Romans 2
1 Therefore you have nothing to say in your own defence, whoever you are who set yourself up as a judge. In judging others you condemn yourself, for you who set yourself up as a judge do the very same things.
Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man—everyone who is judging—for in that in which you judge the other, yourself you condemn, for the same things you practice who are judging,
2 And we know that God’s judgment falls unerringly upon those who do them.
and we have known that the judgment of God is according to truth, on those practicing such things.
3 You who judge those that do such things and yet are yourself guilty of them — do you suppose that you of all men will escape God’s judgment?
And do you think this, O man, who are judging those who such things are practicing, and are doing them, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you think lightly of his abundant kindness, patience, and forbearance, not realising that his kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Or the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, do you despise, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to conversion?
5 Hard-hearted and impenitent as you are, you are storing up for yourself Wrath on the ‘Day of Wrath,’ when God’s justice as a judge will be revealed;
But according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up wrath to yourself in [the] day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 for ‘he will give to every man what his actions deserve.’
who will render to each according to his works;
7 To those who, by perseverance in doing good, aim at glory, honour, and all that is imperishable, he will give Immortal Life; (aiōnios g166)
to those, indeed, who in continuance of a good work, seek glory, and honor, and incorruptibility—continuous life; (aiōnios g166)
8 while as to those who are factious, and disobedient to Truth but obedient to Evil, wrath and anger, distress and despair,
and to those contentious, and disobedient, indeed, to the truth, and obeying the unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
9 will fall upon every human being who persists in wrong-doing — upon the Jew first, but also upon the Greek.
tribulation and distress, on every soul of man that is working the evil, both of Jew first, and of Greek;
10 But there will be glory, honour, and peace for every one who does right — for the Jew first, but also for the Greek,
and glory, and honor, and peace, to everyone who is working the good, both to Jew first, and to Greek.
11 since God shows no partiality.
For there is no favor by appearance with God,
12 All who, when they sin, are without Law will also perish without Law; while all who, when they sin, are under Law, will be judged as being under Law.
for as many as sinned without law, will also perish without law, and as many as sinned in law, through law will be judged,
13 It is not those who hear the words of a Law that are righteous before God, but it is those who obey it that will be pronounced righteous.
for not the hearers of the Law [are] righteous before God, but the doers of the Law will be declared righteous.
14 When Gentiles, who have no Law, do instinctively what the Law requires, they, though they have no Law, are a Law to themselves;
For when nations that have no law, by nature may do the things of the Law, these not having a law—to themselves are a law,
15 for they show the demands of the Law written upon their hearts; their consciences corroborating it, while in their thoughts they argue either in self-accusation or, it may be, in self-defence —
who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also witnessing with them, and between one another the thoughts accusing or else defending,
16 on the day when God passes judgment on men’s inmost lives, as the Good News that I tell declares that he will do through Christ Jesus.
in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my good news, through Jesus Christ.
17 But, perhaps, you bear the name of ‘Jew,’ and are relying upon Law, and boast of belonging to God, and understand his will,
Behold, you are named a Jew, and rest on the Law, and boast in God,
18 and, having been carefully instructed from the Law, have learned to appreciate the finer moral distinctions.
and know the will, and approve the distinctions, being instructed out of the Law,
19 Perhaps you are confident that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in the dark, an instructor of the unintelligent,
and have confidence that you yourself are a leader of blind ones, a light of those in darkness,
20 and a teacher of the childish, because in the Law you possess the outline of all Knowledge and Truth.
a corrector of foolish ones, a teacher of babies, having the form of the knowledge and of the truth in the Law.
21 Why, then, you teacher of others, do not you teach yourself? Do you preach against stealing, and yet steal?
You, then, who are teaching another, do you not teach yourself?
22 Do you forbid adultery, and yet commit adultery? Do you loathe idols, and yet plunder temples?
You who are preaching not to steal, do you steal? You who are saying not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who are abhorring the idols, do you rob temples?
23 Boasting, as you do, of your Law, do you dishonour God by breaking the Law?
You who boast in the Law, through the transgression of the Law do you dishonor God?
24 For, as Scripture says — ‘The name of God is reviled among the Gentiles because of you’!
For evil is spoken of the Name of God among the nations because of you, according as it has been written.
25 Circumcision has its value, if you are obeying the Law. But, if you are a breaker of the Law, your circumcision is no better than uncircumcision.
For circumcision, indeed, profits, if you may practice law, but if you may be a transgressor of law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 If, then, an uncircumcised man pays regard to the requirements of the Law, will not he, although not circumcised, be regarded by God as if he were?
If, therefore, the uncircumcision may keep the righteousness of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision?
27 Indeed, the man who, owing to his birth, remains uncircumcised, and yet scrupulously obeys the Law, will condemn you, who, for all your written Law and your circumcision, are yet a breaker of the Law.
And the uncircumcision, by nature, fulfilling the Law, will judge you who, through letter and circumcision, [are] a transgressor of law.
28 For a man who is only a Jew outwardly is not a real Jew; nor is outward bodily circumcision real circumcision. The real Jew is the man who is a Jew in soul;
For he is not a Jew who is [so] outwardly, neither [is] circumcision that which is outward in flesh;
29 and the real circumcision is the circumcision of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal thing. Such a man wins praise from God, though not from men.
but a Jew [is] he who is [so] inwardly, and circumcision [is] of the heart, in spirit, not in letter, of which the praise is not of men, but of God.
