Romans 2
Expanded Bible
You People Also Are Sinful
2 [L Therefore] If you think you can judge others, [L O man,] you are ·wrong [L without excuse]. [L For] When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty, because you [L who are judging] do the same things they do. 2 God judges those who do ·wrong [L such] things, and we know that his judging is ·right [just; justified; L based on truth]. 3 You judge those who do ·wrong [L such things], but you do ·wrong [L the same things] yourselves. Do you think [L O man,] you will be able to escape the judgment of God? 4 You [L Do you…?] ·think nothing of [despise; have contempt for; disregard] his kindness, ·tolerance [forbearance] and patience. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will ·change your hearts and lives [repent]. 5 But because you are stubborn and ·refuse to change [L have an unrepentant heart], you are ·making your own punishment even greater [L storing up wrath for yourself] on the day ·he shows his anger [of (God’s) wrath]. ·On that day everyone will see [L …and the day of the revelation of] God’s ·right [righteous; just] judgments. 6 God will ·reward or punish [give back to; repay] every person for what that person has done. 7 Some people, by ·always continuing [persevering] to do good, ·live for [seek after; aim for] ·God’s glory [L glory], for honor, and for ·life that has no end [immortality]. God will give them ·life forever [eternal life]. 8 But other people are ·selfish [self-seeking], ·refusing to follow [disobeying; or disbelieving] truth and instead ·following [obeying; or believing] evil. God will give them his ·punishment [wrath] and anger. 9 ·He will give [or There will be] ·trouble [affliction; tribulation] and ·suffering [distress] to everyone who does evil—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [L the Greek; C here meaning all Gentiles; see 1:13, 14, 16]. 10 But ·he will give [or there will be] glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to ·those who are not Jews [L the Greek; v. 9]. 11 For ·God judges all people in the same way [L there is no partiality with God].
12 ·People [or For all those] who do not have the law [C Gentiles without the written law of Moses] and who are sinners will ·be lost [perish], although they do not have the law. And, in the same way, those who have the law [C Jews who have the law of Moses] and are sinners will be judged by the law. 13 Hearing the law does not make people ·right with [righteous/justified before] God. It is those who obey the law who will be ·right with [justified/declared righteous before] him. 14 (·Those who are not Jews [Gentiles] do not have the law, but when they ·freely [by nature; instinctively] do what the law commands, they ·are the law for themselves [or reveal their awareness of God’s law]. This is true even though they do not have the law [C the written law of Moses]. 15 They show that ·in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands [L the requirements of the law are written on their hearts]. And they show this by their consciences [L bearing witness]. Sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did wrong [L accuse them], and sometimes their thoughts ·tell them they did right [defend them].) 16 ·All these things [or This] will happen on the day when, according to ·my Gospel [the Good News I preach], God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts.
The Jews and the Law
17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You ·trust in [rely on] the ·law of Moses [L law] and ·brag that you are close to God [L boast in God]. 18 You know ·what he wants you to do [his will] and ·what is important [can discern/test what is best/superior], because you have ·learned [been instructed in] the law. 19 You ·think [are convinced/confident that] you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness. 20 You think you ·can show foolish people what is right [L are an instructor to the foolish] and ·teach [L a teacher for] ·those who know nothing [the immature/ignorant; or children/infants]. You have the law; so you think you ·know everything and have all truth [L have the embodiment/formulation of knowledge and truth]. 21 You teach others, so why don’t you teach yourself? You ·tell [preach to] others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say that others must not commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You ·hate [abhor; detest] idols, but do you steal from temples [C perhaps (1) profiting by selling stolen idols to Gentiles; or (2) withholding what is due to God and so “robbing” his temple]? 23 You ·brag [boast] about ·having God’s law [L the law], but do you ·bring shame to [dishonor] God by breaking his law? 24 It is just as the Scriptures say: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you [Is. 52:5; Ezek. 36:20].”
25 If you follow the law, your circumcision [C a key distinctive of Jewish identity; Gen. 17] has ·meaning [value; benefit]. But if you ·break [transgress; disobey] the law, it is as if you were never circumcised. 26 If those who are not circumcised ·do [keep; obey] ·what the law says [or the law’s righteous requirements], it is as if they were circumcised. 27 Those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still ·obey [fulfill; carry out] the law, will ·pass judgment on [condemn] you who, though having the written law and circumcision, ·break [transgress; disobey] the law. 28 They can do this because a person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew ·in his physical body [L by (physical) appearance]; true circumcision is not ·only on the outside of the body [L the appearance of the flesh]. 29 A person is a Jew only if he is a Jew ·inside [inwardly]; true circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God rather than from people.
Romans 2
Good News Translation
God's Judgment
2 (A)Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself. 2 We know that God is right when he judges the people who do such things as these. 3 But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgment on others! Do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 (B)Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent. 5 But you have a hard and stubborn heart, and so you are making your own punishment even greater on the Day when God's anger and righteous judgments will be revealed. 6 (C)For God will reward each of us according to what we have done. 7 Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. 8 Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury. 9 There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles. 10 But God will give glory, honor, and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. 11 (D)For God judges everyone by the same standard.
12 The Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses; they sin and are lost apart from the Law. The Jews have the Law; they sin and are judged by the Law. 13 For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands. 14 The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law. 15 Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them. 16 And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.
The Jews and the Law
17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew; you depend on the Law and boast about God; 18 you know what God wants you to do, and you have learned from the Law to choose what is right; 19 you are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor for the foolish, and a teacher for the ignorant. You are certain that in the Law you have the full content of knowledge and of truth. 21 You teach others—why don't you teach yourself? You preach, “Do not steal”—but do you yourself steal? 22 You say, “Do not commit adultery”—but do you commit adultery? You detest idols—but do you rob temples? 23 You boast about having God's law—but do you bring shame on God by breaking his law? 24 (E)The scripture says, “Because of you Jews, the Gentiles speak evil of God.”
25 If you obey the Law, your circumcision is of value; but if you disobey the Law, you might as well never have been circumcised. 26 If the Gentile, who is not circumcised, obeys the commands of the Law, will not God regard him as though he were circumcised? 27 And so you Jews will be condemned by the Gentiles because you break the Law, even though you have it written down and are circumcised; but they obey the Law, even though they are not physically circumcised. 28 After all, who is a real Jew, truly circumcised? It is not the man who is a Jew on the outside, whose circumcision is a physical thing. 29 (F)Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised, and this is the work of God's Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
