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Romans Chapter 3

The advantages of the Jews. All men are sinners and none can be justified by the works of the law, but only by the grace of Christ.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 What advantage then hath the Jew: or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much every way. First indeed, because the words of God were committed to them. 3 For what if some of them have not believed? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid! 4 But God is true and every man a liar, as it is written: That thou mayest be justified in thy words and mayest overcome when thou art judged. Note. God only is essentially true. All men in their own capacity are liable to lies and errors: nevertheless God, who is the truth, will make good his promise of keeping his church in all truth. (See John 16:13)

5 But if our injustice commend the justice of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust, who executeth wrath? 6 (I speak according to man.) God forbid! Otherwise how shall God judge this world? 7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie, unto his glory, why am I also yet judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather (as we are slandered and as some affirm that we say) let us do evil that there may come good? Whose damnation is just.

9 What then? Do we excel them? No, not so. For we have charged both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written:

There is not any man just. There is not any man just, viz... by virtue either of the law of nature, or of the law of Moses; but only by faith and grace.
11 There is none that understandeth: there is none that seeketh after God.
12 All have turned out of the way: they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre: with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips.
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery in their ways:
17 And the way of peace they have not known.
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

19 Now we know that what things soever the law speaketh, it speaketh to them that are in the law: that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be made subject to God. 20 Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now, without the law, the justice of God is made manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. 22 Even the justice of God, by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe in him: for there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and do need the glory of God. 24 Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to the showing of his justice, for the remission of former sins, 26 Through the forbearance of God, for the showing of his justice in this time: that he himself may be just and the justifier of him who is of the faith of Jesus Christ.

27 Where is then thy boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law. By faith, etc... The faith, to which the apostle here attributes man's justification, is not a presumptuous assurance of our being justified; but a firm and lively belief of all that God has revealed or promised (Hebrews 11). A faith working through charity in Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:6). In short, a faith which takes in hope, love, repentance, and the use of the sacraments. And the works which he here excludes, are only the works of the law: that is, such as are done by the law of nature, or that of Moses, antecedent to the faith of Christ: but by no means, such as follow faith, and proceed from it. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? yes, of the Gentiles also. 30 For it is one God that justifieth circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then, destroy the law through faith? God forbid! But we establish the law.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Quid ergo amplius Judæo est? aut quæ utilitas circumcisionis? 2 Multum per omnem modum. Primum quidem quia credita sunt illis eloquia Dei. 3 Quid enim si quidam illorum non crediderunt? numquid incredulitas illorum fidem Dei evacuabit? Absit. 4 Est autem Deus verax: omnis autem homo mendax, sicut scriptum est:

Ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis:
et vincas cum judicaris.

5 Si autem iniquitas nostra justitiam Dei commendat, quid dicemus? Numquid iniquus est Deus, qui infert iram? 6 secundum hominem dico. Absit. Alioquin quomodo judicabit Deus hunc mundum? 7 Si enim veritas Dei in meo mendacio abundavit in gloriam ipsius: quid adhuc et ego tamquam peccator judicor? 8 et non (sicut blasphemamur, et sicut aiunt quidam nos dicere) faciamus mala ut veniant bona: quorum damnatio justa est.

9 Quid ergo? præcellimus eos? Nequaquam. Causati enim sumus Judæos et Græcos omnes sub peccato esse, 10 sicut scriptum est:

Quia non est justus quisquam:
11 non est intelligens, non est requirens Deum.
12 Omnes declinaverunt, simul inutiles facti sunt:
non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum.
13 Sepulchrum patens est guttur eorum,
linguis suis dolose agebant:
venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum:
14 quorum os maledictione, et amaritudine plenum est:
15 veloces pedes eorum ad effundendum sanguinem:
16 contritio et infelicitas in viis eorum:
17 et viam pacis non cognoverunt:
18 non est timor Dei ante oculos eorum.

19 Scimus autem quoniam quæcumque lex loquitur, iis, qui in lege sunt, loquitur: ut omne os obstruatur, et subditus fiat omnis mundus Deo: 20 quia ex operibus legis non justificabitur omnis caro coram illo. Per legem enim cognitio peccati.

21 Nunc autem sine lege justitia Dei manifestata est: testificata a lege et prophetis. 22 Justitia autem Dei per fidem Jesu Christi in omnes et super omnes qui credunt in eum: non enim est distinctio: 23 omnes enim peccaverunt, et egent gloria Dei. 24 Justificati gratis per gratiam ipsius, per redemptionem quæ est in Christo Jesu, 25 quem proposuit Deus propitiationem per fidem in sanguine ipsius, ad ostensionem justitiæ suæ propter remissionem præcedentium delictorum 26 in sustentatione Dei, ad ostensionem justitiæ ejus in hoc tempore: ut sit ipse justus, et justificans eum, qui est ex fide Jesu Christi.

27 Ubi est ergo gloriatio tua? Exclusa est. Per quam legem? Factorum? Non: sed per legem fidei. 28 Arbitramur enim justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis. 29 An Judæorum Deus tantum? nonne et gentium? Immo et gentium: 30 quoniam quidem unus est Deus, qui justificat circumcisionem ex fide, et præputium per fidem. 31 Legem ergo destruimus per fidem? Absit: sed legem statuimus.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition