Romans 2:17–3:20

17 Behold, fthou art called a Jew, and grestest in the law, and hmakest thy boast of God, 18 And iknowest his will, and ||kapprovest the things that are more excellent, lbeing instructed out of the law; 19 And mart confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast nthe form of oknowledge and of the truth in the law. 21 pThou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 qThou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, rdost thou commit sacrilege? 23 sThou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24 For tthe name of God is blasphemed uamong the Gentiles through you, as it is written. 25 wFor circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore xif the uncircumcision keep ythe righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, zjudge thee, who by athe letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For bhe is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, cwhich is one inwardly; and dcircumcision is that of the heart, ein the spirit, and not in athe letter; fwhose praise is gnot of men, but of God.

3 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that aunto them were committed bthe oracles of God. 3 For cwhat if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make dthe faith of God without effect? 4 eGod forbid: yea, let fGod be true, but gevery man a liar; as it is written, hThat thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 5 But if our unrighteousness icommend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? k(I speak as a man) 6 eGod forbid: for then lhow shall God judge the world? 7 For if mthe truth of God hath more abounded through mmy lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) nLet us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

9 What then? oare we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before †proved both pJews and qGentiles, that rthey are all under sin; 10 As it is written, sThere is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together tbecome unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 uTheir throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; xthe poison of asps is under their lips: 14 yWhose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 zaTheir feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 bThere is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever cthe law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that devery mouth may be stopped, and eall the world may become ||guilty before God. 20 fTherefore gby the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for hby the law is the knowledge of sin.