Or do you not know, brothers—for I speak to those knowing Law—that the Law rules over the person for as much as the time of life?[fn]Notice that Paul is speaking explicitly to Jews here.[/fn] 2 For the married woman is bound to her living husband by the Law; but if the husband should die, she is discharged from the Law of the husband. 3 So then with the husband living she will be known as an adulteress if she becomes bound to another man; but if the husband dies, she is free from the Law, so that she is not an adulteress having become bound to another man.
4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were put to death to the Law through the body of Christ, in order to become bound to another, to him having been raised from the dead, so that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of the sins that are through the Law were at work in our members to bear fruit for death; 6 but now we are discharged from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we might serve in newness of spirit and not oldness of letter.
7 What then shall we say? That the Law is sin? Let it not be! But I did not know the sin if not through the Law. For I had not known covetousness if the Law was not saying, You will not covet. 8 But seizing an occasion sin through the commandment produced in me every covetousness. For apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 Whereas I was once alive apart from the Law, with the commandment having come sin came back to life. 10 I died, and the commandment which was for life, that was found for me to be death. 11 For sin, having found an occasion through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So indeed the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Let it not be! But sin, in order that it may appear as sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment. 14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold under sin. 15 For what I do I do not recognize; for I do not do what I wish, but what I hate this I do. 16 And if I do that which I do not want, I agree with the Law that it is good. 17 But now no longer I work it but the sin dwelling in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me—that is in my flesh; for to want is present with me, but to work what is good is not. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the bad I do not want this I do. 20 But if I do what [I] do not want, no longer I work it but the sin dwelling in me.
21 So I find the law/principle for me wanting to do good, that evil lies at hand for me. 22 For I delight in the Law of God with respect to the inner man, 23 but I see another law in my members waging war against the Law of my mind and taking me prisoner (at spear point) to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself with my mind serve the Law of God, but in the flesh the law of sin.
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