ローマ人への手紙 4
1 さらば我らの先祖アブラハムは肉につきて何を得たりと言はんか。
What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation?
2 アブラハム若し行爲によりて義とせられたらんには誇るべき所あり、然れど神の前には有ることなし。
If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.
3 聖書に何と云へるか『アブラハム神を信ず、その信仰を義と認められたり』と。
For what are the words of scripture? “Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.”
4 それ働く者への報酬は恩惠といはず、負債と認めらる。
Now wages are regarded as due to the person who works, not as a favour, but as a debt;
5 されど働く事なくとも、敬虔ならぬ者を義としたまふ神を信ずる者は、その信仰を義と認めらるるなり。
while, as for the person who does not rely on their obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, their faith is regarded by God as righteousness.
6 ダビデもまた行爲なくして神に義と認めらるる人の幸福につきて斯く云へり。曰く、
In precisely the same way David speaks of the blessing pronounced on the person who is regarded by God as righteous apart from actions –
7 『不法を免され、罪を蔽はれたる者は幸福なるかな、
“Blessed are those whose wrongdoings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn!
8 主が罪を認め給はぬ人は幸福なるかな』
Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!”
9 されば此の幸福はただ割禮ある者にのみあるか、また割禮なき者にもあるか、我らは言ふ『アブラハムはその信仰を義と認められたり』と。
Is this blessing, then, pronounced on the circumcised only or on the uncircumcised as well? We say that – “Abraham’s faith was regarded by God as righteousness.”
10 如何なるときに義と認められたるか、割禮ののちか、無 割禮のときか、割禮の後ならず、無 割禮の時なり。
Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it?
11 而して無 割禮のときの信仰によれる義の印として割禮の徽を受けたり、これ無 割禮にして信ずる凡ての者の義と認められん爲に、その父となり、
Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision – to show the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man – in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, so that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;
12 また割禮のみに由らず、我らの父アブラハムの無 割禮のときの信仰の跡をふむ割禮ある者の父とならん爲なり。
as well as father of the circumcised – to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.
13 アブラハム世界の世嗣たるべしとの約束を、アブラハムとその裔との與へられしは、律法に由らず、信仰の義に由れるなり。
For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.
14 もし律法による者ども世嗣たらば、信仰は空しく約束は廢るなり。
If those who take their stand on Law are to inherit the world, then faith is robbed of its meaning and the promise comes to nothing!
15 それ律法は怒を招く、律法なき所には罪を犯すこともなし。
Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.
16 この故に世嗣たることの恩惠に干らんために信仰に由るなり、是かの約束のアブラハムの凡ての裔、すなわち律法による裔のみならず、彼の信仰に效ふ裔にも堅うせられん爲なり。
That is why everything is made to depend on faith: so that everything may be God’s gift, and in order that the fulfilment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham’s descendants – not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the father of us all;
17 彼はその信じたる所の神、すなはち死人を活し、無きものを有るものの如く呼びたまふ神の前にて、我等すべての者の父たるなり。録して『われ汝を立てて多くの國人の父とせり』とあるが如し。
as scripture says – “I have made you the father of many nations.”) And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did.
18 彼は望むべくもあらぬ時になほ望みて信じたり、是なんぢの裔はかくの如くなるべしと言ひ給ひしに隨ひて、多くの國人の父とならん爲なりき。
With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfilment of the words – “So many will your descendants be,” he might become “the father of many nations.”
19 かくて凡そ百歳に及びて己が身の死にたるがごとき状なると、サラの胎の死にたるが如きとを認むれども、その信仰よわらず、
Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children.
20 不 信をもて神の約束を疑はず、信仰により強くなりて神に榮光を歸し、
He was not led by want of faith to doubt God’s promise.
21 その約し給へることを、成し得給ふと確信せり。
On the contrary, his faith gave him strength; and he praised God, in the firm conviction that what God has promised he is also able to carry out.
22 之に由りて其の信仰を義と認められたり。
And therefore his faith “was regarded as righteousness.”
23 斯く『義と認められたり』と録したるは、アブラハムの爲のみならず、また我らの爲なり。
Now these words – “it was regarded as righteousness” – were not written with reference to Abraham only;
24 我らの主イエスを死人の中より甦へらせ給ひし者を信ずる我らも、その信仰を義と認められん。
but also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;
25 主は我らの罪のために付され、我らの義とせられん爲に甦へらせられ給へるなり。
for Jesus was given up to death to atone for our offences, and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.
