New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
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How then is the Jew better off? or what profit is there in circumcision?
2 Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
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Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
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And if some have no faith, will that make the faith of God without effect?
4 By no means! Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written, "So that you may be justified in your words, and prevail in your judging."
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In no way: but let God be true, though every man is seen to be untrue; as it is said in the Writings, That your words may be seen to be true, and you may be seen to be right when you are judged.
5 But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
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But if the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)?
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
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In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world?
7 But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
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But if, because I am untrue, God being seen to be true gets more glory, why am I to be judged as a sinner?
8 And why not say (as some people slander us by saying that we say), "Let us do evil so that good may come"? Their condemnation is deserved!
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Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.
9 What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin,
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What then? are we worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;
10 as it is written: "There is no one who is righteous, not even one;
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As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;
11 there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God.
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Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one."
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They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:
13 "Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of vipers is under their lips."
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Their throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips:
14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
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Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
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Their feet are quick in running after blood;
16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
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Destruction and trouble are in their ways;
17 and the way of peace they have not known."
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And of the way of peace they have no knowledge:
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
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There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
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Now, we have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by God:
20 For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
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Because by the works of the law no man is able to have righteousness in his eyes, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets,
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But now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given 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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That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,
23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
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For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God;
24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
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And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus:
25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;
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Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment;
26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
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And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.
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What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.
28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
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For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the works of 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? is he not in the same way the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles:
30 since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
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If God is one; and he will give righteousness because of faith to those who have circumcision, and through faith to those who have not circumcision.
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, through faith make the law of no effect? in no way: but we make it clear that the law is important.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.