُمْ أنْ تَكُونُوا لآَخَرَ، أيْ لِذاكَ الَّذِي أُقِيمَ مِنَ المَوتِ، لِكَي نُنتِجُوا ثَمَراً صالِحاً للهِ.

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

5 ف َعِندَما كُنّا نَعِيشُ حَسَبَ طَبِيعَتِنا الجَسَدِيَّةِ، كانَتْ مُيُولُنا الآثِمَةُ الَّتِي أنتَجَتها الشَّرِيعَةُ تَعمَلُ فِي أعضاءِ أجسادِنا، فَنُنتِجَ ثَمَراً يُؤَدِّي إلَى المَوت.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

6 أ مّا الآنَ، فَقَدْ تَحَرَّرنا مِنَ الشَّرِيعَةِ الَّتِي كانَتْ تَسْجِنُنا. وَذَلِكَ لِكَي نَخدِمَ اللهَ بَطَريقَةٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، هِيَ طَريقَةُ الرُّوحِ القُدُسِ، لا الطَّريقَةُ القَدِيمَةُ المَبنيَّةُ عَلَى حَرفيَّةِ الشَّريعَةِ. الوَصِيَّةُ وَالخَطِيَّة

But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

7 ف َماذا نَعني؟ أنَعني أنَّ الشَّرِيعَةَ خَطِيَّةٌ؟ بِالطَّبعِ لا! فَأنا لَمْ أعرِفْ ما هِيَ الخَطِيَّةُ لَولا الشَّرِيعَةُ. ما كُنتُ لِأعرِفَ خَطِيَّةَ اشتِهاءِ ما لِلغَيرِ، لَوْ لَمْ تَقُلِ الشَّرِيعَةُ: «لا تَشْتَهِ ما لِغَيرِكَ.»

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “ You shall not covet.”

8 ل َكِنَّ الخَطِيَّةَ استَغَلَّتِ الوَصِيَّةَ، وَجَعَلَتنِي أشتَهِي كُلَّ شَيءٍ. فَالخَطِيَّةُ بِدُونِ الشَّرِيعَةِ مَيِّتَةٌ.

But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.

9 و َأنا كُنتُ ذاتَ يَومٍ حَيّاً بِدُونِ الشَّرِيعَةِ، ثُمَّ جاءَتِ الوَصِيَّةُ فَعاشَتِ الخَطِيَّةُ،

I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;

10 و َمِتُّ أنا! وَهَكَذا فَإنَّ الوَصِيَّةَ الهادِفَةَ إلَى الحَياةِ، هِيَ نَفسُها أدَّتْ إلَى المَوتِ.

and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;

11 ف َقَدِ انتَهَزَتِ الخَطِيَّةُ فُرصَتَها وَخَدَعَتنِي، وَبِتِلكَ الوَصِيَّةِ أيضاً قَتَلَتْنِي.

for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

12 ف َالشَّرِيعَةُ إذاً مُقَدَّسَةٌ، وَالوَصِيَّةُ مُقَدَّسَةٌ وَعادِلَةٌ وَصالِحَةٌ.

So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 ه َلْ يَعنِي هَذا أنَّ ما هُوَ صالِحٌ قَدْ جاءَ بِالمَوْتِ إليَّ؟ بِالطَّبعِ لا! لَكِنَّ الخَطِيَّةَ استَغَلَّتْ ما هُوَ صالِحٌ لِتأتيَ إلَيَّ بِالمَوْتِ، فَظَهَرَتِ الخَطيَةُ عَلَى حَقيقَتِها. فَبِاستِغلالِها لِلوَصِيَّةِ، ظَهَرَتِ الخَطِيَةُ فِي أسوَأِ صُوَرِها. صِراعُ الإنسان

Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. The Conflict of Two Natures

14 ف َنَحنُ نَعلَمُ أنَّ الشَّرِيعَةَ رُوحِيَّةٌ، أمّا أنا فَطَبيعَتي جَسَدِيَّةٌ. فَأنا مُباعٌ كَعَبدٍ، لِأعِيشَ خاضِعاً لِلخَطِيَّةِ.

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

15 و َلَستُ أعلَمُ ما الَّذي يَحْدُثُ لِيْ، لِأنِّي لا أفعَلُ ما أُرِيدُهُ، بَلْ أفعَلُ الأشياءَ الَّتِي أُبغِضُها!

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

16 ف َإنْ كُنتُ لا أُرِيدُ أنْ أفعَلَ ما أفعَلُهُ، فَإنِّي أُوافِقُ الشَّرِيعَةَ عَلَى أنَّها صالِحَةٌ.

But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.

17 ل َكِنِّي لَستُ أنا مَنْ يَفعَلُ هَذِهِ الأُمُورَ فِيما بَعْدُ، بَلِ الخَطِيَّةُ السّاكِنَةُ فِيَّ.

So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

18 ن َعَمْ، أنا أُدرِكُ أنَّ ما هُوَ صالِحٌ لا يَسكُنُ فِيَّ، أيْ فِي طَبيعَتي الجَسَديَّةِ. فَأنا أُريدُ أنْ أفعَلَ ما هُوَ صالِحٌ، لَكِنَّني لا أستَطيعُ!

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

19 ف َأنا لا أفعَلُ الصّالِحَ الَّذِي أُرِيدُهُ، بَلْ أفعَلُ الشَّرَّ الَّذِي لا أُرِيدُهُ!

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

20 و َبِما أنِّي أفعَلُ الأُمُورَ الَّتِي لا أُرِيدُ فِعلَها، فَإنِّي لَستُ أنا مَنْ يَفعَلُها بَلِ الخَطِيَّةُ الَّتِي تَسكُنُ فِيَّ هِيَ الَّتِي تَفعَلُها.

But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 و َهَكَذا، تَعَلَّمْتُ هَذِهِ القاعِدةَ: عِنْدَما أُريدُ أنْ أفعَلَ شَيئاً صالِحاً، أجِدُ أنَّ الشَّرَّ دائِماً عِندِي!

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

22 ف َأنا أُسَرُّ فِي أعماقِ كَيانِي بِشَرِيعَةِ اللهِ،

For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

23 ل َكِنِّي أرَى قانوناً آخَرَ يَعمَلُ فِي جِسْمِي، وَهِوَ يُحارِبُ المَبدَأ الَّذِي يَسُودُ فِي عَقلِي، وَيَجعَلُنِي أسِيراً لقانونِ الخَطِيَّةِ الَّذي يَعمَلُ فِي جِسْمِي.

but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

24 ف َما أتعَسَنِي مِنْ إنسانٍ! مَنْ سَيُنقِذُنِي مِنْ هَذا الجِسْمِ الخاضِعِ لِلمَوتِ؟

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

25 ا لشُّكرُ للهِ فِي رَبِّنا يَسُوعَ المَسِيحِ! وَهَكَذا فَإنِّي أنا نَفسِي عَبدٌ لِشَرِيعَةِ اللهِ بِعَقلِي، وَعَبدٌ لِمَبدَأِ الخَطِيَّةِ فِي طَبيعَتي الجَسَديَّةِ.

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 the law of sin.