Romans 3
1 What special privilege, then, has a Jew? Or what benefit is to be derived from circumcision?
What thanne is more to a Jew, or what profit of circumcisioun?
2 The privilege is great from every point of view. First of all, because the Jews were entrusted with God's truth.
Myche bi al wise; first, for the spekyngis of God `weren bitakun to hem.
3 For what if some Jews have proved unfaithful? Shall their faithlessness render God's faithfulness worthless?
And what if summe of hem bileueden not? Whethir the vnbileue of hem hath auoidid the feith of God?
4 No, indeed; let us hold God to be true, though every man should prove to be false. As it stands written, "That Thou mayest be shown to be just in the sentence Thou pronouncest, and gain Thy cause when Thou contendest."
God forbede. For God is sothefast, but ech man a liere; as it is writun, That thou be iustified in thi wordis, and ouercome, whanne thou art demed.
5 But if our unrighteousness sets God's righteousness in a clearer light, what shall we say? (Is God unrighteous--I speak in our everyday language-- when He inflicts punishment?
But if oure wickidnesse comende the riytwisnesse of God, what shulen we seie? Whether God is wickid, that bryngith in wraththe?
6 No indeed; for in that case how shall He judge all mankind?)
Aftir man Y seie. God forbede. Ellis hou schal God deme this world?
7 If, for instance, a falsehood of mine has made God's truthfulness more conspicuous, redounding to His glory, why am I judged all the same as a sinner?
For if the treuthe of God hath aboundid in my lessyng, in to the glorie of hym, what yit am Y demed as a synner?
8 And why should we not say--for so they wickedly misrepresent us, and so some charge us with arguing--"Let us do evil that good may come"? The condemnation of those who would so argue is just.
And not as we ben blasfemed, and as summen seien that we seien, Do we yuele thingis, that gode thingis come. Whos dampnacioun is iust.
9 What then? Are we Jews more highly estimated than they? Not in the least; for we have already charged all Jews and Gentiles alike with being in thraldom to sin.
What thanne? Passen we hem? Nay; for we han schewid bi skile, that alle bothe Jewis and Grekis ben vndur synne,
10 Thus it stands written, "There is not one righteous man.
as it is writun, For ther is no man iust;
11 There is not one who is really wise, nor one who is a diligent seeker after God.
ther is no man vndurstondynge, nethir sekynge God.
12 All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right--no, not so much as one."
Alle bowiden a wey, togidere thei ben maad vnprofitable; ther is noon that doith good thing, there is noon `til to oon.
13 "Their throats resemble an opened grave; with their tongues they have been talking deceitfully." "The venom of vipers lies hidden behind their lips."
The throte of hem is an opyn sepulcre; with her tungis thei diden gilefuli; the venym of snakis is vndur her lippis.
14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
The mouth of whiche is ful of cursyng and bitternesse;
15 "Their feet move swiftly to shed blood.
the feet of hem ben swifte to schede blood.
16 Ruin and misery mark their path;
Sorewe and cursidnesse ben in the weies of hem,
17 and the way to peace they have not known."
and thei knewen not the weie of pees;
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."
the drede of God is not bifor her iyen.
19 But it cannot be denied that all that the Law says is addressed to those who are living under the Law, in order that every mouth may be stopped, and that the whole world may await sentence from God.
And we witen, that what euere thingis the lawe spekith, it spekith to hem that ben in the lawe, that ech mouth be stoppid, and ech world be maad suget to God.
20 For on the ground of obedience to Law no man living will be declared righteous before Him. Law simply brings a sure knowledge of sin.
For of the werkis of the lawe ech fleisch schal not be iustified bifor hym; for bi the lawe ther is knowyng of synne.
21 But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it--
But now with outen the lawe the riytwisnesse of God is schewid, that is witnessid of the lawe and the profetis.
22 a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe. No distinction is made;
And the riytwisnesse of God is bi the feith of Jhesu Crist in to alle men and on alle men that bileuen in hym; for ther is no departyng.
23 for all alike have sinned, and all consciously come short of the glory of God,
For alle men synneden, and han nede to the glorie of God;
24 gaining acquittal from guilt by His free unpurchased grace through the deliverance which is found in Christ Jesus.
and ben iustified freli bi his grace, bi the ayenbiyng that is in `Crist Jhesu.
25 He it is whom God put forward as a Mercy-seat, rendered efficacious through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness-- because of the passing over, in God's forbearance, of the sins previously committed--
Whom God ordeynede foryyuer, bi feith in his blood, to the schewyng of his riytwisnesse, for remyssioun of biforgoynge synnes,
26 with a view to demonstrating, at the present time, His righteousness, that He may be shown to be righteous Himself, and the giver of righteousness to those who believe in Jesus.
in the beryng up of God, to the schewyng of his riytwisnesse in this tyme, that he be iust, and iustifyynge hym that is of the feith of Jhesu Crist.
27 Where then is there room for your boasting? It is for ever shut out. On what principle? On the ground of merit? No, but on the ground of faith.
Where thanne is thi gloriyng? It is excludid. Bi what lawe? Of dedis doyng? Nay, but by the lawe of feith.
28 For we maintain that it is as the result of faith that a man is held to be righteous, apart from actions done in obedience to Law.
For we demen a man to be iustified bi the feith, with outen werkis of the lawe.
29 Is God simply the God of the Jews, and not of the Gentiles also? He is certainly the God of the Gentiles also,
Whethir of Jewis is God oneli? Whether he is not also of hethene men? Yhis, and of hethene men.
30 unless you can deny that it is one and the same God who will pronounce the circumcised to be acquitted on the ground of faith, and the uncircumcised to be acquitted through the same faith.
For `oon God is, that iustefieth circumcisioun bi feith, and prepucie bi feith.
31 Do we then by means of this faith abolish the Law? No, indeed; we give the Law a firmer footing.
Distruye we therfor the lawe bi the feith? God forbede; but we stablischen the lawe.
