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1. Therefore, what is the wealth of the Jews?
Or, what is the advantage of circumcision?
2. They prospered in every way.* First of all, because they believed in the words
of God.
3. For if some of them did not believe, why, by not believing, did they abolish the
faith in God?
4. Perish the thought!* For God was true and every human being lied, as it is written
in Scriptures,
"May you be justified in your words,
and win as they judge you."
5. If, however, our abominable acts are in support of God's righteousness, what shall
we say? Why, does God commit abomination when He brings his anger to bear? I am speaking
as a human being.
6. Perish the thought. And if not, how can God judge the universe?
7. For if God's truth is magnified through my lies, toward his glory, how can I be
judged as a sinner?
8. Or why then, as they curse* us and say, that we sin* just so as to be forgiven?*
They, whose religion observes only righteousness.
9. Why, are we thus in more submission [than them?] That we place our lot ahead of
the Jews and the Aramaic* [speaking peoples,] who are living* in sin?
10. As it is written in Scriptures, that:
There is none righteous, not even one.
11. Neither will he learn, nor love God.
12. They all jeered alike and mocked,
And none performed good deeds, not even one.
13. Their throats are open graves,
And their tongues are treacherous
And the venom* of the aspis is under their tongues.
14. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
15. And their feet are swift to shed blood.
16. Misery and ruin are in their path,
17.The road to peace they know not.
18. And the fear of God is not before their eyes.
19. We know, however, what the Law said was
said to those who [live] by the Law, so that every mouth is silenced,* and the whole
universe should submit to God.
20. Because through the performance of the Law,* no flesh is sanctified before Him,
for from the Law, you are only able to discern what is sin.
21. Now, however, without the Law, the righteousness of God was revealed, and over
which testified that Law and those prophets,
22. The righteousness of God then is through the faith of Jesus Christ for every
human being who believes in him, for there is no discrimination,
23. Because they all sinned and fell short of the glory of God.
24. And they are sanctified by grace gratis, and by salvation that comes through
Jesus Christ.
25. This that God presented in His behalf to purify by faith in His blood, because
of the sins that they sinned from old,
26. In the country that God gave us through his forbearance, in order to show us
the righteousness of this age, [to show us] that He is holy, and that He sanctifies
in righteousness whoever is in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27. What is thus the basis for our pride? He has abolished it. Through what, the
Law, of observances? No, except through the Law of Faith.
28. Thus we see, that through faith a human being is sanctified and not through the
observances of the Law.
29. Why then, is he God of the Jews only and not of all the nations? Yes, indeed,
of all the nations also.*
30. Because One is the God who sanctifies circumcision inside the faith, and likewise
being outside circumcision is [sanctified] by him through faith.
31. Why, have we thus abolished the Law through faith? Perish the thought, except
it is the Law that we have upheld.
*3:2 Lit. Ar. id. construction: "Increased
in everything."
*3:4 Lit. Ar. id. figure of speech: "Anathema!"
*3:8.1 Lit. Ar. id.: "Blaspheme against us."
*3:8.2 Lit. Ar. id.: "Do evil."
*3:8.3 Lit. Ar. id. construction: "There should come blessings."
*3:9.1 Lit. Ar. id.: "Aramaean."
*3:9.2 Lt. Ar. id. figure of speech: "Under."
*3:19 Lit. Ar. id. expression: "Every mouth shut."
*3:29 Whenever Jesus Christ is referred to as God, I've used "He." However,
if both Jesus Christ and God the Father or the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the same
sentence together, then I've used "he" for Jesus for the sake of identification.
In ancient Aramaic the references are clear and grammatically distinct.
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