Romans 3:1–20

God’s Righteousness Upheld

3Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ²Much in every way. To begin with, ^xthe Jews were entrusted with ^ythe oracles of God. ^3zWhat if some were unfaithful? ^aDoes their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴By no means! ^bLet God be true though ^cevery one were a liar, as it is written,

^d“That you may be justified in your words,

and prevail when you ^eare judged.”

⁵But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict ^fwrath on us? (^gI speak in a human way.) ⁶By no means! For then how could ^hGod judge the world? ⁷But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, ⁱwhy am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸And why not ^jdo evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

No One Is Righteous

⁹What then? Are we Jews¹ any better off?² No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both ^kJews and ^lGreeks, are ^munder sin, ¹⁰as it is written:

ⁿ“None is righteous, no, not one;

¹¹no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

^13o“Their throat is ^pan open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

^q“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

^14r“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

^15s“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery,

¹⁷and ^tthe way of peace they have not known.”

^18u“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹Now we know that whatever ^vthe law says it speaks to those who are under the law, ^wso that every mouth may be stopped, and ^xthe whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰For ^yby works of the law no human being³ will be justified in his sight, since ^zthrough the law comes knowledge of sin.