Romani 7

1 O forse ignorate, fratelli - parlo a gente esperta di legge - che la legge ha potere sull'uomo solo per il tempo in cui egli vive?

My fellow believers, you know about laws. So you certainly know (OR, I want you to remember) that people have to obey laws [PRS] [only] while [they are] alive. [RHQ]

2 La donna sposata, infatti, è legata dalla legge al marito finché egli vive; ma se il marito muore, è libera dalla legge che la lega al marito.

For example, a woman is required by the law {the law requires a woman} [to obey and be faithful to her husband] as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, she is freed [from having to] {[no longer has to]} [obey] the law about [remaining married to] her husband.

3 Essa sarà dunque chiamata adultera se, mentre vive il marito, passa a un altro uomo, ma se il marito muore, essa è libera dalla legge e non è più adultera se passa a un altro uomo.

Therefore, a woman will be called {people will call a woman} an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she no longer [has to obey] that law. Then she will not be an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 Alla stessa maniera, fratelli miei, anche voi, mediante il corpo di Cristo, siete stati messi a morte quanto alla legge, per appartenere ad un altro, cioè a colui che fu risuscitato dai morti, affinchè noi portiamo frutti per Dio.

Likewise, my fellow believers, [just like people are free from having to obey any law after they die] [MET], you [and I] have been freed {[God] has freed you [and me]} from having [to obey] all the Jewish rituals and laws [MET]. [That is because it is as though] we died with Christ [when he was crucified]. Now you [and I] belong to someone else [MET], [like a woman who marries again after her husband dies belongs to another man]. Specifically, you [and I] belong to [Christ], who has come back to life {whom [God] has caused to live again after he died}, in order that we may live righteously [IDM] to [honor] God.

5 Quando infatti eravamo nella carne, le passioni peccaminose, stimolate dalla legge, si scatenavano nelle nostre membra al fine di portare frutti per la morte.

When our self-directed nature [controlled] us, desires [that led us to] sin were acting in our bodies. [Those desires were increased because of our knowing God’s] laws [PRS]. As a result [we did evil things] [IDM] [that] caused us to be separated from God.

6 Ora però siamo stati liberati dalla legge, essendo morti a ciò che ci teneva prigionieri, per servire nel regime nuovo dello Spirito e non nel regime vecchio della lettera.

But now we are freed {free} from [having to obey all the Jewish] rituals— [it is as though] we have died. The result is that now we are not controlled by those rituals {those rituals do not control us now}. So we serve God, not by [having to obey] those rituals, which is the old way, but in the new way, as [God’s] Spirit [helps us to serve him].

7 Che diremo dunque? Che la legge è peccato? No certamente! Però io non ho conosciuto il peccato se non per la legge, né avrei conosciuto la concupiscenza, se la legge non avesse detto: Non desiderare.

[Someone might object], saying, “(The laws [that God gave Moses] must be evil [if our sinful desires] are increased because of our knowing those laws. [MTY]/Are not the laws [that God gave Moses] evil [if they stir up our sinful desires]?)” [MTY, RHQ] [I would reply] that they certainly are not [evil, even though our sinful desires are increased]. What I would reply is that I, [for example], realized that [what I was doing] was sinful only because [of what is written] {[Moses wrote]} [in] those laws. For example, I realized that coveting [is sinful] only because he wrote in those laws [PRS], “You must not covet.”

8 Prendendo pertanto occasione da questo comandamento, il peccato scatenò in me ogni sorta di desideri. Senza la legge infatti il peccato è morto

And because of what that commandment [stated], my sinful [desire to have things that belong to others] [PRS] caused me to covet in many ways. [Our desire to] sin is not stimulated [MET] when there is no law [that prohibits our doing sinful things].

9 e io un tempo vivevo senza la legge. Ma, sopraggiunto quel comandamento, il peccato ha preso vita

Formerly, when I did not [know] what God’s laws [required], I used to live [without worrying about what I was doing]. But when I [became aware that God] commanded, [“You must not covet],” I suddenly realized [PRS] that I was sinning,

10 e io sono morto; la legge, che doveva servire per la vita, è divenuta per me motivo di morte.

and [I realized that] I was separated from God. The laws that [I thought would enable me to] live [eternally as a result of my obeying them] caused me [to realize that] I was separated from God!

11 Il peccato infatti, prendendo occasione dal comandamento, mi ha sedotto e per mezzo di esso mi ha dato la morte.

[My desire to] sin found a way [PRS] to deceive me [by making me think wrongly that] I could keep [on sinning and at the same time obey] those laws [enough so that I would live eternally], and [thus it] caused me to be separated from God [PRS].

12 Così la legge è santa e santo e giusto e buono è il comandamento.

So [we conclude that] the laws [that God gave to Moses] are holy. What God commanded [about not coveting, along with all the other things that he commanded], is also holy, and it is just and good.

13 Ciò che è bene è allora diventato morte per me? No davvero! E' invece il peccato: esso per rivelarsi peccato mi ha dato la morte servendosi di ciò che è bene, perché il peccato apparisse oltre misura peccaminoso per mezzo del comandamento.

So, [if someone were to object] saying, “[The laws that God gave Moses], which are good, (resulted in my being separated from God!/did they result in my being separated from God?) [RHQ]” [I would reply], “Certainly they did not [do that]!” But instead, those [laws], which are good, stimulated [my desire to] sin. I knew that the result was that I was separated from God. And also, because I [learned what God had] commanded, [I knew that] what I was doing was [truly] sinful.

14 Sappiamo infatti che la legge è spirituale, mentre io sono di carne, venduto come schiavo del peccato.

We know that the laws [that God gave Moses came from God’s] Spirit. But as for me, I am [influenced by my] self-directed nature. [It is as though] I have been forced to become a slave of [my desire to] sin [MET].

15 Io non riesco a capire neppure ciò che faccio: infatti non quello che voglio io faccio, ma quello che detesto.

The things that I do, I [often] [HYP] do not understand. That is, [sometimes] [HYP] it is [the good things] that I want [to do] that I do not do. [And sometimes] [HYP] it is the [evil] things that I detest that I do.

16 Ora, se faccio quello che non voglio, io riconosco che la legge è buona;

Since I [do] the [evil] things that I do not want [to] do, I agree that the laws [of God] are good.

17 quindi non sono più io a farlo, ma il peccato che abita in me.

So, it is not that I do [evil things because I wish to do them]. Instead, [what happens is that] I do sinful things because the desire to sin [causes me to do them]. The [desire to] sin (is within/permeates) me [PRS].

18 Io so infatti che in me, cioè nella mia carne, non abita il bene; c'è in me il desiderio del bene, ma non la capacità di attuarlo;

I know that my self-directed nature will not [let me] [PRS] [do] anything that is good. I know this because I want [to do what is good], but I do not do what is good.

19 infatti io non compio il bene che voglio, ma il male che non voglio.

I do not do the good things that I want to do. Instead, it is evil things that I do not want to do that I do.

20 Ora, se faccio quello che non voglio, non sono più io a farlo, ma il peccato che abita in me.

Because I do [evil things] that I do not want to do, it is not that I do [evil things because I want to]. Instead, [I do them because] my self-directed nature, which permeates me [PRS], [causes me to do them].

21 Io trovo dunque in me questa legge: quando voglio fare il bene, il male è accanto a me.

I find, then, that what always happens is that when I want to do what is good, there is an evil [desire] present within me that [PRS] [prevents me from doing good].

22 Infatti acconsento nel mio intimo alla legge di Dio,

With my new inner nature I like the laws of God very much.

23 ma nelle mie membra vedo un'altra legge, che muove guerra alla legge della mia mente e mi rende schiavo della legge del peccato che è nelle mie membra.

Nevertheless, I sense that there is a different force that is in (my body/me) [PRS, SYN]. It is opposed to what with my mind [I desire to do] [MET], and it puts me inescapably under the control of [MET] the sinful [desires] that I have [SYN].

24 Sono uno sventurato! Chi mi libererà da questo corpo votato alla morte?

[When I consider this], I [feel that I] am a very wretched person. I want someone to set me free from the control of what my body [desires], in order that I might not be separated from God. [RHQ] [I also think that what I have experienced is the same as what all believers experience].

25 Siano rese grazie a Dio per mezzo di Gesù Cristo nostro Signore! Io dunque, con la mente, servo la legge di Dio, con la carne invece la legge del peccato.

I thank God that it is by Jesus Christ our Lord [that we can be free from the control of what our bodies desire]. So, [with our minds, you and] I on the one hand want to obey God’s laws. [But also], [you and] I [often let] our sinful [desires control us] because of our self-directed nature.