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Common English Bible CEB
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
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So what's the advantage of being a Jew? Or what's the benefit of circumcision?
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
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Plenty in every way. First of all, the Jews were trusted with God's revelations.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
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What does it matter, then, if some weren't faithful? Their lack of faith won't cancel God's faithfulness, will it?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged."
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Absolutely not! God must be true, even if every human being is a liar, as it is written: So that it can show that you are right in your words; and you will triumph when you are judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
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But if our lack of righteousness confirms God's justice, what will we say? That God, who brings wrath upon us, isn't just (I'm speaking rhetorically)?
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
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Absolutely not! If God weren't just, how could he judge the world?
7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
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But if God's truth is demonstrated by my lie and it increases his glory, why am I still judged as a sinner?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?--as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
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Why not say, "Let's do evil things so that good things will come out of it"? (Some people who slander us accuse us of saying that, but these people deserve criticism.)
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
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So what are we saying? Are we better off? Not at all. We have already stated the charge: both Jews and Greeks are all under the power of sin.
10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
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As it is written, There is no righteous person, not even one.
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
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There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
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They all turned away. They have become worthless together. There is no one who shows kindness. There is not even one.
13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."
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Their throat is a grave that has been opened. They are deceitful with their tongues, and the poison of vipers is under their lips.
14 "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
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Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
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Their feet are quick to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
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destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 and the way of peace they have not known."
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and they don't know the way of peace.
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
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There is no fear of God in their view of the world.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
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Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, in order to shut every mouth and make it so the whole world has to answer to God.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
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It follows that no human being will be treated as righteous in his presence by doing what the Law says, because the knowledge of sin comes through the Law.
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--
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But now God's righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets.
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
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God's righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There's no distinction.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
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All have sinned and fall short of God's glory,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
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but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus.
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
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Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before,
26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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during the time of God's patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
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What happens to our bragging? It's thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law?
28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
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No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law.
29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
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Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn't God the God of Gentiles also? Yes, God is also the God of Gentiles.
30 since God is one--who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
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Since God is one, then the one who makes the circumcised righteous by faith will also make the one who isn't circumcised righteous through faith.
31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
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Do we then cancel the Law through this faith? Absolutely not! Instead, we confirm the Law.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible