Let us look at some words from Paul.

Romans 3:1-21

“Then what is the advantage of being Jewish? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. First of all, they were entrusted with the sayings of God. 3 So what if some did not trust? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 May it never be! Let God be true even if every man is a liar, as it is written,
“that You may be righteous in Your words
and prevail when You are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God is not unrighteous to inflict wrath, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) 6 May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? 7 But if by my lie the truth of God abounds to His glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil, so that good may come”—just as we are being slandered and as some claim that we say. Their condemnation is deserved!
9 What then? Are we better than they? No, not at all.For we have already made the case that all—both Jewish and Greek people—are under sin. 10 As it is written,
“There is no one righteous—no, not one.
11 There is no one who understands,
no one who seeks after God.
12 All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless.
There is no one who does good—no, not even one!
13 Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they keep deceiving.
The poison of vipers is under their lips.
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16 Ruin and misery are in their paths,
17 and the way of shalom they have not known.
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those within the Torah, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become accountable to God. 20 For no human, on the basis of Torah observance, will be set right in His sight—for through the Torah comes awareness of sin.”

Let’s look at 10-18 carefully. This “verse” isn’t written like this in one place. This is a hodge-podge. He says “as it is written” – but he’s assembled these various ideas from all over the Bible, and they aren’t quotations, but summaries. He’s rewriting the Bible to suit his own needs.

I am using the references that the Tree of Life version gives to illustrate this point. I am not coming up with these verses on my own.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is not a righteous person on earth
who does what is good and doesn’t sin.

Psalm 13:2-3
2 How long, ADONAI? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
3 How long must I have cares in my soul
and daily sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 5:10
10 For nothing upright is in their mouth.
Inside them is a ruin—their throat an open grave.
They flatter with their tongue.

Psalm 139:4
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, ADONAI, You know all about it.

Isaiah 59:7-8
7 Their feet run after evil.
They rush to shed innocent blood.[a]
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.
Violence and ruin are on their highways.
8 They do not know the path of peace,
and there is no justice in their tracks.
They have made their paths crooked.
Whoever walks in them will not experience shalom.

Psalm 35:2
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to my help.

This “verse” doesn’t exist. Paul strung it together, cutting and pasting what he liked into a whole unit of his choosing. My point – be sure to double check everything you read, even (and sometimes especially) in the Bible. Just because someone says something is true, even if that person is an authority, doesn’t make it true.

(All Bible quotations are the Tree of Life Version (TLV))