Romans 2:1-29 (New American Standard)

The Impartiality of God

1 Therefore you have ¹no excuse, ^a2everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which ³you judge another, you condemn yourself ; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God ^brightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you suppose this, ⁴O man, ^cwhen you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God ? 4 Or do you think lightly of ⁵the riches of His ⁶kindness and ⁷tolerance and ⁸patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance ? 5 But ^dbecause of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart ⁹you are storing up wrath for yourself ¹⁰in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 ¹¹who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS : 7 to those who by ¹²perseverance in doing good seek for ¹³glory and honor and ¹⁴immortality, ¹⁵eternal life ; 8 but to those who are ¹⁶selfishly ambitious and ¹⁷do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be ¹⁸tribulation and distress ^efor every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew ¹⁹first and also of the Greek, 10 but ²⁰glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew ²¹first and also to the Greek. 11 For ²²there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned ^f23without the Law will also perish ^gwithout the Law, and all who have sinned ^hunder the Law will be judged ⁱby the Law ; 13 for it is ²⁴not the hearers ^jof the Law who are ^kjust before God, but the doers ^lof the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have ^mthe Law do ⁿ²⁵instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having ^othe Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show ²⁶the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, ²⁷according to my gospel, ²⁸God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

The Jew Is Condemned by the Law

17 But if you bear the name "Jew" and ²⁹ rely ^pupon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and ^q30approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a ^rcorrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^sthe immature, having in the Law ³¹the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, ³²who teach another, do you not teach yourself ? You who ^tpreach that one shall not steal, do you steal ? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery ? You who abhor idols, do you ³³rob temples ? 23 You who ³⁴boast ^uin the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God ? 24 For "³⁵THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES ³⁶BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. 25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you ³⁷practice ^vthe Law ; but if you are a transgressor ^wof the Law, ³⁸your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 ³⁹So if ⁴⁰the ^xuncircumcised man ⁴¹keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision ? 27 And ⁴²he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not ⁴³judge you who ^ythough having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor ^zof the Law ? 28 For ⁴⁴he is not a Jew who is one outwardly , nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But ⁴⁵he is a Jew who is one inwardly ; and ⁴⁶circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the ⁴⁷Spirit, not by the letter ; ⁴⁸and his praise is not from men, but from God.