Bilingual reading

Or don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?

For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.

So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.

Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God.

For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death.

But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death;

for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.

Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.

Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.

But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.

So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.

For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.

But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present.

For I delight in God’s law after the inward person,

but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.

What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?

I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, sin’s law.

أَوَتَجهَلونَ، أَيُّها الإِخوَة، وإِنِّي أُكَلِّمُ قَومًا يَعرِفونَ الشَّريعة، أَن لا سُلطَةَ لِلشَّريعةِ على الإِنسانِ إِلَّا ما دامَ حَيًّا؟

فالمرأَةُ المُتَزوِّجَةُ تَربِطُها الشَّريعةُ بِالرَّجُلِ ما دامَ حَيًّا، فإِذا ماتَ حُلَّت مِنَ الشَّريعةِ الَّتي تَربِطُها بِزَوجِها

وإِن صارَت إِلى رَجُلٍ آخَر وزَوجُها حَيّ، عُدَّت زانِية. وإِذا ماتَ الزَّوجُ تحرَّرَت مِنَ الشَّريعة، فلا تَكونُ زانِيةً إِذا صارَت إِلى رَجُلٍ آخَر

وكَذٰلِك أَنتُم يا إِخوَتي، فقَد أُمِتُّم عنِ الشَّريعةِ بِجَسَدِ المسيح لِتَصيروا إِلى آخَر، إِلى الَّذي أُقيمَ مِن بَينِ الأَموات، لِنُثمِرَ للهِ

لِأَنَّنا حينَ كُنَّا في حُكْمِ الجَسَد، كانَتِ الأَهواءُ الأَثيمَةُ تَعمَلُ في أَعضائِنا مُتذَرِّعةً بِالشَّريعة، لِكَي نُثمِرَ لِلمَوت

أَمَّا الآن، وقَد مُتْنا عَمَّا كانَ يأسِرُنا، فقَد حُلِلْنا مِنَ الشَّريعة وأَصبَحْنا نَعمَلُ في نِظامِ الرُّوحِ الجَديد، لا في نِظامِ الحَرْفِ القَديم

فماذا نَقول؟ أَتَكونُ الشَّريعةُ خَطيئَة؟ مَعاذَ الله! ولٰكِنِّي لم أَعرِفِ الخَطيئَةَ إِلَّا بِالشَّريعَة. فلَو لم تَقُلِ الشَّريعة: لا تَشتَهِ، لَما عَرَفتُ الشَّهوَة

وٱنتَهَزَتِ الخَطيئَةُ الفُرصَةَ فأَورَثَتْني بِالوَصِيَّةِ كُلَّ نَوعٍ مِنَ الشَّهَوات، فإِنَّ الخَطيئَةَ بِمَعزِلٍ عن الشَّريعَةِ شَيءٌ مَيت

كُنتُ أَحْيا مِن قَبْلُ إِذ لم تَكُنْ شَريعة. فلَمَّا جاءَتِ الوَصِيَّة، عاشَتِ الخَطيئَةُ ومُتُّ أَنا

فإِذا بِالوَصِيَّةِ الَّتي هي سَبيلٌ إِلى الحَياةِ قد صارَت لي سَبيلًا إِلى المَوت

ذٰلِك بِأَنَّ الخَطيئَةَ ٱنْتَهَزَتِ الفُرصَةَ سَبيلًا فأَغوَتْني بِالوَصِيَّةِ وبِها أَماتَتْني

الشَّريعةُ إِذًا مُقَدَّسةٌ والوَصِيَّةُ مُقَدَّسةٌ عادِلةٌ صالِحة

فهَل صارَ الصَّالِحُ سَبَبًا لِمَوتي؟ مَعاذَ الله! ولٰكِنَّ الخَطيئَةَ، لِيَظهَرَ أَنَّها خَطيئة، أَورَثَتْني المَوتَ، مُتَذَرِّعةً بما هو صالِح، لِتَبلُغَ الخَطيئَةُ أَقْصى حُدودِ الخَطيئَة، مُتَذَرِّعةً بِالوَصِيَّة

نَحنُ نَعلَمُ أَنَّ الشَّريعَةَ روحيَّة، ولٰكِنِّي بَشَرٌ بِيعَ لِيَكونَ لِلخَطيئَة

وحقًّا لا أَدْري ما أَفعَل: فالَّذي أُريدُه لا أَفعَلُه، وأَمَّا الَّذي أَكرَهُه فإِيَّاه أَفعَل

فإِذا كُنتُ أَفعَلُ ما لا أُريد، فإِنِّي أُوافِقُ الشَّريعةَ على أَنَّها حَسَنَة

فلَستُ أَنا الَّذي يَفعَلُ ذٰلِكَ، بلِ الخَطيئَةُ السَّاكِنَةُ فِيَّ

لِأَنِّي أَعلَمُ أَنَّ الصَّلاحَ لا يَسكُنُ فِيَّ، أَي في جَسَدي، فالرَّغبَةُ في الخَيرِ هي بِاستِطاعَتي، وأَمَّا فِعلُه فلا

لِأَنَّ الخَيرَ الَّذي أُريدُه لا أَفعَلُه، والشَّرَّ الَّذي لا أُريدُه إِيَّاه أَفعَل

فإِذا كُنتُ أَفعَلُ ما لا أُريد، فلَستُ أَنا أَفعَلُ ذٰلِك، بلِ الخَطيئَةُ السَّاكِنَةُ فِيَّ

فأَنا الَّذي يُريدُ فِعلَ الخَيرِ أَجِدُ هٰذه الشَّريعة، وَهيَ أَنَّ الشَّرَّ بِٱستِطاعَتي

وإِنِّي أَطِيبُ نَفْسًا بِشَريعةِ اللهِ مِن حَيثُ إِنِّي إِنسانٌ باطِن

ولٰكِنِّي أَشعُرُ في أَعْضائي بِشَريعةٍ أُخْرى تُحارِبُ شَريعةَ عَقْلي وتَجعَلُني أَسيرًا لِشَريعةِ الخَطيئَة، تِلكَ الشَّريعةِ الَّتي هي في أَعْضائي

ما أَشْقاني مِن إِنسان! فمَن يُنقِذُني مِن هٰذا الجَسَدِ الَّذي مَصيرُه المَوت؟

الشُّكرُ للهِ بِيَسوعَ المسيحِ ربِّنا! فهاءَنَذا عَبْدٌ بِالعَقْلِ لِشَريعةِ الله وعَبْدٌ بِالجَسَدِ لِشَريعةِ الخَطيئَة