Romeinen 4
1 Hoe heeft dan, naar onze redenering, Abraham, onze Vader naar het vlees, de gerechtigheid verkregen?
Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
2 Wanneer Abraham gerechtvaardigd is op grond van zijn werken, dan inderdaad kan hij roemen. Maar hij kan dit niet tegenover God.
If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
3 Want wat zegt de Schrift? "Abraham heeft in God geloofd, en dit werd hem als gerechtigheid toegerekend."
[Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
4 Welnu, wanneer iemand werkt, dan wordt hem het loon niet toegerekend als gunst, maar volgens recht;
If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
5 maar wanneer iemand niet werkt, doch in Hem gelooft, die den goddeloze rechtvaardig maakt, dan wordt zijn geloof hem als gerechtigheid toegerekend.
But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
6 Zó ook prijst David den mens zalig, wien God gerechtigheid toerekent zonder werken:
Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
7 "Gelukkig zij, wier ongerechtigheden zijn vergeven, En wier zonden zijn bedekt.
[God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
8 Gelukkig de mens, wien de Heer de zonde niet toerekent."
[God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
9 Geldt nu deze zaligspreking de besnedenen of ook de onbesnedenen? We houden immers vol: "Aan Abraham werd het geloof als gerechtigheid toegerekend".
As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
10 In welke staat dan is het hem toegerekend; besneden of onbesneden? Niet toen hij besneden, maar toen hij onbesneden was;
([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
11 het teken der besnijdenis ontving hij slechts als bezegeling van de gerechtigheid door het geloof, die hij vóór de besnijdenis had ontvangen. Zó is hij de Vader geworden van allen, die geloven zonder besneden te zijn, opdat ook hùn de gerechtigheid zou worden toegerekend;
[Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
12 maar ook de Vader van de besnedenen, die niet enkel besneden zijn, doch ook het geloof navolgen, dat onze vader Abraham vóór zijn besnijdenis bezat.
Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
13 Neen, niet ter wille van de Wet, maar terwille. van de gerechtigheid des geloofs is aan Abraham en zijn kroost de Belofte gedaan, dat hij de wereld zou erven.
God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
14 Want wanneer zij erfgenamen waren geweest uit kracht van de Wet, dan was het geloof waardeloos en de Belofte zonder gevolg;
If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
15 de Wet toch verwekt toorn, maar waar geen wet is, daar is ook geen overtreding.
16 Dus zijn ze het uit kracht van het geloof, opdat ze het zouden wezen uit genade, en opdat de Belofte aan heel het nageslacht verzekerd zou zijn: niet alleen aan hen, die uit de Wet, maar ook aan hen, die uit het geloof van Abraham stammen. Hij is ons aller Vader,
So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
17 zoals geschreven staat: "Tot een vader van vele volken heb ik u gesteld," juist omdat hij geloofde in God, die de doden ten leven verwekt en bij name noemt wat niet bestaat, als was het er reeds.
What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
18 Hij heeft tegen alle hoop in toch geloofd, dat hij een vader van vele volken zou worden, zoals was gezegd: "Zo talrijk zal uw nakroost zijn".
even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
19 En zonder in het geloof te verflauwen, peinsde hij over zijn eigen uitgeleefd lichaam, hij was reeds ongeveer honderd jaar oud, -en over Sara’s dode schoot.
He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
20 Neen, hij heeft niet door ongeloof aan Gods belofte getwijfeld, maar hij werd in zijn geloof nog versterkt, gaf eer aan God,
he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
21 en bleef ten volle overtuigd, dat Deze machtig is, om te verwezenlijken, wat Hij beloofd heeft.
He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
22 Dit werd hem dan ook tot gerechtigheid toegerekend.
And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
23 Maar het is niet om hèm alleen, dat er geschreven staat: "het werd hem toegerekend,"
The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
24 doch ook terwille van ons, wien het toegerekend zal worden, zo we geloven in Hem, die Jesus uit de doden heeft opgewekt; onzen Heer,
They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
25 die overgeleverd werd om onze ongerechtigheden, en opgewekt om onze rechtvaardiging.
Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
