Romanos 3

¹ What is the pre-eminence of the Jew, then? or what profit is there of circumcision?

² Much, in every respect: chiefly, indeed, because they were entrusted with the Oracles of God.

³ For, what if some did not believe-will not their unbelief destroy the faithfulness of God?

⁴ «By no means. But let God be true, and every man a liar; as it is written,» 'That thou mayest be justified in thy sayings, and mayest overcome when thou judgest.'

⁵ But if our unrighteousness display the justice of God, what shall we say? Is not God unjust, who inflicts vengeance? (I speak after the manner of men.)

⁶ By no means: otherwise, how shall God judge the world?

⁷ Still, if the truth of God has, through my lie, more abounded to his glory, why am I also yet condemned as a sinner-

⁸ and not because we have done evil that good may come, as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we teach-whose condemnation is just?

⁹ What then? Do we excel? Not at all. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles to be all under sin.

¹⁰ «As it is written,» 'Surely there is none righteous; no, not one.'

¹¹ There is none that understands; there is none that seeks after God.

¹² They are all gone out of the way: they are together become unprofitable. There is none that does good; there is not so much as one.

¹³ Their throat is an open sepulcher: with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

¹⁴ their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

¹⁵ Their feet are swift to shed blood.

¹⁶ Destruction and misery lurk in their paths;

¹⁷ but the path of peace they have not known.

¹⁸ «There is no fear of God before their eyes.»

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever things the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may be liable to punishment before God.

²⁰ Wherefore, by works of law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; because through law is the knowledge of sin.

²¹ But now, a justification which is of God, without law, is exhibited, attested by the law and the prophets:

²² even a justification which is of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, for all, and upon all, who believe; for there is no difference.

²³ For all, having sinned and come short of the glory of God,

²⁴ are justified freely by his favor, through the redemption which is by Christ Jesus:

²⁵ whom God has set forth a propitiatory, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his own justice, in passing by the sins which were before committed, through the forbearance of God:

²⁶ for a demonstration, also, of his justice in the present time, in order that he may be just, when justifying him, who is of the faith of Jesus.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No: but by the law of faith.

²⁸ We conclude, then, that by faith man is justified, without works of law.

²⁹ Is he the God of the Jews only, and not of the Gentiles, also? Yes, of the Gentiles, also.

³⁰ Seeing there is one God, he will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through the faith.

³¹ Do we, then, make law useless through the faith? By no means: but we establish law.