Romanos 7

1 ¿No está claro, mis hermanos (estoy usando un argumento para aquellos que tienen conocimiento de la ley), que la ley tiene poder sobre un hombre mientras 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 Porque la mujer que tiene marido es puesta por la ley bajo el poder de su esposo mientras viva; pero si su esposo está muerto, ella está libre de la ley del marido.

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 Por tanto, si mientras el esposo vive, se une a otro hombre, se le adjudicará el nombre de adúltera; pero si el marido está muerto, ella está libre de la ley, y no es adúltera, incluso si ella toma a otro hombre.

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 De la misma manera, hermanos míos, por el cuerpo de Cristo han muerto a la ley, para pertenecer a otro esposo, ahora son de Cristo, de aquel que resucitó, para que demos fruto a 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 Porque cuando estábamos en la carne, las malas pasiones que se formaban por medio de la ley, obran en nuestros cuerpos para dar el fruto de 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 estamos libres de la ley, habiendo sido hechos muertos a lo que tenía poder sobre nosotros; para que seamos siervos en el nuevo camino del espíritu, no en el viejo camino de la letra.

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 hay que decir? es la ley pecado? de ninguna manera. Pero no habría tenido conocimiento del pecado sino hubiera sido por la ley lo que es pecado: nunca hubiera sabido lo que es codiciar, si la ley no hubiera dicho “No codicies”.

[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 el pecado, tomando su oportunidad a través de lo que estaba ordenado por la ley, estaba obrando en mí toda forma de Codicia: 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 Y hubo un tiempo en que viví sin la ley; pero cuando la ley dio su orden, el pecado vino a la vida,

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 Y yo morí, descubrí que la ley cuyo propósito era dar vida se había convertido en causa de muerte:

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 fui engañado y crucificado por el pecado, que se aprovechó de la ley.

[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 Pero la ley es santa, y sus órdenes son santas, rectas y buenas.

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 En resumen ¿lo que es bueno, me lleva a la muerte? De ninguna manera. Pero el propósito era que se pudiera ver el pecado como pecado al obrar la muerte por medio de lo que es bueno; para que a través de las órdenes de la ley el pecado parezca mucho más malo.

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 Porque somos conscientes de que la ley es del espíritu; pero yo soy de la carne, entregado al poder 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 No entiendo lo que me pasa, pues no hago lo que quiero, y en cambio aquello que odio 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 hago lo que no tengo intención de hacer, estoy de acuerdo con la ley en 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 Así que ya no soy yo quien lo hace, 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 soy consciente de que en mí, es decir, en mi carne, en mi naturaleza de hombre pecador, no hay nada bueno: tengo el deseo de hacer lo bueno, pero no el poder para hacer lo correcto.

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 Pero el bien que tengo la intención de hacer, no lo hago, pero el mal que no tengo intención de hacer, eso hago.

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 Pero si hago lo que no tengo intención de hacer, 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 Así que veo una ley que, aunque tengo la intención de hacer el bien, el mal está presente en mí.

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 En mi corazón me complazco en la ley de Dios,

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

23 Pero veo otra ley en mi cuerpo, obrando contra la ley de mi mente, y haciéndome el siervo de la ley del pecado que está en mi carne.

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 ¡Qué infeliz soy! ¿Quién me liberará del poder de la muerte que está en mi cuerpo?

[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 Solamente Dios, a quien doy gracias por medio de Jesucristo, nuestro Señor. Entonces, con mi mente, soy un siervo de la ley de Dios, pero con mi carne a 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.