⁷ What follows, then? That 'the Law is equivalent to sin'? Never! Why, had it not been for the Law, I would never have known what sin meant! Thus I would never have known what it is to covet, unless the Law had said, You must not covet. ⁸ The command gave an impulse to sin, and sin resulted for me in all manner of covetous desire ??for sin, apart from law, is lifeless. ⁹ I lived at one time without law myself, but when the command came home to me, sin sprang to life and I died; ¹⁰ the command that meant life proved death for me. ¹¹ The command gave an impulse to sin, sin beguiled me and used the command to kill me. ¹² So the Law at any rate is holy, the command is holy, just, and for our good.