Romans 7

1 Brethren, do you not know--for I am writing to people acquainted with the Law--that it is during our lifetime that we are subject to the Law?

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 A wife, for instance, whose husband is living is bound to him by the Law; but if her husband dies the law that bound her to him has now no hold over her.

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 This accounts for the fact that if during her husband's life she lives with another man, she will be stigmatized as an adulteress; but that if her husband is dead she is no longer under the old prohibition, and even though she marries again, she is not 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 So, my brethren, to you also the Law died through the incarnation of Christ, that you might be wedded to Another, namely to Him who rose from the dead in order that we might yield fruit to 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 For whilst we were under the thraldom of our earthly natures, sinful passions-- made sinful by the Law--were always being aroused to action in our bodily faculties that they might yield fruit to 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 seeing that we have died to that which once held us in bondage, the Law has now no hold over us, so that we render a service which, instead of being old and formal, is new and spiritual.

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 follows? Is the Law itself a sinful thing? No, indeed; on the contrary, unless I had been taught by the Law, I should have known nothing of sin as sin. For instance, I should not have known what covetousness is, if the Law had not repeatedly said, "Thou shalt not 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 Sin took advantage of this, and by means of the Commandment stirred up within me every kind of coveting; for apart from Law sin would be dead.

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

9 Once, apart from Law, I was alive, but when the Commandment came, sin sprang into life, and I died;

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

10 and, as it turned out, the very Commandment which was to bring me life, brought me death.

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

11 For sin seized the advantage, and by means of the Commandment it completely deceived me, and also put me to death.

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

12 So that the Law itself is holy, and the Commandment is holy, just and good.

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

13 Did then a thing which is good become death to me? No, indeed, but sin did; so that through its bringing about death by means of what was good, it might be seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown.

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 For we know that the Law is a spiritual thing; but I am unspiritual--the slave, bought and sold, of sin.

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

15 For what I do, I do not recognize as my own action. What I desire to do is not what I do, but what I am averse to is what I do.

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 if I do that which I do not desire to do, I admit the excellence of the Law,

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

17 and now it is no longer I that do these things, but the sin which has its home within me does them.

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

18 For I know that in me, that is, in my lower self, nothing good has its home; for while the will to do right is present with me, the power to carry it out is not.

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 For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do.

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

20 But if I do that which I desire not to do, it can no longer be said that it is I who do it, but the sin which has its home within me does it.

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 I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me.

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

22 For in my inmost self all my sympathy is with the Law of God;

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

23 but I discover within me a different Law at war with the Law of my understanding, and leading me captive to the Law which is everywhere at work in my body--the Law of sin.

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 (Unhappy man that I am! who will rescue me from this death-burdened body?

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

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!) To sum up then, with my understanding, I--my true self--am in servitude to the Law of God, but with my lower nature I am in servitude to 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.