Romans 3

1 [Someone may object to this, saying], “[If being circumcised does not cause God to accept us Jews], (there is no advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]./is there any advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]?) [RHQ] Being circumcised does not benefit [us Jews at all]!”

To tiah nahaeloe Judah kami ah ohhaih timaw atho oh? To tih ai boeh loe tangyat hin aahhaih rang hoiah tih amekhaih maw oh?

2 [I would reply that being Jews] benefits [us] in many ways [HYP]. First of all, it benefits us because it was to [our ancestors] that God’s words, [words that contain his promises], were given {that [God] gave his words, [words that contain his promises]}.

Amekhaih congca oh: lokpui koekah, Sithaw lok to nihcae khaeah pakuemsak pongah amekhaih oh.

3 Many [Jews did not obey God as they promised that they would. So someone might ask], “Does their not being faithful mean that God will not [bless us Jews] as he promised [that he would]?”

Thoemto kaminawk mah tang o ai nahaeloe kawbangmaw om o tih? Katang ai nihcae khosakhaih mah Sithaw oep ohhaih to amrosak maw?

4 [I would reply], “No, it certainly does not mean that! God always does [what he has promised], even though [people do not]. All those who accuse God [of not keeping his promises to us Jews] are very mistaken.” [What King David wrote about God’s justly saying that he would punish him for his sins is also true of those who accuse God of not keeping his promises. What he said to God was], “So everyone must acknowledge that what you [(sg)] have said [about them] (OR, [their sin]) is true, and you will always win the case when you are accused {when [people] accuse you}.”

To tiah na ai ni: ue, Na thuih ih lok pongah toenghaih na hnu tih, lokcaekhaih na tongh naah na pazawk tih, tiah tarik ih oh baktih toengah, kami boih lok amlai o cadoeh, Sithaw loe loktang ah oh.

5 So if we [Jews’] being wicked [PRS] shows that it is right that God [does not bless us], what shall we say/conclude? Shall we conclude that it is not right for God to be angry [and punish us Jews] [MTY]? I [should not be saying these things], [but] I am speaking as ordinary humans [speak].

Toe aicae sethaih mah Sithaw toenghaih to amtuengsak nahaeloe, kawbangmaw a thuih o han? Aicae danpaek Sithaw loe toeng ai ah maw oh? (Kami baktiah ni lok ka thuih)

6 We should certainly not [conclude that God should not judge us], because if God [did not judge us Jews], (it would not possibly be right for him to judge [anyone in] the world [MTY]!/how could he judge [anyone in] the world?) [MTY, RHQ]

To tiah na ai ni: to tiah om nahaeloe Sithaw mah kawbangmaw long hae lokcaek tih?

7 But [someone might object and say to me], “The fact that God truly [keeps his promises] becomes very clear/evident because of my not doing [what God has commanded]. But the result is that people praise God! So (God should no longer say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned!/why should God still say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned?) [RHQ]

Lok kam laihaih hoiah loktang ah kaom Sithaw lensawkhaih to amtueng aep nahaeloe, tipongah kami zae maeto baktiah kai lokcaekhaih oh vop loe?

8 [If what you, Paul, say is true], then (we might as well/it is all right for us to) do evil things in order that good things [like that] will result! For example, [then people will praise God]!” Some people speak evil about me by their [falsely] saying that I say [such things. God] will fairly/justly punish [people who say such things about me]!

To tiah nahaeloe tipongah kahoih hmuen tacawt thai hanah, kasae hmuen to sah o ngala si, tiah a thui o ai loe? (To tiah lok a thuih o ti, tiah thoemto kaminawk mah kaicae kasae ang thuih o). To tiah lokthui kami loe lokcaek han krak.

9 [If someone would ask], “[Shall we conclude that God] will treat us [Jews] more favorably [and will treat] the non-Jews less [favorably] [RHQ]?” [I would reply that we can] certainly not [conclude that]! I have already shown you that all people, the Jews and also the non-Jews, have sinned and [so they deserve to be punished] {[that God will punish them]} [PRS].

To tiah nahaeloe kawbangmaw oh boeh? Aicae loe nihcae pongah hoih kue maw? Hoih ai, hoih kue ai: Judahnawk doeh, Gentelnawk doeh, zaehaih thungah ni oh o boih, tiah kamnoekta ah kang thuih o boeh;

10 [The following words] that are written {prophets have written} [in the Scriptures support this], No person is righteous. There is not even one righteous person!

katoeng kami mi doeh om ai, om ai, maeto doeh om ai:

11 There is no one who understands [how to live properly] (OR, [about God]). There is no one who seeks/desires [to know] God!

kathaih kop kami mi doeh om ai, Sithaw pakrong kami mi doeh om ai.

12 Absolutely everyone has turned away [MET] [from God]. God considers them depraved (OR, Everyone has become useless [to God]). There is no one who acts righteously; no, there is not even one!

Nihcae loe loklam amkhraeng o boih boeh, nihcae loe tidoeh avang o ai boeh; kahoih hmuen sah kami mi doeh om ai, om ai, maeto doeh om ai.

13 What people say [MTY] [is foul/bad, like the smell that comes from] a grave that has been {that [people] have} opened [MET]. [By what people say] [MTY], they deceive people. [By what they say] [MTY] [they injure people, just like] the poison of snakes [injures people] [MET].

Nihcae ih aqawnh loe taprong baktiah amongh moe, palai hoiah alinghaih lok to thuih o; nihcae ih pahni ah pahui kasoe to oh:

14 They are continually (cursing/asking God to do harmful things to) others and saying (cruel/harsh/hateful) things [MTY].

nihcae ih pakha loe tangoenghaih hoi kakhaa lok hoiah koi:

15 They (go quickly/are eager) to murder people [MTY].

athii palong hanah karangah khok takanh o;

16 Wherever they go, they ruin everything and make [people] miserable [MTY].

a caeh o haih loklam ah amrohaih hoi patangkhanghaih to oh:

17 They have not/never known how [to live] peacefully [with other people].

monghaih loklam nihcae mah panoek o ai:

18 They absolutely refuse to fear/reverence God [SYN]!

nihcae mik ah Sithaw zithaih roe om ai, tiah Cabu thungah tarik ih oh.

19 Furthermore, we know that it is to [Jewish] people, [who are] required to obey [God’s] laws, that Moses wrote those laws [PRS]. [We can infer from this that] there are no [Jews or non-Jews] [SYN] who are able to say anything [in reply to God’s saying that he will punish them for having sinned]. God has declared everyone in the world [MTY] guilty!

Kami boih mah lok apae ai ah oh moe, long kaminawk boih Sithaw hmaa ah lokcaek thai hanah, kaalok mah thuih ih hmuennawk boih loe kaalok thungah kaom kaminawk han ih ni thuih, tito vaihi a panoek o boeh.

20 It is not because people have done the things that God’s laws [require] that [God] will (erase the record of their sins/declare them no longer guilty for sin), [because no one has done those things completely]. In fact, the result of [our knowing God’s] laws is that we know clearly that we have sinned (OR, are sinful).

Kaalok mah zaehaih amtuengsak pongah, mi kawbaktih doeh kaalok pazuihaih rang hoiah Anih hmaa ah toenghaih hnu mak ai.

21 But God’s (erasing the record of our sins/declaring us no longer guilty) does not depend on [our obeying] the laws [that he gave Moses]. It has now been {[God] has now} revealed [to us] how he erases the record of our sins [by a different way]. It was written about [by Moses] {[Moses] wrote about it} in the laws [PRS] [God gave] him, and it was also written about by the prophets {the prophets also wrote about it}.

Toe vaihi loe kaalok hoi tahmaanawk ih lok mah hnukung ah oh boeh, Sithaw toenghaih loe kaalok pazuihaih hoiah om ai;

22 God erases the record of our sins because we trust in [what] Jesus Christ [has done for us]. God does this for every person who trusts [in Christ], because [he considers] that there is no difference [between Jews and non-Jews].

Sithaw toenghaih loe, kaminawk boih hoi tanghaih tawn kaminawk boih hanah, Jesu Kri tanghaih rang hoiah ni oh; mi kawbaktih doeh lahhaih om ai boeh:

23 All people have done evil, and all people have failed to accomplish the glorious [goals] that God [set for them].

kami boih zae o boeh moe, Sithaw lensawkhaih to hnu o thai ai boeh;

24 Our record of sins has been erased {God erased the record of our sins} by God acting kindly [to forgive our sins], without our doing anything to earn it. Christ Jesus accomplished this [by dying for us].

atho paek ai ah Kri Jesu mah akranghaih hoi a tahmenhaih rang hoiah ni toenghaih to a hnuk o:

25 God showed that Christ was the one who would atone for (OR, forgive) our sins [with the] blood [that flowed from his body when he died. God redeems/forgives] us because of our trusting [in Christ’s having died for us. God wanted] to show that he acts justly. [He wanted to do that] because, before [Jesus came, God] did not punish [everyone who sinned. So it seemed as though he was not being just]. But he was overlooking people’s sins during [that time],

Anih patangkhanghaih rang hoiah canghnii ah sak ih zaehaihnawk loe Sithaw mah tahmen boeh; a toenghaih to amtuengsak hanah, anih tanghaih rang hoiah, Angmah ih athii hoiah aicae zuengah tahmen hnikhaih angbawnhaih sak hanah, Sithaw mah to tiah sak boeh.

26 because he is patient. [God arranged for Jesus to die for us]. By doing that, God now shows that he is just, and he shows that he is justly able to erase the record of sins for everyone who trusts/believes in Jesus.

Anih loe katoeng kami ah oh, Jesu tanghaih tawn kaminawk toenghaih hnuksak hanah, a toenghaih to vaihi amtuengsak boeh.

27 It is not at all [RHQ] because of [our obeying the] laws [of Moses that God erases the record of our sins]. So, (there is no way that we can boast [that God does that because of our obeying those laws]./how can we boast [about God erasing the record of our sins because of our obeying those laws]?) [RHQ] Instead, [it is because of our] believing/trusting [in Christ that God erases the record of our sins].

To tiah nahaeloe amoekhaih loe naa ah maw oh boeh? Amoekhaih loe anghmaat ving boeh. Kawbaktih kaalok pongah maw anghmaat ving? Toksakhaih hoiah maw anghmaat? Toksakhaih hoiah na ai ni; kaalok tanghaih rang hoiah ni.

28 [We cannot boast about that], because we conclude that the record of our sins is erased {God erases the record of our sins} because of our trusting [in Christ]. God does not erase the record of our sins because of our obeying the laws [that he gave to Moses, because it is impossible for us to completely obey them].

To pongah, kami loe kaalok pazui pongah na ai, tanghaih rang hoiah ni toenghaih to hnuk, tito a panoek o.

29 (You who are Jews certainly should not [think that you] are the only ones whom God [will accept]!/Do you Jews [think it is you] alone whom God [will accept]?) [RHQ] You certainly should [realize that he will accept] non-Jews, too. [RHQ] Of course, [he will accept] non-Jews also,

Anih loe Judahnawk ih Sithaw khue maw? Gentelnawk ih Sithaw ah doeh om ai maw? Ue, Gentelnawk ih Sithaw ah doeh oh.

30 because, [as you firmly believe], there is only one God, who will erase the record of Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in what Christ has done], and who will similarly erase the record of non-Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in Christ].

Sithaw loe maeto ah oh pongah, anih mah tangyat hin aat kami to tanghaih rang hoiah ni toenghaih to hnusak ueloe, tangyat hin aat ai kami doeh tanghaih rang hoiah ni toenghaih to hnusak tih.

31 So, [if someone should ask concerning the laws that God gave Moses], “By saying [that God erases the record of our sins because of our] trusting [in Christ], does that mean that those laws now are useless?”, [I would reply], “Certainly not. Instead, we truly fulfill the laws [that God gave Moses].”

To tiah nahaeloe tanghaih rang hoiah aicae mah kaalok a phraek o maw? A phrae o ai, ue, kaalok to ni a cak o sak aep.