Romanos 4
1 Quid ergo dicemus invenisse Abraham patrem nostrum secundum carnem?
What, then, may we say that Abraham, our father after the flesh, has got?
2 Si enim Abraham ex operibus legis iustificatus est, habet gloriam, sed non apud Deum.
For if Abraham got righteousness by works, he has reason for pride; but not before God.
3 Quid enim dicit Scriptura? Credidit Abraham Deo: et reputatam est illi ad iustitiam.
But what does it say in the holy Writings? And Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.
4 Ei autem, qui operatur, merces non imputatur secundum gratiam, sed secundum debitum.
Now, the reward is credited to him who does works, not as of grace but as a debt.
5 Ei vero, qui non operatur, credenti autem in eum, qui iustificat impium, reputatur fides eius ad iustitiam secundum propositum gratiae Dei.
But to him who without working has faith in him who gives righteousness to the evil-doer, his faith is put to his account as righteousness.
6 Sicut et David dicit beatitudinem hominis, cui Deus accepto fert iustitiam sine operibus:
As David says that there is a blessing on the man to whose account God puts righteousness without works, saying,
7 Beati, quorum remissae sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt peccata.
Happy are those who have forgiveness for their wrongdoing, and whose sins are covered.
8 Beatus vir, cui non imputavit Dominus peccatum.
Happy is the man against whom no sin is recorded by the Lord.
9 Beatitudo ergo haec in circumcisione tantum manet, an etiam in praeputio? Dicimus enim quia reputata est Abrahae fides ad iustitiam.
Is this blessing, then, for the circumcision only, or in the same way for those who have not circumcision? for we say that the faith of Abraham was put to his account as righteousness.
10 Quomodo ergo reputata est? in circumcisione, an in praeputio? Non in circumcisione, sed in praeputio.
How, then, was it judged? when he had circumcision, or when he had it not? Not when he had it, but when he did not have it:
11 Et signum accepit circumcisionis, signaculum iustitiae fidei, quae est in praeputio: ut sit pater omnium credentium per praeputium, ut reputetur et illis ad iustitiam:
And he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;
12 et sit pater circumcisionis non iis tantum, qui sunt ex circumcisione, sed et iis, qui sectantur vestigia fidei, quae est in praeputio patris nostri Abrahae.
And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who keep to the way of that faith which our father Abraham had before he underwent circumcision.
13 Non enim per legem promissio Abrahae, aut semini eius ut heres esset mundi: sed per iustitiam fidei.
For God's word, that the earth would be his heritage, was given to Abraham, not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 Si enim qui ex lege, heredes sunt: exinanita est fides, abolita est promissio.
For if they who are of the law are the people who get the heritage, then faith is made of no use, and the word of God has no power;
15 Lex enim iram operatur. Ubi enim non est lex: nec praevaricatio.
For the outcome of the law is wrath; but where there is no law it will not be broken.
16 Ideo ex fide, ut secundum gratiam firma sit promissio omni semini, non ei, qui ex lege est solum, sed et ei qui ex fide est Abrahae, qui pater est omnium nostrum
For this reason it is of faith, so that it may be through grace; and so that the word of God may be certain to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17 (sicut scriptum est: Quia patrem multarum gentium posui te) ante Deum, cui credidisti, qui vivificat mortuos, et vocat ea quae non sunt, tamquam ea quae sunt.
(As it is said in the holy Writings, I have made you a father of a number of nations) before him in whom he had faith, that is, God, who gives life to the dead, and to whom the things which are not are as if they were.
18 qui contra spem in spem credidit, ut fieret pater multarum gentium secundum quod dictum est ei: Sic erit semen tuum sicut stellae coeli, et arena maris.
Who without reason for hope, in faith went on hoping, so that he became the father of a number of nations, as it had been said, So will your seed be.
19 Et non est infirmatus in fide, nec consideravit corpus suum emortuum, cum iam fere centum esset annorum: et emortuam vulvam Sarae:
And not being feeble in faith though his body seemed to him little better than dead (he being about a hundred years old) and Sarah was no longer able to have children:
20 In repromissione etiam Dei non haesitavit diffidentia, sed confortatus est fide, dans gloriam Deo:
Still, he did not give up faith in the undertaking of God, but was made strong by faith, giving glory to God,
21 plenissime sciens quia quaecumque promisit Deus, potens est et facere.
And being certain that God was able to keep his word.
22 Ideo et reputatum est illi ad iustitiam.
For which reason it was put to his account as righteousness.
23 Non est autem scriptum tantum propter ipsum quia reputatum est illi ad iustitiam:
Now, it was not because of him only that this was said,
24 sed et propter nos, quibus reputabitur credentibus in eum, qui suscitavit Iesum Christum Dominum nostrum a mortuis,
But for us in addition, to whose account it will be put, if we have faith in him who made Jesus our Lord come back again from the dead,
25 qui traditus est propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter iustificationem nostram.
Who was put to death for our evil-doing, and came to life again so that we might have righteousness.
