1 Wat is dan die voordeel van die Jood? Of wat is die nut van die besnydenis?
2 Groot, in alle opsigte: ten eerste tog seker dat aan hulle die woorde van God toevertrou is.
3 Want wat maak dit as sommige ontrou geword het? Sal hulle ontrou miskien die getrouheid van God vernietig?
4 Nee, stellig nie! Maar God moet waaragtig wees en elke mens leuenagtig, soos geskrywe is: Sodat U geregverdig kan word in u woorde en oorwin as U gerig hou.
5 Maar as ons ongeregtigheid die geregtigheid van God bewys, wat sal ons sê? Is God wat die toorn oor ons bring, dan nie onregverdig nie? Ek spreek menslikerwys.
6 Nee, stellig nie! Want hoe sal God anders die wêreld oordeel?
7 Maar as die waarheid van God deur my leuen oorvloediger geword het tot sy heerlikheid, waarom word ek dan nog as sondaar geoordeel?
8 En moet ons nie liewer sê nie, soos ons belaster word en soos sommige beweer dat ons sê: Laat ons kwaad doen, sodat die goeie daaruit kan voortkom? Hulle veroordeling is regverdig.
9 Wat dan? Het ons enige voorrang? Hoegenaamd nie! Want ons het tevore al Jode sowel as Grieke beskuldig dat hulle almal onder die sonde is,
10 soos geskrywe is: Daar is niemand regverdig nie, selfs nie een nie.
11 Daar is niemand wat verstandig is nie, daar is niemand wat God soek nie.
12 Hulle het almal afgewyk, saam het hulle ontaard. Daar is niemand wat goed doen nie, daar is selfs nie een nie.
13 Hulle keel is 'n oop graf, met hul tonge pleeg hulle bedrog, die gif van adders is onder hulle lippe.
14 Hulle mond is vol vervloeking en bitterheid.
15 Haastig is hulle voete om bloed te vergiet.
16 Verwoesting en ellende is in hulle paaie,
17 en die weg van vrede ken hulle nie.
18 Daar is geen vrees van God voor hulle oë nie.
19 Nou weet ons dat alles wat die wet sê, hy dit sê vir die wat onder die wet is, sodat elke mond gestop en die hele wêreld voor God doemwaardig kan wees;
20 aangesien uit die werke van die wet geen vlees voor Hom geregverdig sal word nie, want deur die wet is die kennis van sonde.
21 Maar nou is die geregtigheid van God geopenbaar sonder die wet, terwyl die wet en die profete daarvan getuig,
22 die geregtigheid naamlik van God deur die geloof in Jesus Christus vir almal en oor almal wat glo, want daar is geen onderskeid nie;
23 want almal het gesondig en dit ontbreek hulle aan die heerlikheid van God,
24 en hulle word deur sy genade sonder verdienste geregverdig deur die verlossing wat in Christus Jesus is.
25 Hom het God voorgestel in sy bloed as 'n versoening deur die geloof, om sy geregtigheid te bewys deurdat Hy die sondes ongestraf laat bly het wat tevore gedoen is onder die verdraagsaamheid van God
26 om sy geregtigheid te toon in die teenwoordige tyd, sodat Hy self regverdig kan wees en regverdig maak wie uit die geloof in Jesus is.
27 Waar is dan die roem? Dit is uitgesluit. Deur watter wet? Van die werke? Nee, maar deur die wet van die geloof.
28 Ons neem dus aan dat die mens geregverdig word deur die geloof sonder die werke van die wet.
29 Of behoort God net aan die Jode, en nie ook aan die heidene nie? Ja, ook aan die heidene,
30 aangesien dit inderdaad een God is wat die besnedenes sal regverdig uit die geloof en die onbesnedenes deur die geloof.
31 Maak ons dan die wet tot niet deur die geloof? Nee, stellig nie! Inteendeel, ons bevestig die wet.
1 How then is the Jew better off? or what profit is there in circumcision?
2 Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.
3 And if some have no faith, will that make the faith of God without effect?
4 In no way: but let God be true, though every man is seen to be untrue; as it is said in the Writings, That your words may be seen to be true, and you may be seen to be right when you are judged.
5 But if the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)?
6 In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world?
7 But if, because I am untrue, God being seen to be true gets more glory, why am I to be judged as a sinner?
8 Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.
9 What then? are we worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;
10 As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;
11 Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;
12 They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as one:
13 Their throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:
15 Their feet are quick in running after blood;
16 Destruction and trouble are in their ways;
17 And of the way of peace they have no knowledge:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19 Now, we have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by God:
20 Because by the works of the law no man is able to have righteousness in his eyes, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given by the law and the prophets;
22 That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,
23 For all have done wrong and are far from the glory of God;
24 And they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment;
26 And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him who has faith in Jesus.
27 What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.
28 For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the works of the law.
29 Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not in the same way the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles:
30 If God is one; and he will give righteousness because of faith to those who have circumcision, and through faith to those who have not circumcision.
31 Do we, then, through faith make the law of no effect? in no way: but we make it clear that the law is important.