What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision?
Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?
{Greek: Be it not so: and so elsewhere.}God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written,
{Psalm 51:4}That thou mightest be justified in thy words,
And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
But if our unrighteousness commendeth the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who visiteth with wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.)
{Greek: Be it not so: and so elsewhere.}God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
{Many ancient authorities read For.}But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
and why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? whose condemnation is just.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;
as it is written,
{Psalm 14:1 ff.; 53:1 ff}There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God;
They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable;
There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one:
{Psalm 5:9}Their throat is an open sepulchre;
With their tongues they have used deceit:
{Psalm 140:3}The poison of asps is under their lips:
{Psalm 10:7}Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
{Isaiah 59:7 f.}Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace have they not known:
{Psalm 36:1}There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God:
because {Greek: out of.}by {Or, works of law}the works of the law shall no flesh be {Or, accounted righteous}justified in his sight; for {Or, through law}through the law cometh the knowledge of sin.
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
even the righteousness of God through faith {Or, of}in Jesus Christ unto all {Some ancient authorities add and upon all.}them that believe; for there is no distinction;
for all {Greek: sinned.}have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
whom God set forth {Or, to be propitiatory}to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God;
for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be {See chapter 2:13 margin.}just, and the {See chapter 2:13 margin.}justifier of him that {Greek: is of faith.}hath faith in Jesus.
Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith.
{Many ancient authorities read For we reckon.}We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from {Or, works of law}the works of the law.
Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also:
if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision {Greek: out of. Galatians 3:8.}by faith, and the uncircumcision {Or, through the faith Galatians 2:16.}through faith.
Do we then make {Or, law}the law of none effect {Or, through the faith Galatians 2:16.}through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish {Or, law}the law.
Querverweise zu Römer 3,11 Röm 3,11
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be:
And even as they {Greek: did not approve.}refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men,To see if there were any that did {Or, deal wisely}understand,That did seek after God.
They are all gone aside; they are together become filthy;There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,Who eat up my people as they eat bread,And call not upon Jehovah?
{Or, Ye say, Lo &c.}Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand:The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,To see if there were any that did {Or, deal wisely}understand,That did seek after God.
Yet the people have not turned unto him that smote them, neither have they sought Jehovah of hosts.
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,Who eat up my people as they eat bread,And call not upon God?
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek Jehovah!
Consider, ye brutish among the people;And ye fools, when will ye be wise?
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:
The fear of Jehovah is the {Or, chief part}beginning of knowledge;But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
I {Or, was inquired of}am inquired of by them that asked not for me; I {Or, was found}am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation {Or, as otherwise read, that hath not called upon}that was not called by my name.
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?And scoffers delight them in scoffing,And fools hate knowledge?
And the {Or, excellency}pride of Israel doth testify to his face: yet they have not returned unto Jehovah their God, nor sought him, for all this.
For that they hated knowledge,And did not choose the fear of Jehovah:
They would none of my counsel;They despised all my reproof.
When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off; the women shall come, and set them on fire; for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have compassion upon them, and he that formed them will show them no favor.
For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, {According to another reading, I have rejected.}I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, {Isaiah 6:9, 10.}By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.