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Romans 7:7-25
New American Standard Bible
Romans 7:7-25
New American Standard Bible
7 (A)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (B)[a]Far from it! On the contrary, (C)I would not have come to know sin except [b]through the Law; for I would not have known about [c]coveting if the Law had not said, “(D)You shall not [d]covet.” 8 But sin, (E)taking an opportunity (F)through the commandment, produced in me [e]coveting of every kind; for (G)apart [f]from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart [g]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [h](H)to result in life, proved [i]to result in death for me; 11 for sin, (I)taking an opportunity (J)through the commandment, (K)deceived me, and through it, killed me. 12 (L)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? [j](M)Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
The Conflict of Serving Two Masters
14 For we know that the Law is (N)spiritual, but I am (O)fleshly, (P)sold [k](Q)into bondage to sin. 15 For (R)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing (S)what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with (T)the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, (U)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my (V)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (W)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, (X)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then (Y)the [l]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God [m]in (Z)the inner person, 23 but I see (AA)a different law in [n]the parts of my body waging war against the (AB)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner [o]of (AC)the law of sin, the law which is in [p]my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [q](AD)the body of this (AE)death? 25 (AF)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh (AG)the law of sin.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 7:7 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 7:7 Or through law
- Romans 7:7 Or lust
- Romans 7:7 Or lust
- Romans 7:8 Or lust
- Romans 7:8 Or from law
- Romans 7:9 Or from law
- Romans 7:10 Lit to life
- Romans 7:10 Lit to death
- Romans 7:13 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 7:14 Lit under sin
- Romans 7:21 Lit law
- Romans 7:22 Or with respect to
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts waging
- Romans 7:23 Lit in
- Romans 7:23 Lit my parts
- Romans 7:24 Or this body of death
Romans 7:7-25
New International Version
Romans 7:7-25
New International Version
The Law and Sin
7 What shall we say, then?(A) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!(B) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.(C) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[a](D) 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(E) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.(F) 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life(G) actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(H) deceived me,(I) and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.(J)
13 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(K) to bring about my death,(L) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(M) sold(N) as a slave to sin.(O) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(P) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(Q) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(R) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b](S) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(T) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(U)
21 So I find this law at work:(V) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(W) I delight in God’s law;(X) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(Y) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(Z) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(AA) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AB)
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(AC) but in my sinful nature[c] a slave to the law of sin.(AD)
Footnotes
- Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deut. 5:21
- Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
- Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh
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