Romans 2
Complete Jewish Bible
2 Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, passing judgment; for when you judge someone else, you are passing judgment against yourself; since you who are judging do the same things he does. 2 We know that God’s judgment lands impartially on those who do such things; 3 do you think that you, a mere man passing judgment on others who do such things, yet doing them yourself, will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or perhaps you despise the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience; because you don’t realize that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to turn from your sins. 5 But by your stubbornness, by your unrepentant heart, you are storing up anger for yourself on the Day of Anger, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed; 6 for he will pay back each one according to his deeds.[a] 7 To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life. 8 But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger.
9 Yes, he will pay back misery and anguish to every human being who does evil, to the Jew first, then to the Gentile; 10 but glory and honor and shalom to everyone who keeps doing what is good, to the Jew first, then to the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 All who have sinned outside the framework of Torah will die outside the framework of Torah; and all who have sinned within the framework of Torah will be judged by Torah. 13 For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom God considers righteous; rather, it is the doers of what Torah says who will be made righteous in God’s sight. 14 For whenever Gentiles, who have no Torah, do naturally what the Torah requires, then these, even though they don’t have Torah, for themselves are Torah! 15 For their lives show that the conduct the Torah dictates is written in their hearts.[b] Their consciences also bear witness to this, for their conflicting thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them 16 on a day when God passes judgment on people’s inmost secrets. (According to the Good News as I proclaim it, he does this through the Messiah Yeshua.)
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rest on Torah and boast about God 18 and know his will and give your approval to what is right, because you have been instructed from the Torah; 19 and if you have persuaded yourself that you are a guide to the blind, a light in the darkness, 20 an instructor for the spiritually unaware and a teacher of children, since in the Torah you have the embodiment of knowledge and truth; 21 then, you who teach others, don’t you teach yourself? Preaching, “Thou shalt not steal,”[c] do you steal? 22 Saying, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,”[d] do you commit adultery? Detesting idols, do you commit idolatrous acts? 23 You who take such pride in Torah, do you, by disobeying the Torah, dishonor God? — 24 as it says in the Tanakh, “For it is because of you that God’s name is blasphemed by the Goyim.”[e] 25 For circumcision is indeed of value if you do what Torah says. But if you are a transgressor of Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision! 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the Torah, won’t his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 Indeed, the man who is physically uncircumcised but obeys the Torah will stand as a judgment on you who have had a b’rit-milah and have Torah written out but violate it! 28 For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. 29 On the contrary, the real Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise comes not from other people but from God.
Footnotes
- Romans 2:6 Psalm 62:13(12), Proverbs 24:12
- Romans 2:15 Jeremiah 31:32(33)
- Romans 2:21 Exodus 20:13(15), Deuteronomy 5:17(19)
- Romans 2:22 Exodus 20:13(14), Deuteronomy 5:17(18)
- Romans 2:24 Isaiah 52:5, Ezekiel 36:20
Kehillah in Rome 2
Orthodox Jewish Bible
2 For this reason, you are without terutz (excuse) for yourself (before an angry G-d), you, sir, each one of you who passes judgment. For in that you pass judgment on the other, you condemn yourself; for you practice the very things on which you pass judgment.
2 And we have da’as that the judgment of Hashem HaShofet (Ro 1:32) against those who practice such things is in accordance with HaEmes Hashem (Ro 1:25).
3 You, sir, you who pass judgment on those who practice such things and yet do the same yourself, do you suppose then that you will escape the Mishpat Hashem?
4 Or do you think lightly of the wealth of his nedivut (generosity) and of his chesed and of his being ERECH APAYIM ("slow of anger, forbearing" SHEMOT 34:6) and of his zitzfleisch (patience), disregarding the fact that the Chesed Hashem (the kindness of G-d) is to lead you to teshuva (repentance)?
5 As a result of your KESHI (stubbornness, hardness, DEVARIM 9:27) and your levavot without teshuva, you are storing up for yourself Charon Af Hashem (the burning anger of G-d) in the Yom Af (the Day of Wrath TEHILLIM 110:5, i.e., the Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment), when will be revealed the Mishpat HaTzedek of Hashem,
6 Who will render L’ISH K’MA’A’SEI HU (to each according to his works" TEHILLIM 62:13 [12]).
7 To those who, by zitzfleisch (patience), persevere in doing ma’asim tovim, seek for kavod (glory) and honor and incorruptibility (TEHILLIM 16:10), He will give Chayyei Olam (Eternal Life).
8 But to those who are selfseeking and who have no mishma’at (obedience) to HaEmes Hashem (Ro 1:25), but instead have mishma’at to resha, there will be Charon Af Hashem and fury.
9 There will be affliction and distress on every living neshamah who brings about what is rah (evil), Yehudi above all and Yevani (Greek) as well.
10 But tiferet and kavod and shalom to everyone who brings about what is tov (good), Yehudi above all and Yevani as well.
11 For ki ein masso panim im Hashem (there is no partiality with Hashem).
12 For as many as have committed averos and sinned lacking the Torah shall also perish lacking the Torah; and as many as have committed averos (sin) under the Torah shall be condemned under the Torah.
13 For it is not the Shomei HaTorah (hearers of the Law of Moshe Rabbeinu) who are the tzaddikim who are accounted to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM ("justified with G-d" IYOV 25:4). It is the Shomrei HaTorah (the keepers of the Torah) who will be counted to be YITZDAK IM HASHEM.
14 For when Goyim, who have not the Torah, do by nature what the Torah requires, they not having the Torah are the torah for themselves,
15 In that they demonstrate the Torah at work [YIRMEYAH 31:33], the Torah written in their levavot, their matzpun (conscience) also bearing witness, while their thoughts bring accusation or even make defense among themselves,
16 In the Yom [HaDin (Day of Judgment)] when, according to my Besuras HaGeulah, Hashem, through Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, is to judge the secrets of kol Bnei Adam (all men).
17 But if you are called by the name Yehudi (Jew) and rely on the Torah and boast in Hashem,
18 And have da’as of His will and approve the things that matter, being instructed from the Torah
19 And being confident that you are a moreh derech (guide) of the ivrim (blind ones), an ohr for those in choshech,
20 A rabbinic moreh (teacher) of the foolish, a melammed (instructor) of the young, having the embodiment of da’as (knowledge) and Emes (Ro 1:25) in the Torah...
21 You, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach LO TIGNOV ("Do not steal!" SHEMOT 20:15), do you steal?
22 You who say, LO TINAF ("Do not commit adultery!" SHEMOT 20:14), do you commit adultery? You who abhor elilim (idols), do you rob pagan temples?
23 You who boast in the Torah, through sur min haTorah (deviating from the Torah), you commit Chillul Hashem.
24 As it is written, Among the Goyim KOL HAYOM HASHEM HAELOHIM MINNO’ATZ ("All the day long the Name of G-d is being blasphemed" (YESHAYAH 52:5) because of you.
25 For the bris milah (circumcision) is of benefit if you stand in mishma’at (obedience) to the Torah. But if you are guilty, if you are sur min haTorah (deviating from the Torah) (2:23), your bris milah has become uncircumcision.
26 If then the ben Adam without bris milah is shomer fulfilling the just requirements of the Torah (1:32), will not his uncircumcision be counted as "bris milah "?
27 And the naturally uncircumcised ben Adam who has mishma’at (obedience) to the Torah will arise as a judgment on you. You! The very one who through chumra (strict adherence to the letter of the law, legalism) and circumcision (i.e., "uncircumcision "—2:25) are the transgressor of Torah!
28 For the true Yehudi (Jew) is not the one [humanly] perceived as such, nor true bris milah that which is performed visibly in the flesh;
29 The true Yehudi is so in [Hashem’s] hidden way, and true bris milah is of the lev, in the [hitkhadshut (renewal) of the (Yn 3:3)] Ruach Hakodesh, not in chumra (legalism, strict adherence to the letter of the law). The one so marked has hoda’ah (praise "Yehudah, Hodah, Praise"...see BERESHIS 29:35) that comes not from Bnei Adam but from Hashem [T.N.Jer 31:31-34].
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International