¹³Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. ¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, ^wsold under sin. ¹⁵For I do not understand my own actions. For ^xI do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with ^ythe law, that it is good.

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Cross references

v Ps. 19:8, 9; 119:137; 2 Pet. 2:21; [ver. 16]
w 1 Kgs. 21:20, 25; 2 Kgs. 17:17; Isa. 50:1; 52:3
xver. 18, 19; [Gal. 5:17]
y 1 Tim. 1:8; [ver. 12]

In other versions

NIVNew International Version (2011)

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good.

NLTNew Living Translation

But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Therefore, did that which is good become death to me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be recognized as sin, producing death through what is good for me, in order that sin might become sinful to an extraordinary degree through the commandment. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into slavery to sin. For what I am doing I do not understand, because what I want to do, this I do not practice, but what I hate, this I do. But if what I do not want to do, this I do, I agree with the law that it is good.

KJV 1900King James Version

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

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