Romans 7

1 Surely, friends, you know (for I am speaking to people who know what Law means) that Law has power over a person only as long as they lives.

Or are ye ignorant, brethren, —for unto them that understand the law am I speaking, that, the law, hath lordship over a men as long as he liveth?

2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband while he is living; but, if her husband dies, she is set free from the law that bound her to him.

For, the married woman, unto her living husband is bound by law; but, if her husband have died, she hath received a full release from the law of her husband.

3 If, then, during her husband’s lifetime, she unites herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but, if her husband dies, the law has no further hold on her, nor, if she unites herself to another man, is she an adulteress.

Hence then, her husband being alive, an adulteress, shall she be called—if she become another man’s, but, if the husband have died, she is free from the law; so that she is not an adulteress, though she become another man’s.

4 And so with you, my friends; as far as the Law was concerned, you underwent death in the crucified body of the Christ, so that you might be united to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that our lives might bear fruit for God.

So, then, my brethren, ye also, were made dead unto the law through the body of the Christ, to the end ye might become another’s—his who from among the dead was raised, in order that we might bring forth fruit unto God.

5 When we were living merely earthly lives, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were active in every part of our bodies, with the result that our lives bore fruit for death.

For, when we were in the flesh, the susceptibilities of sins which were through the law, used to be energized in our members unto the bringing forth of fruit unto death;

6 But now we are set free from the Law, because we are dead to that which once kept us under restraint; and so we serve under new, spiritual conditions, and not under old, written regulations.

But, now, we have received full release from the law, by dying [in that] wherein we used to be held fast, so that we should be doing service—in newness of spirit and not in obsoleteness of letter.

7 What are we to say, then? That Law and sin are the same thing? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, I should not have learned what sin is, had not it been for Law. If the Law did not say ‘You must not covet,’ I should not know what it is to covet.

What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin? Far be it! On the contrary, I had not discovered, sin, save through law, for even, of coveting, I had not been aware if, the law, had not kept on saying—Thou shall not covet;

8 But sin took advantage of the commandment to arouse in me every form of covetousness, for where there is no consciousness of Law sin shows no sign of life.

Howbeit sin taking, occasion—through the commandment, wrought out in me all manner of coveting; for, apart from law, sin is dead; —

9 There was a time when I myself, unconscious of Law, was alive; but when the commandment was brought home to me, sin sprang into life, while I died!

And, I, was alive, apart from law, at one time, but, the commandment coming, sin sprang up to life,

10 The commandment that should have meant life I found to result in death!

Whereas, I, died, —and the commandment which was unto life was found by me to be, itself, unto death;

11 Sin took advantage of the commandment to deceive me, and used it to bring about my death.

For, sin, —taking occasion—through the commandment, completely deceived me and, through it, slew me:

12 And so the Law is holy, and each commandment is also holy, and just, and good.

So that, the law, indeed, is holy, and the commandment, holy, and righteous and good.

13 Did, then, a thing, which in itself was good, involve death in my case? Heaven forbid! It was sin that involved death; so that, by its use of what I regarded as good to bring about my death, its true nature might appear; and in this way the commandment showed how intensely sinful sin is.

Did, then, that which is good, unto me become death? Far be it! But [it was] sin, that it might appear sin, through that which was good unto me working out death, in order that, exceeding sinful, might sin become through the commandment.

14 We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am earthly – sold into slavery to sin.

For we know that, the law, is spiritual, —I, however, am a creature of flesh, sold under sin;

15 I do not understand my own actions. For I am so far from habitually doing what I want to do, that I find myself doing the thing that I hate.

For, that which I am working out, I do not approve, —for not, what I wish, the same I practise, but, what I hate, the same I do:

16 But when I do what I want not to do, I am admitting that the Law is right.

Now, if what I wish not the same I do, I consent unto the law that [it is] right.

17 This being so, the action is no longer my own, but is done by the sin which is within me.

Now, however, no longer am, I, working it out, but the, sin, that dwelleth in me:

18 I know that there is nothing good in me – I mean in my earthly nature. For, although it is easy for me to want to do right, to act rightly is not easy.

I know, in fact, that there dwelleth not in me, that is, in my flesh, anything good; for, the wishing, lieth near me, but, the working out of what is right, not!

19 I fail to do the good thing that I want to do, but the bad thing that I want not to do – that I habitually do.

For not, the good that I wish, I do, but, the evil that I do not wish, the same I practise.

20 But, when I do the thing that I want not to do, the action is no longer my own, but is done by the sin which is within me.

Now, if what I wish not, the same, I do, no longer am, I, working it out, but the, sin, that dwelleth in me.

21 This, then, is the law that I find – when I want to do right, wrong presents itself!

Hence, I find the law, to me who wish to be doing the right, that, unto me, the wrong lieth near:

22 At heart I delight in the Law of God;

I have, in fact, a sympathetic pleasure in the law of God; according to the inner man.

23 but throughout my body I see a different law, one which is in conflict with the law accepted by my reason, and which endeavors to make me a prisoner to that law of sin which exists throughout my body.

But I behold a diverse law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and taking me captive in the law of sin which existeth in my members: —

24 Miserable man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body that is bringing me to this death?

Wretched, man am, I! Who shall rescue me out of this body doomed to death?

25 Thank God, there is deliverance through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Well then, for myself, with my reason I serve the Law of God, but with my earthly nature the Law of sin.

[But] thanks be unto God!—Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hence, then, —I myself, with the mind, indeed, am in servitude unto a law of God; but; with the flesh; unto a law of sin.