Romans 7

1 Do you not know, brethren, (for I speak to them who know law, ) that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a person only as long as he lives?

2 For the married woman is bound, by law, to her husband as long as he lives; but if the husband be dead, she is released from the law of her husband.

For a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning her husband.

3 If, then, indeed, while her husband lives, she be married to another, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from the law; so that she is not an adulteress, though married to another husband.

So then, she will be called an adulteress if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not committing adultery if she is joined to another man.

4 Thus, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law, by the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, who rose from the dead, that we may bring forth fruit to God.

So then, my brothers, you also were put to death with respect to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, so that we might bear fruit for God.

5 For when we were in the flesh, our sinful passions which were through the law, wrought effectually in our members, to bring forth fruit to death.

For when we were in the flesh, our sinful passions, which were aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit leading to death.

6 But now, having died with Christ, we are released from the law, by which we were held in bondage; so that we may serve God in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were held, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? By no means. Indeed, I had not known sin, except by the law. For I had not known even inordinate desire, unless the law had said, "You shall not lust."

What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Yet I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness if the law had not said, “Yoʋ shall not covet.”

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of inordinate desire: for without the law sin is dead.

But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetousness. For apart from the law sin is dead.

9 For I was alive, once, without the law: but when the commandment came, sin revived, but I died.

Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came to life and I died.

10 Yes, the commandment which was for live, the very same was found to be death to me.

So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

12 Wherefore, the law is holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good.

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

13 Has, then, that which is good become death to me? By no means. But sin becomes death, in order that it might manifest itself, causing death to me by that which is good: so that sin, (through the commandment, ) might be an exceedingly great sinner.

Has that then which is good brought death to me? Certainly not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 Besides, we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave to sin.

15 For that which I do, I do not approve; since it is not what I desire that I do: but I do that which I hate.

I do not understand what I do. Instead of doing what I want to do, I do the very thing I hate.

16 If, now, I do that which I do not desire, I consent to the law that it is good.

Now if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

17 But now it is no longer I myself who do this; but sin which dwells in me.

But now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells no good thing: for to desire what is good, is easy for me; but to do it, I find difficult.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. I have the desire to do what is right, but I find that the ability to carry it out is lacking.

19 For the good which I desire, that I do not: but the evil which I desire not, that I do.

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

20 Now, if I do that which I do not desire, it is no longer I who do it; but sin, which dwells in me.

Now if I do the very thing I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find, then, that it is a law to me, when desirous to do good, that evil is near me.

I find then the law that when I want to do what is right, evil is present with me.

22 For I take pleasure in the law of God, as to the inner man:

For I delight in the law of God in my inner being,

23 but I perceive another law, in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and making me a captive to the law of sin, which is in my members.

but I see another law at work in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that is in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?

Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

25 I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Wherefore, then, indeed, I myself serve, with my mind, the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin.

I thank God that he will do so through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.