1Cov kwvtij, nej yeej paub hais tias kuv hais txog cov neeg uas twb paub tej kevcai lawm; tej kevcai ntawd tsuas kav tus neeg uas tseem ua neej nyob xwb. 2Raws li txoj kevcai, tus pojniam uas yuav txiv lawm, nws yuav tsum nrog nws tus txiv nyob mus txog thaum nws tus txiv tuag, tiamsis yog tus txiv tuag lawm, tus pojniam mus yuav lwm tus los yeej tsis txhaum kevcai. 3Yog hais tias nws tus txiv tseem nyob, nws cia li mus yuav dua txiv lawm, sawvdaws yuav hais tias nws deev hluas nraug; tiamsis yog nws tus txiv tuag lawm, nws mus yuav txiv tshiab los yeej tsis txhaum kevcai, thiab tsis muaj leejtwg yuav hais tias nws deev hluas nraug. 4Cov kwvtij, ib yam nkaus li ntawd, Mauxes txoj Kevcai yeej tsis kav nej cov uas nrog Yexus Khetos tuag ua ke lawm. Nimno Yexus Khetos tus uas Vajtswv tsa sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los twb yuav nej los ua nws tug lawm, nws ua li ntawd kom nej ua nej lub neej rau Vajtswv tau koob meej. 5Thaum uas peb tseem ua peb lub neej raws li neeg ibtxwm ua, vim txoj kevcai, txojkev txhaum thiaj tshoov peb lub siab kom peb nyiam mus ua txhaum thiab raug kev ploj kev tuag. 6Tiamsis nimno peb twb dim txoj kevcai uas khi peb, rau qhov peb zoo li cov neeg uas tuag lawm. Niaj hnub no peb thiaj tsis ua peb lub neej raws li txoj qub kevcai uas sau tseg rau hauv ntawv, tiamsis peb ua peb lub neej raws li txoj kevcai tshiab uas Vaj Ntsujplig qhia.
Txoj Kevcai thiab Txojkev Txhaum
7Peb yuav hais li cas? Txoj kevcai yog kev txhaum los? Yeej tsis yog li ntawd! Tiamsis twb yog muaj txoj kevcai, kuv thiaj paub hais tias kev txhaum yog dabtsi. Yog txoj kevcai tsis hais tias, “Tsis txhob ntshaw luag tug,” ces kuv yeej tsis paub hais tias qhov uas ntshaw luag tug txhaum. 8Tiamsis txojkev txhaum muab txoj kevcai ua hau kev tshoov kuv siab kom kuv ntshaw txhua yam. Yog tsis muaj txoj kevcai, ces txojkev txhaum yeej tuag lawm. 9Yav tas los kuv ua kuv lub neej tsis muaj txoj kevcai kav kuv, tiamsis thaum muaj txoj kevcai lawm, ua rau kev txhaum tshwm tuaj, 10thiab kuv thiaj tuag. Vajtswv rhawv txoj kevcai yog ua kom neeg tau txojsia, tiamsis kuv pom hais tias txoj kevcai ua rau kuv raug kev ploj kev tuag. 11Rau qhov txojkev txhaum muab txoj kevcai ua hau kev los dag ntxias kuv thiab tua kuv povtseg. 12Yog li ntawd txoj kevcai yeej dawbhuv, thiab tej nqe kevcai los yeej dawbhuv, ncaj ncees thiab zoo kawg nkaus li. 13Puas yog txoj Kevcai uas yog txoj zoo ua rau kuv raug kev ploj kev tuag? Yeej tsis yog li ntawd! Twb yog txojkev txhaum muab txoj kevcai tua kuv, kuv thiaj raug kev ploj kev tuag. Yog li ntawd, kuv thiaj paub hais tias txojkev txhaum zoo li cas, thiab tej kevcai ntawd ua rau kuv pom hais tias txojkev txhaum pem kawg nkaus li.
Neeg Lub Siab Muaj Kev Sib Tawmtsam
14Peb paub hais tias Mauxes txoj Kevcai yog Vajtswv txoj; tiamsis kuv yog neeg, txojkev txhaum thiaj niaj hnub yuam kuv ua txhaum. 15Kuv tsis to taub tej uas kuv ua; vim li cas kuv ua tej uas kuv tsis nyiam ua, tiamsis tej uas kuv nyiam kuv ho tsis ua. 16Thaum kuv ua tej uas kuv tsis nyiam ua, kuv thiaj paub hais tias txoj kevcai ntawd yeej zoo tiag. 17Yog li ntawd, kuv tsis yog tus uas ua txhaum; tiamsis yog txojkev txhaum uas nyob hauv kuv lub siab ua xwb. 18Kuv paub hais tias kuv yog neeg xwb, kuv thiaj ua tsis tau ib qho zoo li. Kuv xav ua zoo, tiamsis kuv ua tsis tau. 19Kuv xav ua qhov zoo, tiamsis kuv ho tsis ua; kuv tsis xav ua qhov phem, tiamsis kuv ho ua. 20Yog kuv ua tej uas kuv tsis xav ua, tej ntawd yeej tsis yog kuv ua, tiamsis yog txojkev txhaum uas nyob hauv kuv lub siab ua. 21Yog li ntawd, kuv pom txoj kevcai zoo li no: thaum kuv xav ua qhov zoo, kuv ho xaiv ua qhov phem. 22Kuv muaj ib lub siab xav ua raws li Vajtswv txoj kevcai, 23tiamsis kuv pom hais tias kuv muaj dua ib lub siab tawmtsam txoj kevcai uas nyob hauv kuv lub siab. Lub siab ntawd thiaj yuam kuv mus ua txojkev txhaum qhev. 24Ua cas kuv yuav nyuaj siab ua luaj li? Leejtwg thiaj yuav cawm tua kuv dim ntawm lub siab uas coj kuv mus raug kev ploj kev tuag? 25Kuv ua Vajtswv tsaug uas peb tus Tswv Yexus Khetos twb pab kuv dim lawm. Yog li ntawd, kuv lub siab ua raws li Vajtswv kom kuv ua, tiamsis kuv lub cev ua raws li txojkev txhaum kom kuv ua.
7
Released From the Law, Bound to Christ
1Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. 4So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5For when we were in the realm of the flesh,⚓ the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
The Law and Sin
7What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”⚓8But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.⚓ For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature⚓ a slave to the law of sin.