4. By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified and shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men]. [Ps. 51:4.]
5. But if our unrighteousness thus establishes and exhibits the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust and wrong to inflict His wrath upon us [Jews]? I speak in a [purely] human way.
6. By no means! Otherwise, how could God judge the world?
7. But [you say] if through my falsehood God's integrity is magnified and advertised and abounds to His glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?
8. And why should we not do evil that good may come?–as some slanderously charge us with teaching. Such [false teaching] is justly condemned by them.
9. Well then, are we [Jews] superior and better off than they? No, not at all. We have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), are under sin [held down by and subject to its power and control].
10. As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. [Ps. 14:3.]
11. No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. [Ps. 14:2.]
12. All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!
13. Their throat is a yawning grave; they use their tongues to deceive (to mislead and to deal treacherously). The venom of asps is beneath their lips. [Ps. 5:9; 140:3.]
14. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. [Ps. 10:7.]
15. Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16. Destruction [as it dashes them to pieces] and misery mark their ways.
17. And they have no experience of the way of peace [they know nothing about peace, for a peaceful way they do not even recognize]. [Isa. 59:7, 8.]
18. There is no [reverential] fear of God before their eyes. [Ps. 36:1.]
19. Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.
20. For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].