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Consequently, any one of you who judges another person cannot excuse yourself {at all} {when God condemns you}. {This is} because you are actually condemning yourself when you judge someone else, since you who judge someone else do the exact same things {that they do}! 2 Certainly, we acknowledge that God will correctly judge those people who continue doing such {inappropriate} things. 3 You who judge the people who continue to do such {inappropriate} things while you do the exact same things yourself should certainly not think that you can escape when God judges you! 4 You who despise {how} lavishly kind, tolerant, and patient God is certainly know that God’s kind acts {are meant to} cause you to repent. 5 Instead, because you are stubborn and refuse to repent, you are causing God to punish you even more severely. {This will happen} when God punishes {the wicked} and reveals how justly he judges. 6 God will {justly} reward or punish everyone for whatever they do. 7 Living eternally {is how God repays} those people who keep striving for God to glorify, honor, and preserve them {forever}. {They do this} by persisting in doing what is good. 8 By contrast, God will fiercely punish those people who refuse to do what he says is true and right because they are selfishly ambitious. 9 {God will cause} every human being who does what is evil to become distressed and troubled. {This will happen} especially to the Jew {who does what is evil} and also to everyone else {who does so}. 10 By contrast, God will glorify, honor, and reconcile every person who does what is good. {This will happen} especially to the Jew {who does what is good} and also to everyone else {who does so}. 11 {These things are true} because God is impartial.
12 {We know this about God} because he will punish forever whoever sins without {knowing} the laws {that God gave through Moses} {even though} they do not know those laws. At the same time, God will judge according to his laws whoever sins while knowing those laws. 13 {God will judge everyone who sins} because God does not make righteous those people who {only} hear his laws. Rather, God will make righteous those people who obey his laws. 14 {God will judge everyone who sins} because whenever nations who do not know the laws {that God gave through Moses} naturally obey rules from those laws, {they prove that} they know laws within their minds even though they do not know God’s laws. 15 {By naturally following some laws that God gave through Moses,} these people demonstrate that God has made each person aware of how to obey his laws. What they think shows that this is true, in that what each of them thinks will either accuse or even defend their actions. 16 {This will happen} at the time when God {finally} judges the hidden thoughts that people think. {God’s} good news that I proclaim teaches that he will judge {mankind} through the Messiah Jesus.
17 Now, {I am addressing} you who identify yourselves as Jews: You depend on the laws {God gave you through Moses} {to avoid God’s judgment}. You brag that you know God. 18 You know what God wants. Also, since {some people} have taught you {God’s law}, you approve of what is superior. 19 You have even convinced yourselves that you {Jews} are the only ones who can teach those {non-Jews} who do not know {about God}. {You are convinced that} only you can enable ignorant people to understand {who God is}. 20 {You have convinced yourself that} you should instruct people who are foolish. {You have convinced yourself that} you should teach {people who are as ignorant as} infants. {You think this way} because you know the laws {God gave through Moses}, which fully contain what we can know and what is true. 21 So {even though you Jews have convinced yourself that these things are true}, you should teach yourselves to do what you teach others to do {because you don’t do those things}! You keep telling others that they should not steal, but you steal! 22 You keep telling {people} not to have sexual relations with people whom they did not marry, {but} you do so! You {supposedly} detest idols, {but} you ransack temples {that contain idols}! 23 You brag about {how well you understand} the laws {God gave Moses}, {but} you disgrace God by disobeying those laws! 24 {These things are true} because it is exactly as Isaiah wrote, ”The nations say bad things about God because of {how wickedly} you {Jews act}.”
25 {You Jews who have sinned will be judged} because, being circumcised {only} benefits you if you obey the laws {God gave through Moses}. However, if you disobey those laws, being circumcised does not benefit you at all. 26 So then, if uncircumcised people obey what God requires in the laws {he gave through Moses}, God will regard those uncircumcised people as being circumcised. 27 And people who are physically uncircumcised yet fully obey the laws {from God} will judge you {Jews}! Although {you know} the written rules {God gave through Moses} and are circumcised, you have disobeyed those laws! 28 {This is true} because a {true} Jew is not someone who does Jewish rituals that people can see. {Similarly,} people cannot see {true} circumcision on a person’s body. 29 Rather, a {true} Jew is one {by means of something} that people cannot see. {True} circumcision {happens} in a person’s mind {and} the {Holy} Spirit does it. {Obeying} the written rules {God gave through Moses} cannot do it. God commends a true Jew, but other people do not.