Romanos 7

1 Hermanos y hermanas, (hablo para personas que conocen la ley), ¿no ven que la ley tiene autoridad sobre alguien solo mientras esta persona esté viva?

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 Por ejemplo, una mujer casada está sujeta por ley a su esposo mientras él esté vivo, pero si muere, ella queda libre de esta obligación legal con él.

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 De modo que si ella vive con otro hombre mientras su esposo está vivo, ella estaría cometiendo adulterio. Sin embargo, si su esposo muere y ella se casa con otro hombre, entonces ella no sería culpable de adulterio.

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 Del mismo modo, mis amigos, ustedes han muerto para la ley mediante el cuerpo de Cristo, y ahora ustedes le pertenecen a otro, a Cristo, quien ha resucitado de los muertos para que nosotros pudiéramos vivir una vida productiva para Dios.

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 Cuando éramos controlados por la vieja naturaleza, nuestros deseos pecaminosos (tal como los revela la ley) obraban dentro de nosotros y traían como resultado la muerte.

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 Pero ahora hemos sido libertados de la ley, y hemos muerto a lo que nos encadenaba, a fin de que podamos servir de un nuevo modo, en el Espíritu, y no a la manera de la antigua letra de la ley.

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 ¿Qué concluimos entonces? ¿Que la ley es pecado? ¡Por supuesto que no! Pues yo no habría conocido lo que era el pecado si no fuera porque la ley lo define. Yo no me habría dado cuenta de que el deseo de tener las cosas de otras personas estaba mal si no fuera porque la ley dice: “No desees para ti lo que le pertenece a otro”.

[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 Pero a través de este mandamiento el pecado encontró la manera de despertar en mí todo tipo de deseos egoístas. Porque sin la ley, el pecado está muerto.

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 Yo solía vivir sin darme cuenta de lo que la ley realmente significaba, pero cuando comprendí las implicaciones de ese mandamiento, entonces el pecado volvió a la vida y morí.

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 Descubrí que el mismo mandamiento que tenía como propósito traerme vida, me trajo muerte en lugar de ello,

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 porque el pecado encontró su camino a través del mandamiento para engañarme, y lo usó para matarme.

[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 Sin embargo, la ley es santa, y el mandamiento es santo, justo y recto.

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 Ahora, ¿acaso podría matarme algo que es bueno? ¡Por supuesto que no! Pero el pecado se muestra como pecado usando lo bueno para causar mi muerte. Así que por medio del mandamiento se revela cuán malo es el pecado realmente.

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 Comprendemos que la ley es espiritual, pero yo soy totalmente humano, un esclavo del pecado.

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 Realmente no entiendo lo que hago. ¡Hago las cosas que no quiero hacer, y lo que odio hacer es precisamente lo que hago!

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 Pero si digo que hago lo que no quiero hacer, esto demuestra que yo admito que la ley es buena.

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

17 De modo que ya no soy yo quien hace esto, sino el pecado que vive en mí

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 porque yo sé que no hay nada bueno en mí en lo que tiene que ver con mi naturaleza humana pecaminosa. Aunque quiero hacer el bien, simplemente no puedo hacerlo.

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 ¡El bien que quiero hacer no lo hago; mientras que el mal que no quiero hacer es lo que termino haciendo!

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 Sin embargo, si hago lo que no quiero, entonces ya no soy yo quien lo hace, sino el pecado que vive en mí.

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 Este es el principio que he descubierto: si quiero hacer lo bueno, el mal también está siempre ahí.

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 Mi ser interior se deleita en la ley de Dios,

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

23 pero veo que hay una ley distinta que obra dentro de mí y que está en guerra con la ley que mi mente ha decidido seguir, convirtiéndome en un prisionero de la ley de pecado que está dentro de mí.

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 ¡Cuán miserable soy! ¿Quién me rescatará de este cuerpo que causa mi muerte? ¡Gracias a Dios, porque él me salva a través de Jesucristo, nuestro Señor!

[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 La situación es esta: Aunque yo mismo elijo en mi mente obedecer la ley de Dios, mi naturaleza humana obedece la ley del pecado.

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.