Romerne 7
1 Eller veit de ikkje, brør - for eg talar til slike som kjenner lovi - at lovi råder yver menneskjet so lenge det liver?
Surely, Brothers, you know (for I am speaking to men who know what Law means) that Law has power over a man only as long as he lives.
2 For den gifte kvinna er med lovi bundi til mannen sin so lenge han liver; men døyr mannen, er ho løyst frå lovi um mannen.
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband while he is living; but, if her husband dies, she is set free from the law that bound her to him.
3 Difor skal ho kallast horkona, um ho gifter seg med ein annan mann medan mannen hennar liver; men døyr mannen, so er ho fri frå lovi, so ho ikkje vert horkona um ho vert gift med ein annan mann.
If, then, during her husband’s lifetime, she unites herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but, if her husband dies, the law has no further hold on her, nor, if she unites herself to another man, is she an adulteress.
4 Soleis, mine brør, døydde de og frå lovi ved Kristi likam, av di de skulde høyra til ein annan, det er han som er uppstaden frå dei daude, so me kann bera frukt for Gud.
And so with you, my Brothers; as far as the Law was concerned, you underwent death in the crucified body of the Christ, so that you might be united to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that our lives might bear fruit for God.
5 For då me var i kjøtet, verka dei syndige lysterne, som vart vekte ved lovi, soleis i lemerne våre, at me bar frukt for dauden;
When we were living merely earthly lives, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were active in every part of our bodies, with the result that our lives bore fruit for Death.
6 men no er me løyste frå lovi, med di me hev døytt frå det som me var fangar under, so me tener i Andens nye art og ikkje i bokstavens gamle art.
But now we are set free from the Law, because we are dead to that which once kept us under restraint; and so we serve under new, spiritual conditions, and not under old, written regulations.
7 Kva skal me då segja? Er lovi synd? Nei, langt ifrå! men eg kjende ikkje syndi utan gjenom lovi; for eg kjende ikkje lysti, um ikkje lovi hadde sagt: «Du skal ikkje lysta!»
What are we to say, then? That Law and sin are the same thing? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, I should not have learned what sin is, had not it been for Law. If the Law did not say ‘Thou shalt not covet,’ I should not know what it is to covet.
8 Men syndi tok tilføre av bodet og verka allslags lyst i meg; for utan lov er syndi daud.
But sin took advantage of the Commandment to arouse in me every form of covetousness, for where there is no consciousness of Law sin shows no sign of life.
9 Eg livde ei tid utan lov; men då bodet kom, livna syndi upp,
There was a time when I myself, unconscious of Law, was alive; but when the Commandment was brought home to me, sin sprang into life, while I died!
10 men eg døydde; og bodet som var til liv, vart funne å vera meg til daude,
The very Commandment that should have meant Life I found to result in Death!
11 for syndi tok tilføre av bodet og dåra og drap meg ved det.
Sin took advantage of the Commandment to deceive me, and used it to bring about my Death.
12 So er då lovi heilag, og bodet heilagt og rettferdigt og godt.
And so the Law is holy, and each Commandment is also holy, and just, and good.
13 Hev då det som er godt vorte meg til daude? Nei, langt ifrå! men det var syndi, at ho skulde visa seg å vera synd, med di ho volde meg dauden med det som er godt - so syndi skulde verta storleg syndig ved bodet.
Did, then, a thing, which in itself was good, involve Death in my case? Heaven forbid! It was sin that involved Death; so that, by its use of what I regarded as good to bring about my Death, its true nature might appear; and in this way the Commandment showed how intensely sinful sin is.
14 For me veit at lovi er åndeleg, men eg er kjøtleg, seld under syndi.
We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am earthly — sold into slavery to Sin.
15 Det eg gjer, det skynar eg ikkje; for eg gjer ikkje det som eg vil, men det som eg hatar, det gjer eg.
I do not understand my own actions. For I am so far from habitually doing what I want to do, that I find myself doing the very thing that I hate.
16 Men gjer eg det som eg ikkje vil, so vitnar eg med lovi at ho er god.
But when I do what I want not to do, I am admitting that the Law is right.
17 Men no er det ikkje lenger eg som gjer det, men syndi som bur i meg.
This being so, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.
18 For eg veit, at i meg, det vil segja i kjøtet mitt, bur inkje godt; for viljen hev eg, men gjera det gode vinn eg ikkje.
I know that there is nothing good in me — I mean in my earthly nature. For, although it is easy for me to want to do right, to act rightly is not easy.
19 For eg gjer ikkje det gode som eg vil, men det vonde som eg ikkje vil, det gjer eg.
I fail to do the good thing that I want to do, but the bad thing that I want not to do — that I habitually do.
20 Men gjer eg det som eg ikkje vil, so er det ikkje lenger eg som gjer det, men syndi som bur i meg.
But, when I do the very thing that I want not to do, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.
21 So finn eg då den lov for meg, eg som vil gjera det gode, at det vonde ligg meg for handi.
This, then, is the law that I find — when I want to do right, wrong presents itself!
22 For eg hev hug til Guds lov etter mitt indre menneskje,
At heart I delight in the Law of God;
23 men eg ser ei onnor lov i lemerne mine, som strider imot lovi i hugen min, og fangar meg under syndelovi som er i lemerne mine.
but throughout my body I see a different law, one which is in conflict with the law accepted by my reason, and which endeavours to make me a prisoner to that law of Sin which exists throughout my body.
24 Eg arme menneskje! kven skal frelsa meg frå denne daudens likam?
Miserable man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body that is bringing me to this Death?
25 Gud vere takk ved Jesus Kristus, vår Herre! - So tener då eg i meg sjølv Guds lov med hugen, men syndelovi med kjøtet.
Thank God, there is deliverance through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Well then, for myself, with my reason I serve the Law of God, but with my earthly nature the Law of Sin.
