Romans 3

New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel

Romans 3

1What then is the superiority of the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς;

2Much in every way! First of all, that they were entrusted with the very words of God!Πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ.

3For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?Τί γὰρ εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες; Μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει;

4By no means! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar, just as it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, and You may prevail when You are judged.”Μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, καθὼς γέγραπται, Ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε.

5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Surely God, the One inflicting wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I speak as a man.)Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησι, τί ἐροῦμεν; Μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν;—κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω—

6By no means! For otherwise how shall God judge the world?Μὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον;

7For if by my lie the truth of God has abounded to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ ψεύσματι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τί ἔτι κἀγὼ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς κρίνομαι;

8And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come”?—just as we are slandered, and just as some affirm that we say. The judgment of whom is just.Καὶ μή—καθὼς βλασφημούμεθα, καὶ καθώς φασί τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν—ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά; Ὧν τὸ κρίμα ἔνδικόν ἐστι.

9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.Τί οὖν; Προεχόμεθα; Οὐ πάντως· προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι,

10Just as it is written: “There is none righteous, no not one.καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς·

11There is none who understands; there is none who seeks God.οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνιῶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν·

12All have turned aside; together they became unprofitable; there is not one doing kindness, there is not so much as one.πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός·

13Their throat is an opened grave; with their tongues they deceived; the poison of asps is under their lips;τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν· ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν·

14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει·

15Their feet are swift to shed blood;ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα·

16Ruin and misery are in their ways;σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν,

17and the way of peace they did not know.καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν·

18There is no fear of God before their eyes.”οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

19Now we know that as many things as the law says, it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be held accountable to God.Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει, τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ, καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ Θεῷ·

20Therefore by works of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.

21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν·

22even the righteousness of God, through faith *in Jesus Christ, to all and upon all those that believe. For there is no distinction;δικαιοσύνη δὲ Θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας· οὐ γάρ ἐστι διαστολή·

23for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ,

24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·

25whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, for a demonstration of His righteousness through the passing over of the sins having previously committed, in the forbearance of God,ὃν προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον, διὰ τῆς πίστεως, ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων,

26for a demonstration of His righteousness in the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of he who has faith in Jesus.ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ· πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.

27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. Through what law? Of works? No, but through the law of faith.Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; Ἐξεκλείσθη. Διὰ ποίου νόμου; Τῶν ἔργων; Οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως.

28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.Λογιζόμεθα οὖν πίστει δικαιοῦσθαι ἄνθρωπον, χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου.

29Or is He the God of the Jews only? But is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,Ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς μόνον; Οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ἐθνῶν; Ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν·

30since there is one God who will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith.ἐπείπερ εἷς ὁ Θεός, ὃς δικαιώσει περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως, καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως.

31Therefore do we nullify the law through faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.Νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; Μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστῶμεν.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 22*Or, faith of Jesus Christ

The Fathers on Romans 3

Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Romans 3:9–18

Saint John Chrysostom

Eastern Fathers · c. 391 AD · Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans

“What then have we morethan they?For we have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues have they used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: thei...

Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →