Romans 7:1-9:33 Or do not you, brethren, know for I now speak to them who know law that the law hath dominion over man as long as it liveth?

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Or do not you, brethren, know [for I now speak to them who know law] that the law hath dominion over man as long as it liveth? ² For the married woman is by law bound to her husband while he is alive. But if the husband die, a stop is put to the operation of the law of the husband. ³ Therefore if she marry another man while her husband is alive, she will get the name of an adulteress; but if her husband die, she is free from the law so as not to be an adulteress by becoming another man's wife. ⁴ So you also, my brethren, are become dead to the law by means of the body of the Christ, that you may be for another, who is raised from the dead, that we may bring forth fruit to God. ⁵ For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which subsisted under the law, exerted their energy in our members to bring forth fruit to death: ⁶ but we are now set free from the law by the death of that by which we were holden, so that we may serve with a new spirit, and not by the old letter. ⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? No, by no means. Indeed I should not have known sin, had it not been for the law. For I should not have known covetousness, had not the law said, "Thou shall not covet" ⁸ But sin having got an advantage by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of desire. For without law sin is dead. ⁹ Now as for me, I for a while was alive without law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. ¹⁰ So I found the commandment which was for life, to be for death. ¹¹ For sin having got an advantage by the commandment, seduced me, and by it slew me. ¹² So that the law is indeed holy, and the commandment is holy, just and good. ¹³ Hath that then which is good been death to me? No, by no means. But sin, so that it appeared to be sin, continued working death for me by that which is good, so that sin appeared to be sin in the highest degree by the commandment. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but as for me, I being carnal, am sold to sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing I do not allow; for that which I approve, I do not perform; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶ Now if I do that which I do not approve, I assent to the law that it is good: ¹⁷ and it is now not I myself, who do this, but sin which dwelleth in me. ¹⁸ For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, good doth not dwell. For to will is present with me, but the performance of what is good, I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good which I approve, I do not perform; but evil which I disapprove, this I do. ²⁰ Now if I do that which I myself disapprove; it is no more I myself who do it; but sin which dwelleth in me. ²¹ I find then this law for me, that when I would do good, evil is close to me. ²² For in the inner man I am delighted with the law of God; ²³ but I perceive another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from this deathful body? ²⁵ I thank God that through Jesus Christ our Lord, [do I then myself with the mind serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin? ⁸ ¹ There is then no condemnation now to them who are in Christ Jesus and who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. ² For the law of the spirit of the life in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the law of sin and death; ³ for as it was out of the power of the law to do this, inasmuch as it was weak through the flesh, God having sent his own son in a likeness of sinful flesh, and to be a sin offering, hath condemned this sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the morality of the law might be confirmed by us who walk not after flesh, but after spirit: ⁵ for they who are followers of flesh have their minds bent on the things of the flesh; but the followers of spirit, on the things of the spirit. ⁶ For the bent of the flesh is death; but the bent of the spirit is life and peace. ⁷ Because the bent of the flesh is enmity to God, [for it is not in subjection to the law of God, nor indeed can be,] ⁸ they therefore who are in a carnal state cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in a carnal state, but in a spiritual state, if indeed the spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any one hath not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ¹⁰ But if Christ be in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive, because of a justification; ¹¹ and if the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he who hath raised up the Christ from the dead will quicken even those dead bodies of yours by his spirit which dwelleth in you. ¹² Therefore we, brethren, are not debtors to the flesh, that we should live according to the flesh; ¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you are dying; but if you by the spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the spirit of God, are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father. ¹⁶ This very spirit beareth joint witness with our spirit that we are children of God; ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ if we suffer with him so that with him we may also be glorified. ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be set against that glory which is about to be revealed for us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of mankind is waiting for the manifestation of the children of God. ²⁰ For to vanity this creation was subjected, not as a voluntary agent, but by him who subjected it to a hope ²¹ that this very creation shall be freed from the slavery of this corruption, that it may enjoy the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that this whole creation are groaning together, and even till now are all in pain as a woman in travail. ²³ Nay, even they who have the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves are groaning within ourselves, waiting for an adoption the redemption of this body of ours. ²⁴ For to this hope we have escaped. Now hope which is attained, is not hope; for why should one hope for that which he enjoyeth. 25 But if we hope for what we do not enjoy, we wait for it with patience, ²⁶ and in such a manner as the spirit joineth in helping our infirmities: for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the spirit itself intercedeth for us with groans which cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And he who searcheth the hearts knoweth the bent of the spirit, that it pleadeth for saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that all things are working together for good to them who love God"to them who according to a previous purpose are now actually called. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew, even these he marked out beforehand to be of a form the same as that of the image of his son, that he might be a first born among many brethren. ³⁰ And those whom he marked out beforehand he actually called, and those whom he called, even these he acquitted, and those whom he acquitted even these he glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how will he not also with him freely grant us all things? ³³ Who shall lodge an accusation against them whom God hath chosen? God who acquitteth? ³⁴ who is he who shall condemn? Christ who died? Rather indeed who is raised up, who is actually at the right hand of God, and who maketh intercession for us? ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of the Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ [As it is written, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long, And accounted as sheep for slaughter" ³⁷ We indeed in all these things are more than conquerors by means of him who hath loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created being shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ⁹ ¹ I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience, with a holy spirit, bearing joint witness for me ² that I have great grief and incessant sorrow in my heart ³ [for I even I myself wished the followers of Christ to be devoted to destruction,] for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, ⁴ who are Israelites, to whom belonged the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the civil government, and the religious service, and the promises; ⁵ whose ancestors were the patriarchs, and from whom, with regard to flesh, the Christ is [descended] who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. ⁶ It is not however to be supposed that the word of God hath failed. For with regard to all the descendants of Israel, they are not Israel; ⁷ nor are they all children, because they are of the race of Abraham; but in Isaak a seed shall be called for thee. ⁸ That is to say, It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for seed. ⁹ For this is the word of the promise. "About this time twelve month I will come and Sarah shall have a son." ¹⁰ And not only so but the same was the case with Rebecca, when she was with child of twins by one man, namely, our father Isaak. ¹¹ For the children being not yet born, nor having done any thing good or evil that the purpose might rest on the choice of God, not in consideration of works, but of his call, ¹² it was said to her, "The elder shall serve the younger." ¹³ As it is written "Jacob I have loved and Esau I have slighted." ¹⁴ What then shall we say"? Is there injustice with God? No by no means. ¹⁵ For to Moses he saith, "I will have mercy on whomsoever I please to have mercy'? and I will have compassion on whomsoever I please to compassionate. ¹⁶ Therefore it is not of him who willeth, nor of him who runneth, but of God, who sheweth mercy. ¹⁷ For the scripture saith to Pharaoh, "I have raised thee up for this purpose that by thee I may display my power; and that my name may be celebrated throughout all the earth." ¹⁸ Well then, he sheweth mercy to whom he pleaseth, and hardeneth whom he pleaseth, ¹⁹ wilt thou then say to me, Why doth he yet find fault, for who hath resisted his will? ²⁰ But who art thou, O man, who enterest into a dispute with God? Shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? ²¹ Hath not the potter power over the clay to make, out of the same lump, one vessel for honour, and another for dishonour? ²² What if God willing to manifest his wrath and make known his power, did with much long suffering, bear with the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, ²³ to the end that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had previously prepared for glory ²⁴ even us whom he hath called not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles. ²⁵ As he actually saith by Hosea, "I will call them my people who are not my people; and I will call her beloved, who was not beloved." ²⁶ And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, they shall there be called children of the7 living God." ²⁷ Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, this remnant shall be saved." ²⁸ For he is closing an account and making a deduction with saving goodness. Because the Lord will make with the land a reckoning from which a deduction is made, ²⁹ therefore as Esaias said. "Had not the Lord of hosts left us a seed, we must have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah." ³⁰ What then are we to infer? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but it was a righteousness because of belief; ³¹ but Israel pursuing a law of righteousness did not come up to the law of righteousness. ³² Why?] Because they sought it not from belief; but as if attainable by works of law. For they stumbled at the stumbling stone. ³³ As it is written, "Behold I lay in Sion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. "And "whosoever believeth in him shall not be shamed."