rOmiNaH 4

1 asmAkaM pUrvvapuruSa ibrAhIm kAyikakriyayA kiM labdhavAn Etadadhi kiM vadiSyAmaH?

What then shall we say that our father Abraham discovered, as a man?

2 sa yadi nijakriyAbhyaH sapuNyO bhavEt tarhi tasyAtmazlAghAM karttuM panthA bhavEditi satyaM, kintvIzvarasya samIpE nahi|

If Abraham was really justified by works, he has a boast—but not before God.

3 zAstrE kiM likhati? ibrAhIm IzvarE vizvasanAt sa vizvAsastasmai puNyArthaM gaNitO babhUva|

So what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 karmmakAriNO yad vEtanaM tad anugrahasya phalaM nahi kintu tEnOpArjitaM mantavyam|

Now to him who works, the pay is not counted as a gift but as an obligation.

5 kintu yaH pApinaM sapuNyIkarOti tasmin vizvAsinaH karmmahInasya janasya yO vizvAsaH sa puNyArthaM gaNyO bhavati|

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6 aparaM yaM kriyAhInam IzvaraH sapuNyIkarOti tasya dhanyavAdaM dAyUd varNayAmAsa, yathA,

Just as David speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 sa dhanyO'ghAni mRSTAni yasyAgAMsyAvRtAni ca|

“Blessed are they whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered up.

8 sa ca dhanyaH parEzEna pApaM yasya na gaNyatE|

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin!”

9 ESa dhanyavAdastvakchEdinam atvakchEdinaM vA kaM prati bhavati? ibrAhImO vizvAsaH puNyArthaM gaNita iti vayaM vadAmaH|

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? Since we say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness,

10 sa vizvAsastasya tvakchEditvAvasthAyAM kim atvakchEditvAvasthAyAM kasmin samayE puNyamiva gaNitaH? tvakchEditvAvasthAyAM nahi kintvatvakchEditvAvasthAyAM|

how then was it credited? After he was circumcised or while still uncircumcised? Not circumcised, but uncircumcised!

11 aparanjca sa yat sarvvESAm atvakchEdinAM vizvAsinAm AdipuruSO bhavEt, tE ca puNyavattvEna gaNyEran;

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness from his faith while still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all those who believe while uncircumcised, in order that this righteousness may be credited to them also,

12 yE ca lOkAH kEvalaM chinnatvacO na santO 'smatpUrvvapuruSa ibrAhIm achinnatvak san yEna vizvAsamArgENa gatavAn tEnaiva tasya pAdacihnEna gacchanti tESAM tvakchEdinAmapyAdipuruSO bhavEt tadartham atvakchEdinO mAnavasya vizvAsAt puNyam utpadyata iti pramANasvarUpaM tvakchEdacihnaM sa prApnOt|

and the father of the circumcised—not only those who are circumcised, but especially those who follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while still uncircumcised.

13 ibrAhIm jagatO'dhikArI bhaviSyati yaiSA pratijnjA taM tasya vaMzanjca prati pUrvvam akriyata sA vyavasthAmUlikA nahi kintu vizvAsajanyapuNyamUlikA|

Now the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or his seed, through law, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 yatO vyavasthAvalambinO yadyadhikAriNO bhavanti tarhi vizvAsO viphalO jAyatE sA pratijnjApi luptaiva|

For if those who are of law are heirs, the faith is made empty and the promise has been invalidated;

15 adhikantu vyavasthA kOpaM janayati yatO 'vidyamAnAyAM vyavasthAyAm AjnjAlagghanaM na sambhavati|

because the law produces wrath, since where there is no law neither is there transgression.

16 ataEva sA pratijnjA yad anugrahasya phalaM bhavEt tadarthaM vizvAsamUlikA yatastathAtvE tadvaMzasamudAyaM prati arthatO yE vyavasthayA tadvaMzasambhavAH kEvalaM tAn prati nahi kintu ya ibrAhImIyavizvAsEna tatsambhavAstAnapi prati sA pratijnjA sthAsnurbhavati|

For this reason it is of faith so that it may be according to grace, in order that the promise be guaranteed to all the seed—not only to those of law, but also to those of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all;

17 yO nirjIvAn sajIvAn avidyamAnAni vastUni ca vidyamAnAni karOti ibrAhImO vizvAsabhUmEstasyEzvarasya sAkSAt sO'smAkaM sarvvESAm AdipuruSa AstE, yathA likhitaM vidyatE, ahaM tvAM bahujAtInAm AdipuruSaM kRtvA niyuktavAn|

just as it is written: “I have made you a father of many ethnic nations”—in the presence of Him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead and calls the nonexistent things as though they did exist.

18 tvadIyastAdRzO vaMzO janiSyatE yadidaM vAkyaM pratizrutaM tadanusArAd ibrAhIm bahudEzIyalOkAnAm AdipuruSO yad bhavati tadarthaM sO'napEkSitavyamapyapEkSamANO vizvAsaM kRtavAn|

Contrary to hope, Abraham in hope believed, so as to become a father of many ethnic nations, according to what had been spoken: “So shall your seed be.”

19 aparanjca kSINavizvAsO na bhUtvA zatavatsaravayaskatvAt svazarIrasya jarAM sArAnAmnaH svabhAryyAyA rajOnivRttinjca tRNAya na mEnE|

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (being about a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah's womb.

20 aparam avizvAsAd Izvarasya pratijnjAvacanE kamapi saMzayaM na cakAra;

He did not waver at God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened by the faith, giving glory to God,

21 kintvIzvarENa yat pratizrutaM tat sAdhayituM zakyata iti nizcitaM vijnjAya dRPhavizvAsaH san Izvarasya mahimAnaM prakAzayAnjcakAra|

being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform

22 iti hEtOstasya sa vizvAsastadIyapuNyamiva gaNayAnjcakrE|

—that is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

23 puNyamivAgaNyata tat kEvalasya tasya nimittaM likhitaM nahi, asmAkaM nimittamapi,

Now it was not only for his sake that it was written that it was credited to him,

24 yatO'smAkaM pApanAzArthaM samarpitO'smAkaM puNyaprAptyarthanjcOtthApitO'bhavat yO'smAkaM prabhu ryIzustasyOtthApayitarIzvarE

but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, we who believe on Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

25 yadi vayaM vizvasAmastarhyasmAkamapi saEva vizvAsaH puNyamiva gaNayiSyatE|

who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.