Romans 2:3-9

2:3 And do you think, ¹  whoever you are, when you judge ²  those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, ³  that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ⁴  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness ⁵  and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! ⁶  2:6 He ⁷  will reward ⁸  each one according to his works: ⁹  2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but ¹⁰  wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition ¹¹  and do not obey the truth but follow ¹²  unrighteousness. 2:9 There will be ¹³  affliction and distress on everyone ¹⁴  who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁵ 

¹ tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.

² tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”

³ tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.

⁴ tn Grk “being unaware.”

⁵ tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.

⁶ tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

⁷ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁸ tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.

⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.

¹⁰ tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

¹¹ tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”

¹² tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”

¹³ tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”

¹⁴ tn Grk “every soul of man.”

¹⁵ sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.