Therefore you have ^ano excuse or justification, ^beveryone of you who hypocritically ¹judges and condemns others; for ^cin passing judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, because you who judge from a position of arrogance or self-righteousness are habitually practicing the very same things which you denounce. 2 And we know that the judgment of God falls justly and in accordance with truth on those who practice such things. 3 But do you think this, ^aO man, when you judge and condemn those who practice such things, and yet do the same yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment and elude His verdict? 4 Or do you have no regard for ^athe wealth of His ^bkindness and ^ctolerance and ^dpatience in withholding His wrath? Are you actually unaware or ignorant of the fact that God’s kindness leads you to repentance that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life? 5 But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart ^ayou are deliberately storing up wrath for yourself ^bon the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 ^aHe WILL PAY BACK TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS justly, as his deeds deserve: Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12 7 to those who by ^apersistence in doing good seek unseen but certain heavenly ^bglory, honor, and ^cimmortality, He will give the gift of ^deternal life. 8 But for those who are ^aselfishly ambitious and self-seeking and ^bdisobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be wrath and indignation. 9 There will be ^atribulation and anguish torturing confinement for every human soul who does or permits evil, to the Jew ^bfirst and also to the Greek, 10 but ^aglory and honor and inner peace will be given to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew ^bfirst and also to the Greek. 11 For ^aGod shows no partiality no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another. Deut 10:17; 2+@Chr 19:7

12 For all who have sinned ^awithout the Law will also perish without regard to the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged and condemned by the Law. 13 For it is ^anot those who merely hear the Law as it is read aloud who are just or righteous before God, but it is those who actually obey the Law who will be ¹justified pronounced free of the guilt of sin and declared acceptable to Him. 14 When Gentiles, who do not have the Law since it was given only to Jews, do ^1ainstinctively the things the Law requires guided only by their conscience, they are a law to themselves, though they do not have the Law. 15 They show that ^athe ¹essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts; and their conscience their sense of right and wrong, their moral choices bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or perhaps defending them 16 on that day when, ^1aas my gospel proclaims, ^bGod will judge the secrets all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins of men through Christ Jesus. Eccl 12:14

17 But if you bear the name “Jew” and ^arely on the Law for your salvation and boast in your special relationship to God, 18 and if you claim to know His will and ^1aapprove the things that are ²essential or have a sense of what is excellent, based on your instruction from the Law, 19 and if you are confident that you are a qualified guide to the blind those untaught in theology, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 and that you are ¹a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the spiritually ²childish, having in the Law ^athe embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— 21 well then, you ^awho teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal in ways that are discrete, but just as sinful? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, ¹do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you ^arob pagan temples of valuable idols and offerings? Deut 7:25; Acts 19:37 23 You who ^aboast in the Law, do you repeatedly dishonor God by ¹breaking the Law? 24 For, “^aTHE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES ^bBECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written in Scripture. Is 52:5; Ezek 36:20

25 Circumcision the sign of the covenant of Abraham is indeed of value if you ^apractice the Law; but if you habitually break the Law, ^byour circumcision has become uncircumcision it is meaningless in God’s sight. 26 ^aSo if ^bthe uncircumcised man ^ckeeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded by God as circumcision? 27 Then he ^awho is physically uncircumcised but keeps the spirit of the Law will ^bjudge you who, ¹even though you have the written code and circumcision, break the Law. 28 For ^ahe is not a real Jew who is only one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29 But ^ahe is a Jew who is one inwardly; and true ^bcircumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the ^cSpirit, not by the fulfillment of the letter of the Law. ^dHis praise is not from men, but from God.