| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? | 1Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? |
| 2Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the spoken words of God. | 2Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. |
| 3What then? If some did not believe, will their unbelief cancel God's faithfulness? | 3What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? |
| 4Absolutely not! God must be true, even if everyone is a liar, as it is written: That You may be justified in Your words and triumph when You judge. | 4By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” |
| 5But if our unrighteousness highlights God's righteousness, what are we to say? I use a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? | 5But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) |
| 6Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world? | 6By no means! For then how could God judge the world? |
| 7But if by my lie God's truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? | 7But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? |
| 8And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, "Let us do what is evil so that good may come"? Their condemnation is deserved! | 8And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. |
| 9What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, | 9What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, |
| 10as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. | 10as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; |
| 11There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. | 11no one understands; no one seeks for God. |
| 12All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. | 12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” |
| 13Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers' venom is under their lips. | 13“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” |
| 14Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. | 14“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” |
| 15Their feet are swift to shed blood; | 15“Their feet are swift to shed blood; |
| 16ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, | 16in their paths are ruin and misery, |
| 17and the path of peace they have not known. | 17and the way of peace they have not known.” |
| 18There is no fear of God before their eyes. | 18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” |
| 19Now we know that whatever the law says speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God's judgment. | 19Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. |
| 20For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. | 20For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. |
| 21But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed--attested by the Law and the Prophets | 21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— |
| 22--that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. | 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: |
| 23For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. | 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, |
| 24They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. | 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, |
| 25God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. | 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. |
| 26God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus. | 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. |
| 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. | 27Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. |
| 28For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. | 28For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. |
| 29Or is God for Jews only? Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, | 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, |
| 30since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. | 30since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. |
| 31Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law. | 31Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. |
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