Romans 4

1 What, then, will we say Abraham our father to have found, according to flesh?

What then shall we say that Abraham, our earthly forefather, has gained?

2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has to boast—but not before God;

For if he was held to be righteous on the ground of his actions, he has something to boast of; but not in the presence of God.

3 for what does the writing say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness”;

For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness."

4 and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt;

But in the case of a man who works, pay is not reckoned a favour but a debt;

5 and to him who is not working, and is believing on Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned for righteousness—

whereas in the case of a man who pleads no actions of his own, but simply believes in Him who declares the ungodly free from guilt, his faith is placed to his credit as righteousness.

6 even as David also speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:

In this way David also tells of the blessedness of the man to whose credit God places righteousness, apart from his actions.

7 “Blessed [are] they whose lawless acts were forgiven, And whose sins were covered;

"Blessed," he says, "are those whose iniquities have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered over.

8 Blessed [is] the man To whom the LORD may not reckon sin.”

Blessed is the man of whose sin the Lord will not take account."

9 [Is] this blessedness, then, on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision—for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness?

This declaration of blessedness, then, does it come simply to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? For Abraham's faith--so we affirm--was placed to his credit as righteousness.

10 How then was it reckoned? He being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision;

What then were the circumstances under which this took place? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before?

11 and he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them,

Before, not after. And he received circumcision as a sign, a mark attesting the reality of the faith-righteousness which was his while still uncircumcised, that he might be the forefather of all those who believe even though they are uncircumcised--in order that this righteousness might be placed to their credit;

12 and father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of faith, that [is] in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham.

and the forefather of the circumcised, namely of those who not merely are circumcised, but also walk in the steps of the faith which our forefather Abraham had while he was as yet uncircumcised.

13 For not through law [is] the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, of his being heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith;

Again, the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his posterity conditioned by Law, but by faith-righteousness.

14 for if they who are of law [are] heirs, faith has been made void, and the promise has been made useless;

For if it is the righteous through Law who are heirs, then faith is useless and the promise counts for nothing.

15 for the Law works wrath; for where law is not, neither [is] transgression.

For the Law inflicts punishment; but where no Law exists, there can be no violation of Law.

16 Because of this [it is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which [is] of the Law only, but also to that which [is] of the faith of Abraham,

All depends on faith, and for this reason--that acceptance with God might be an act of pure grace,

17 who is father of us all (according as it has been written: “A father of many nations I have set you,”) before Him whom he believed—God, who is quickening the dead, and is calling the things that are not as being.

so that the promise should be made sure to all Abraham's true descendants; not merely to those who are righteous through the Law, but to those who are righteous through a faith like that of Abraham. Thus in the sight of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and makes reference to things that do not exist, as though they did, Abraham is the forefather of all of us. As it is written, "I have appointed you to be the forefather of many nations."

18 Who, against hope, believed in hope, for his becoming father of many nations according to that spoken: “So will your seed be”;

Under utterly hopeless circumstances he hopefully believed, so that he might become the forefather of many nations, in agreement with the words "Equally numerous shall your posterity be."

19 and having not been weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already become dead (being about one hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb,

And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness.

20 and at the promise of God did not stagger in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God,

Nor did he in unbelief stagger at God's promise, but became mighty in faith, giving glory to God,

21 and having been fully persuaded that what He has promised He is also able to do:

and being absolutely certain that whatever promise He is bound by He is able also to make good.

22 for this reason also it was reckoned to him for righteousness.

For this reason also his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness.

23 And it was not written on his account alone that it was reckoned to him,

Nor was the fact of its being placed to his credit put on record for his sake only;

24 but also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned—to us believing on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,

it was for our sakes too. Faith, before long, will be placed to the credit of us also who are believers in Him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,

25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.

who was surrendered to death because of the offences we had committed, and was raised to life because of the acquittal secured for us.