topRom 3 prev next
Greek: New Testament (NAS)
English: John Barach
Chapter 3
The Faithfulness of God and Human Unfaithfulness
1 Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς; 2 πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον. πρῶτον μὲν [γὰρ] ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ. 3 τί γὰρ; εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες, μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει; 4 μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, καθὼς γέγραπται,
  Ὅπως ἄν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου
καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε. {Psalm 50 (51):4}
1What then is the advantage of being a Jew, or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2Much in every way! First, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4May it never be! Let God be true, though every man be a liar, just as it is written:
  “So that You may be justified in Your words
and prevail when You are judged.” {Psalm 50 (51):4}
5 εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω. 6 μὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον; 7 εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ ψεύσματι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τί ἔτι κἀγὼ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς κρίνομαι; 8 καὶ μὴ καθὼς βλασφημούμεθα καὶ καθώς φασίν τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακά, ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά; ὧν τὸ κρίμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν.
5But if our unrighteousness serves to demonstrate the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous to inflict His wrath? (I am speaking in human terms.) 6May it never be! Otherwise, how will God judge the world? 7But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner? 8And why not say—as we are being slandered and as some claim that we say—“Let us do evil so that good may come”? The condemnation of such people is just.
The Universal Indictment of Sin
9 Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως· προητιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ' ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, 10 καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι
  Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς, 11 οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων,
οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν.
12 πάντες ἐξέκλιναν ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ποιῶν χρηστότητα,
[οὐκ ἔστιν] ἕως ἑνός. {Psalm 13 (14):1-3; 53 (54):1-3}
13 τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν,
ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, {Psalm 5:9}
ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· {Psalm 139 (140):3}
14 ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει, {Psalm 9:27 (10:7)}
15 ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα,
16 σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν,
17 καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν. {Isaiah 59:7-8}
18 οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. {Psalm 35 (36):1}
9What then? Are we any better off? Not at all. For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under the power of sin, 10just as it is written:
  “There is no one righteous,
not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks out God.
12All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who does kindness,
not even so much as one.” {Psalm 13 (14):1-3; 53 (54):1-3}
13“Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they keep deceiving.” {Psalm 5:9}
“The venom of asps is under their lips.” {Psalm 139 (140):3}
14“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” {Psalm 9:27 (10:7)}
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery are in their paths,
17and the way of peace they have not known.” {Isaiah 59:7-8}
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” {Psalm 35 (36):1}
19 Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ· 20 διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.
19Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become accountable to God. 20Because by works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
The Revelation of God’s Righteousness
21 Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, 22 δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή, 23 πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ 24 δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·
21But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested—being witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets— 22even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
25 ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ [τῆς] πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων 26 ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.
25 God publicly displayed Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26this was for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Justice Through Faith, Not Boasting
27 Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; ἐξεκλείσθη. διὰ ποίου νόμου; τῶν ἔργων; οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως. 28 λογιζόμεθα γὰρ δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου. 29 ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ θεὸς μόνον; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν, 30 εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεὸς ὃς δικαιώσει περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως. 31 νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν.
27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, but through the law of faith. 28For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God is one, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we uphold the Law.