¿Acaso ignoráis, hermanos^a (pues hablo a los que conocen la ley), que la ley tiene jurisdicción sobre una persona mientras vive? 2 Pues la mujer casada está ligada por la ley a su marido mientras él vive; pero si su marido muere, queda libre de la ley en cuanto al marido^a. 3 Así que, mientras vive su marido, será llamada adúltera si ella se une a otro hombre; pero si su marido muere, está libre de la ley, de modo que no es adúltera aunque se una a otro hombre. 4 Por tanto, hermanos míos, también a vosotros se os hizo morir a la ley^a por medio del cuerpo de Cristo^b, para que seáis unidos a otro, a aquel que resucitó de entre los muertos, a fin de que llevemos fruto para Dios. 5 Porque mientras estábamos en la carne^a, las pasiones pecaminosas despertadas por la ley^b, actuaban en los miembros de nuestro cuerpo¹ a fin de llevar fruto para muerte^c. 6 Pero ahora hemos quedado libres de la ley, habiendo muerto a lo que nos ataba^a, de modo que sirvamos en la novedad^b del Espíritu¹ y no en el arcaísmo de la letra^c.

7 ¿Qué diremos^a entonces? ¿Es pecado la ley? ¡De ningún modo^b! Al contrario, yo no hubiera llegado a conocer el pecado si no hubiera sido por medio de la ley^c; porque yo no hubiera sabido lo que es la codicia¹, si la ley no hubiera dicho: NO CODICIARAS^d. 8 Pero el pecado, aprovechándose del¹ mandamiento^a, produjo en mí toda clase de codicia²; porque aparte de la ley el pecado está muerto^b. 9 Y en un tiempo yo vivía sin la ley, pero al venir el mandamiento, el pecado revivió, y yo morí; 10 y este mandamiento, que era para vida^a, a mí me resultó para muerte; 11 porque el pecado, aprovechándose del¹ mandamiento^a, me engañó^b, y por medio de él me mató. 12 Así que la ley es santa, y el mandamiento es santo, justo y bueno^a. 13 ¿Entonces lo que es bueno vino a ser causa de muerte para mí? ¡De ningún modo^a! Al contrario, fue el pecado, a fin de mostrarse que es pecado al producir mi muerte por medio de lo que es bueno, para que por medio del mandamiento el pecado llegue a ser en extremo pecaminoso. 14 Porque sabemos que la ley es espiritual^a, pero yo soy carnal^1b, vendido a la esclavitud del pecado^2c. 15 Porque lo que hago, no lo entiendo^a; porque no practico lo que quiero hacer, sino que lo que aborrezco, eso hago^b. 16 Y si lo que no quiero hacer, eso hago, estoy de acuerdo con la ley, reconociendo que es buena^a. 17 Así que ya no soy yo el que lo hace, sino el pecado que habita en mí^a. 18 Porque yo sé que en mí, es decir, en mi carne^a, no habita nada bueno; porque el querer está presente en mí, pero el hacer el bien, no. 19 Pues no hago el bien que deseo, sino que el mal que no quiero, eso practico^a. 20 Y si lo que no quiero hacer, eso hago, ya no soy yo el que lo hace, sino el pecado que habita en mí^a. 21 Así que, queriendo yo hacer el bien, hallo la ley de que el mal está presente en mí^a. 22 Porque en el¹ hombre interior^a me deleito con la ley de Dios, 23 pero veo otra ley en los miembros de mi cuerpo¹ que hace guerra^a contra la ley de mi mente, y me hace prisionero de² la ley del pecado que está en mis miembros^b. 24 ¡Miserable de mí¹! ¿Quién me libertará de este cuerpo de muerte^2a? 25 Gracias a Dios, por Jesucristo Señor nuestro^a. Así que yo mismo, por un lado, con la mente sirvo a la ley de Dios, pero por el otro, con la carne, a la ley del pecado^b.

Or do you not know, ^abrethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For ^athe married woman is bound by law to her ¹husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law ²concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were ^amade to die ^bto the Law ^cthrough the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were ^ain the flesh, the sinful passions, which were ^baroused by the Law, were at work ^cin ¹the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been ^areleased from the Law, having ^bdied to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in ^cnewness of ^dthe ¹Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

7 ^aWhat shall we say then? Is the Law sin? ^bMay it never be! On the contrary, ^cI would not have come to know sin except ¹through the Law; for I would not have known about ²coveting if the Law had not said, “^dYOU SHALL NOT ³COVET.” 8 But sin, ^ataking opportunity ^bthrough the commandment, produced in me ¹coveting of every kind; for ^capart ²from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart ¹from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was ^1ato result in life, proved ²to result in death for me; 11 for sin, ^ataking an opportunity ^bthrough the commandment, ^cdeceived me and through it killed me. 12 ^aSo then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? ^aMay it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

14 For we know that the Law is ^aspiritual, but I am ^bof flesh, ^csold ^1dinto bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, ^aI do not understand; for I am not practicing ^bwhat I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with ^athe Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, ^ano longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my ^aflesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For ^athe good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, ^aI am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then ^athe ¹principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God ¹in ^athe inner man, 23 but I see ^aa different law in ¹the members of my body, waging war against the ^blaw of my mind and making me a prisoner ²of ^cthe law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^1athe body of this ^bdeath? 25 ^aThanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh ^bthe law of sin.

Or do you not know, ^abrothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the ¹Law), that the ²Law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For ^athe married woman is bound by law to her ¹husband as long as he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law ²concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is alive she ¹gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she ²gives herself to another man.

4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were ^aput to death ^bin regard to the Law ^cthrough the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were ^ain the flesh, the sinful passions, which were ^bbrought to light by the Law, were at work ^cin ¹the parts of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been ^areleased from the Law, having ^bdied to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in ^cnewness of ^dthe ¹Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

7 ^aWhat shall we say then? Is the Law sin? ^1bFar from it! On the contrary, ^cI would not have come to know sin except ²through the Law; for I would not have known about ³coveting if the Law had not said, “^dYOU SHALL NOT ⁴COVET.” 8 But sin, ^ataking an opportunity ^bthrough the commandment, produced in me ¹coveting of every kind; for ^capart ²from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart ¹from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was ^1ato result in life, proved ²to result in death for me; 11 for sin, ^ataking an opportunity ^bthrough the commandment, ^cdeceived me, and through it, killed me. 12 ^aSo then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? ^1aFar from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

14 For we know that the Law is ^aspiritual, but I am ^bfleshly, ^csold ^1dinto bondage to sin. 15 For ^aI do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing ^bwhat I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with ^athe Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, ^ano longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my ^aflesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For ^athe good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, ^aI am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then ^athe ¹principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God ¹in ^athe inner person, 23 but I see ^aa different law in ¹the parts of my body waging war against the ^blaw of my mind, and making me a prisoner ²of ^cthe law of sin, the law which is in ³my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^1athe body of this ^bdeath? 25 ^aThanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh ^bthe law of sin.