1 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only during that person’s lifetime? 2 Thus a married woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.

4 In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

7 What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived 10 and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

13 Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.

1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

1 Do you not know, brothers, for I speak to those who know the law, that the law exercises lordship over a man so long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he lives; but if her husband dies she is released from the law of her husband. 3 Accordingly she will be named adulteress if, while her husband lives, she becomes another man’s. But if her husband dies she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress if she becomes another man’s.

4 So then, my brothers, you also were put to death in relation to the law through the body of Christ, in order that you might become another’s, the one who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh the sinful passions which operate through the law were effective in what we are and do so as to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were confined, so that we might serve in newness of Spirit and not in oldness of letter.

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have experienced sin except through the law; for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, stirred up all manner of covetousness in me. For in the absence of the law sin is dead. 9 And in the absence of the law I was alive once upon a time. But when the commandment came, sin became alive, 10 and I died. The commandment intended for life proved for me a means to death. 11 For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So that the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear as sin, through that which is good producing death for me, in order that sin through the commandment might become utterly sinful.

14 For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15 For I do not know what I do. For that which I commit is not what I want; but what I hate, that I do. 16 But if that which I do is what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is admirable. 17 But now it is no longer I doing this but sin which dwells within me.

18 For I know that there dwells in me, that is, in my flesh, no good thing; for the willing lies ready to my hand, but not the doing of what is admirable, 19 For I fail to do good as I wish, but evil which I do not wish is what I commit. 20 But if what I do not wish is that which I do, it is no longer I doing it but sin which dwells within me. 21 I find then the law, in my case wishing to do the good, to be that for me the evil lies ready to hand. 22 For I rejoice in the law of God, so far as the inner man is concerned, 23 but I see another law in my constituent parts at war with the law of my mind and making me a prisoner to the law of sin which is in my constituent parts. 24 Wretched man am I! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? 25 But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself with my mind serve the law of God and with my flesh the law of sin.

1 Or do you not understand, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know law—that “the law rules over a person as long as he [or she] lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law while the husband is alive. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 Accordingly, while the husband is alive she shall be declared an adulteress if she has relations with another husband. But if the husband dies, she is emancipated from the law and thus she is not an adulteress if she has relations with another man.”

4 Consequently, my brothers, you were also put to death with respect to the law through the body of Christ, so you can have relations with another—with the one raised from [the] dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, [our] sinful passions that [came] through the law were at work in our members in bearing fruit to death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were confined, so that we might serve as slaves in newness of spirit and not in the obsolescence of letter.

7 What then shall we say? [Is] the law sin? Certainly not! Nevertheless I did not know the sin except through law, for I also did not know about coveting except [that] the law was saying, “You shall not covet!” 8 But, finding opportunity through the commandment, sin was working in me every manner of coveting, for apart from law sin [is] dead. 9 Now I was once living apart from law, but when the commandment came, the sin came to life again, 10 but I died, and it was found with respect to me [that] the commandment that was for life, this was for death. 11 For the sin, finding opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it slayed [me]. 12 So on the one hand the law [is] holy, and the commandment [is] holy and righteous and good …

13 Did the good, therefore, cause my death? By no means! But the sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, was bringing about my death through the good, in order that the sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, having been sold under the sin. 15 For I do not know what I bring about. For what I don’t want—this I practice, but what I hate—this I do. 16 But if what I don’t want—this I do, I agree with the law that [it is] excellent. 17 Now surely it is not I [who] brings it about, but the sin dwelling in me. 18 For I know that excellence does not dwell in me, that is in my flesh. For wishing it lies within my reach, but bringing about what is excellent does not. 19 For I don’t do the good that I want, but the bad that I don’t want—this I practice. 20 Now if what I don’t want—this I do, it is no longer I who bring it about but the sin dwelling in me.

21 Thus I discover that while my will is directed to the law in order to do what is excellent, the bad lies within my reach. 22 For with respect to my inner self, I share pleasure in the law of God, 23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law in my mind and captivating me by the law of the sin that exists in my members. 24 How wretched a person I [am]! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 But thanks [be] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Thus, left to myself, I am a slave to God’s law in my mind, but in my flesh [I am a slave] to sin’s law.