Romanos 2

¹ ThereforeHe convicts those who would seem to be exempt from the rest of men (because they reprehend other men's faults), and says that they are least of all to be excused, for if they were searched well and carefully (as God surely does) they themselves would be found guilty in those things which they reprehend and punish in others: so that in condemning others, they pronounce sentence against themselves.thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

² But wePaul alleges no places of scripture, for he reasons generally against all men: but he brings reasons such that every man is persuaded by them in his mind, so that the devil himself is not able to completely pluck them out.are sure that the judgment of God is according toConsidering and judging things correctly, and not by any outward show.truth against them which commit such things.

³ And thinkest thou this, O thou man, that condemnest them which doe such thinges, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the iudgement of God?

⁴ A vehement and grievous crying out against those that please themselves because they see more than others do, and yet are in no way better than others are.Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heartWhile you are giving yourself to pleasures, thinking to increase your goods, you will find God's wrath.treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

⁶ The foundation of the former disputation, that both the Jews and Gentiles together have need of righteousness.Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek forGlory which follows good works, which he does not lay out before us as though there were any that could attain to salvation by his own strength, but, he lays this condition of salvation before us, which no man can perform, to bring men to Christ, who alone justifies the believers, as he himself concludes; see (Rom_2:21-22).glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey theBy «truth» he means the knowledge which we naturally have.truth, but obey unrighteousness,God's indignation against sinners, which will quickly be kindled.indignation and wrath,

⁹ Tribulation and anguish shalbe vpon the soule of euery man that doeth euill: of the Iewe first, and also of the Grecian.

¹⁰ But to euery man that doeth good, shalbe glory, and honour, and peace: to the Iew first, and also to the Grecian.

¹¹ For there is noGod does not judge men either by their blood or by their country, either to receive them or to cast them away.respect of persons with God.

¹² He applies that general accusation against mankind particularly both to the Gentiles and to the Jews.For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

¹³ He prevents an objection which might be made by the Jews whom the law does not excuse, but condemn, because it is not the hearing of the law that justifies, but rather the keeping of it.(For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall beWill be pronounced just before God's judgment seat: which is true indeed if any one could be found that had fulfilled the law: but seeing that Abraham was not justified by the law, but by faith, it follows that no man can be justified by works.justified.

¹⁴ He prevents an objection which might be made by the Gentiles, who even though they do not have the law of Moses, yet they have no reason why they may excuse their wickedness, in that they have something written in their hearts instead of a law, as men do who forbid and punish some things as wicked, and command and commend other things as good.For when the Gentiles, which haveNot that they are without any law, but rather the law of the Jews.not the law, do byCommand honest things, and forbid dishonest.nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

¹⁵ Which shew the work of the lawThis knowledge is a natural knowledge.written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

¹⁶ God defers many judgments, which he will nonetheless execute at their convenient time by Jesus Christ, with a most candid examination, not only of words and deeds, but of thoughts also, be they ever so hidden or secret.In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according toAs my doctrine witnesses, which I am appointed to preach.my gospel.

¹⁷ He proves by the testimony of David, and the other prophets, that God bestows greatest benefits upon the Jews, in giving them also the law, but that they are the most unthankful and unkind of all men.Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

¹⁸ And knowest [his] will, andCan test and discern what things swerve from God's will.approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

¹⁹ And persuadest thy selfe that thou art a guide of the blinde, a light of them which are in darkenesse,

²⁰ An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast theThe way to teach and to form others in the knowledge of the truth.form of knowledge and of the truth in theAs though he said that the Jews under a pretence of an outward serving of God, attributed all to themselves, when in reality they did nothing less than observe the Law.law.

²¹ Thou therefore, which teachest another, teachest thou not thy selfe? thou that preachest, A man should not steale, doest thou steale?

²² Thou that saist, A man should not commit adulterie, doest thou commit adulterie? thou that abhorrest idoles, committest thou sacrilege?

²³ Thou that gloriest in the Lawe, through breaking the Lawe, dishonourest thou God?

²⁴ For ye Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

²⁵ He precisely prevents their objection, who set a holiness in circumcision, and the outward observation of the law: so that he shows that the outward circumcision, if it is separated from the inward, does not justify, and also condemns those who are indeed circumcised, of whom it is required that they fulfil that which circumcision signifies, that is to say, cleanness of the heart and the whole life according to the commandment of the law, so that if there is a man uncircumcised according to the flesh, who is circumcised in heart, he is far better and to be more regarded than any Jew that is circumcised according to the flesh only.For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

²⁶ Therefore if theThis is the figure of speech metonymy, and means «uncircumcised».uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not hisThe state and condition of the uncircumcised.uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

²⁷ And shall notHe who is uncircumcised by nature and race.uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by thePaul often contrasts the letter against the Spirit: but in this place, the circumcision which is according to the letter is the cutting off of the foreskin, but the circumcision of the Spirit is the circumcision of the heart, that is to say, the spiritual result of the ceremony is true holiness and righteousness, by which the people of God are known from profane and heathen men.letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

²⁸ For he is not a Jew, which is oneBy the outward ceremony only.outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

²⁹ But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in theWhose power is inward, and in the heart.spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.