Romanos 3
1 quid ergo amplius est Iudaeo aut quae utilitas circumcisionis
[Someone may object to this, saying], “[If being circumcised does not cause God to accept us Jews], (there is no advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]./is there any advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]?) [RHQ] Being circumcised does not benefit [us Jews at all]!”
2 multum per omnem modum primum quidem quia credita sunt illis eloquia Dei
[I would reply that being Jews] benefits [us] in many ways [HYP]. First of all, it benefits us because it was to [our ancestors] that God’s words, [words that contain his promises], were given {that [God] gave his words, [words that contain his promises]}.
3 quid enim si quidam illorum non crediderunt numquid incredulitas illorum fidem Dei evacuabit absit
Many [Jews did not obey God as they promised that they would. So someone might ask], “Does their not being faithful mean that God will not [bless us Jews] as he promised [that he would]?”
4 est autem Deus verax omnis autem homo mendax sicut scriptum est ut iustificeris in sermonibus tuis et vincas cum iudicaris
[I would reply], “No, it certainly does not mean that! God always does [what he has promised], even though [people do not]. All those who accuse God [of not keeping his promises to us Jews] are very mistaken.” [What King David wrote about God’s justly saying that he would punish him for his sins is also true of those who accuse God of not keeping his promises. What he said to God was], “So everyone must acknowledge that what you [(sg)] have said [about them] (OR, [their sin]) is true, and you will always win the case when you are accused {when [people] accuse you}.”
5 si autem iniquitas nostra iustitiam Dei commendat quid dicemus numquid iniquus Deus qui infert iram secundum hominem dico
So if we [Jews’] being wicked [PRS] shows that it is right that God [does not bless us], what shall we say/conclude? Shall we conclude that it is not right for God to be angry [and punish us Jews] [MTY]? I [should not be saying these things], [but] I am speaking as ordinary humans [speak].
6 absit alioquin quomodo iudicabit Deus mundum
We should certainly not [conclude that God should not judge us], because if God [did not judge us Jews], (it would not possibly be right for him to judge [anyone in] the world [MTY]!/how could he judge [anyone in] the world?) [MTY, RHQ]
7 si enim veritas Dei in meo mendacio abundavit in gloriam ipsius quid adhuc et ego tamquam peccator iudicor
But [someone might object and say to me], “The fact that God truly [keeps his promises] becomes very clear/evident because of my not doing [what God has commanded]. But the result is that people praise God! So (God should no longer say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned!/why should God still say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned?) [RHQ]
8 et non sicut blasphemamur et sicut aiunt nos quidam dicere faciamus mala ut veniant bona quorum damnatio iusta est
[If what you, Paul, say is true], then (we might as well/it is all right for us to) do evil things in order that good things [like that] will result! For example, [then people will praise God]!” Some people speak evil about me by their [falsely] saying that I say [such things. God] will fairly/justly punish [people who say such things about me]!
9 quid igitur praecellimus eos nequaquam causati enim sumus Iudaeos et Graecos omnes sub peccato esse
[If someone would ask], “[Shall we conclude that God] will treat us [Jews] more favorably [and will treat] the non-Jews less [favorably] [RHQ]?” [I would reply that we can] certainly not [conclude that]! I have already shown you that all people, the Jews and also the non-Jews, have sinned and [so they deserve to be punished] {[that God will punish them]} [PRS].
10 sicut scriptum est quia non est iustus quisquam
[The following words] that are written {prophets have written} [in the Scriptures support this], No person is righteous. There is not even one righteous person!
11 non est intellegens non est requirens Deum
There is no one who understands [how to live properly] (OR, [about God]). There is no one who seeks/desires [to know] God!
12 omnes declinaverunt simul inutiles facti sunt non est qui faciat bonum non est usque ad unum
Absolutely everyone has turned away [MET] [from God]. God considers them depraved (OR, Everyone has become useless [to God]). There is no one who acts righteously; no, there is not even one!
13 sepulchrum patens est guttur eorum linguis suis dolose agebant venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum
What people say [MTY] [is foul/bad, like the smell that comes from] a grave that has been {that [people] have} opened [MET]. [By what people say] [MTY], they deceive people. [By what they say] [MTY] [they injure people, just like] the poison of snakes [injures people] [MET].
14 quorum os maledictione et amaritudine plenum est
They are continually (cursing/asking God to do harmful things to) others and saying (cruel/harsh/hateful) things [MTY].
15 veloces pedes eorum ad effundendum sanguinem
They (go quickly/are eager) to murder people [MTY].
16 contritio et infelicitas in viis eorum
Wherever they go, they ruin everything and make [people] miserable [MTY].
17 et viam pacis non cognoverunt
They have not/never known how [to live] peacefully [with other people].
18 non est timor Dei ante oculos eorum
They absolutely refuse to fear/reverence God [SYN]!
19 scimus autem quoniam quaecumque lex loquitur his qui in lege sunt loquitur ut omne os obstruatur et subditus fiat omnis mundus Deo
Furthermore, we know that it is to [Jewish] people, [who are] required to obey [God’s] laws, that Moses wrote those laws [PRS]. [We can infer from this that] there are no [Jews or non-Jews] [SYN] who are able to say anything [in reply to God’s saying that he will punish them for having sinned]. God has declared everyone in the world [MTY] guilty!
20 quia ex operibus legis non iustificabitur omnis caro coram illo per legem enim cognitio peccati
It is not because people have done the things that God’s laws [require] that [God] will (erase the record of their sins/declare them no longer guilty for sin), [because no one has done those things completely]. In fact, the result of [our knowing God’s] laws is that we know clearly that we have sinned (OR, are sinful).
21 nunc autem sine lege iustitia Dei manifestata est testificata a lege et prophetis
But God’s (erasing the record of our sins/declaring us no longer guilty) does not depend on [our obeying] the laws [that he gave Moses]. It has now been {[God] has now} revealed [to us] how he erases the record of our sins [by a different way]. It was written about [by Moses] {[Moses] wrote about it} in the laws [PRS] [God gave] him, and it was also written about by the prophets {the prophets also wrote about it}.
22 iustitia autem Dei per fidem Iesu Christi super omnes qui credunt non enim est distinctio
God erases the record of our sins because we trust in [what] Jesus Christ [has done for us]. God does this for every person who trusts [in Christ], because [he considers] that there is no difference [between Jews and non-Jews].
23 omnes enim peccaverunt et egent gloriam Dei
All people have done evil, and all people have failed to accomplish the glorious [goals] that God [set for them].
24 iustificati gratis per gratiam ipsius per redemptionem quae est in Christo Iesu
Our record of sins has been erased {God erased the record of our sins} by God acting kindly [to forgive our sins], without our doing anything to earn it. Christ Jesus accomplished this [by dying for us].
25 quem proposuit Deus propitiationem per fidem in sanguine ipsius ad ostensionem iustitiae suae propter remissionem praecedentium delictorum
God showed that Christ was the one who would atone for (OR, forgive) our sins [with the] blood [that flowed from his body when he died. God redeems/forgives] us because of our trusting [in Christ’s having died for us. God wanted] to show that he acts justly. [He wanted to do that] because, before [Jesus came, God] did not punish [everyone who sinned. So it seemed as though he was not being just]. But he was overlooking people’s sins during [that time],
26 in sustentatione Dei ad ostensionem iustitiae eius in hoc tempore ut sit ipse iustus et iustificans eum qui ex fide est Iesu
because he is patient. [God arranged for Jesus to die for us]. By doing that, God now shows that he is just, and he shows that he is justly able to erase the record of sins for everyone who trusts/believes in Jesus.
27 ubi est ergo gloriatio exclusa est per quam legem factorum non sed per legem fidei
It is not at all [RHQ] because of [our obeying the] laws [of Moses that God erases the record of our sins]. So, (there is no way that we can boast [that God does that because of our obeying those laws]./how can we boast [about God erasing the record of our sins because of our obeying those laws]?) [RHQ] Instead, [it is because of our] believing/trusting [in Christ that God erases the record of our sins].
28 arbitramur enim iustificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis
[We cannot boast about that], because we conclude that the record of our sins is erased {God erases the record of our sins} because of our trusting [in Christ]. God does not erase the record of our sins because of our obeying the laws [that he gave to Moses, because it is impossible for us to completely obey them].
29 an Iudaeorum Deus tantum nonne et gentium immo et gentium
(You who are Jews certainly should not [think that you] are the only ones whom God [will accept]!/Do you Jews [think it is you] alone whom God [will accept]?) [RHQ] You certainly should [realize that he will accept] non-Jews, too. [RHQ] Of course, [he will accept] non-Jews also,
30 quoniam quidem unus Deus qui iustificabit circumcisionem ex fide et praeputium per fidem
because, [as you firmly believe], there is only one God, who will erase the record of Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in what Christ has done], and who will similarly erase the record of non-Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in Christ].
31 legem ergo destruimus per fidem absit sed legem statuimus
So, [if someone should ask concerning the laws that God gave Moses], “By saying [that God erases the record of our sins because of our] trusting [in Christ], does that mean that those laws now are useless?”, [I would reply], “Certainly not. Instead, we truly fulfill the laws [that God gave Moses].”
