रोमिणः 4
1 अस्माकं पूर्व्वपुरुष इब्राहीम् कायिकक्रियया किं लब्धवान् एतदधि किं वदिष्यामः?
What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation?
2 स यदि निजक्रियाभ्यः सपुण्यो भवेत् तर्हि तस्यात्मश्लाघां कर्त्तुं पन्था भवेदिति सत्यं, किन्त्वीश्वरस्य समीपे नहि।
If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.
3 शास्त्रे किं लिखति? इब्राहीम् ईश्वरे विश्वसनात् स विश्वासस्तस्मै पुण्यार्थं गणितो बभूव।
For what are the words of scripture? ‘Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’
4 कर्म्मकारिणो यद् वेतनं तद् अनुग्रहस्य फलं नहि किन्तु तेनोपार्जितं मन्तव्यम्।
Now wages are regarded as due to the person who works, not as a favor, but as a debt;
5 किन्तु यः पापिनं सपुण्यीकरोति तस्मिन् विश्वासिनः कर्म्महीनस्य जनस्य यो विश्वासः स पुण्यार्थं गण्यो भवति।
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 अपरं यं क्रियाहीनम् ईश्वरः सपुण्यीकरोति तस्य धन्यवादं दायूद् वर्णयामास, यथा,
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 स धन्योऽघानि मृष्टानि यस्यागांस्यावृतानि च।
‘Blessed are those whose wrongdoings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn!
8 स च धन्यः परेशेन पापं यस्य न गण्यते।
Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!’
9 एष धन्यवादस्त्वक्छेदिनम् अत्वक्छेदिनं वा कं प्रति भवति? इब्राहीमो विश्वासः पुण्यार्थं गणित इति वयं वदामः।
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 स विश्वासस्तस्य त्वक्छेदित्वावस्थायां किम् अत्वक्छेदित्वावस्थायां कस्मिन् समये पुण्यमिव गणितः? त्वक्छेदित्वावस्थायां नहि किन्त्वत्वक्छेदित्वावस्थायां।
Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it?
11 अपरञ्च स यत् सर्व्वेषाम् अत्वक्छेदिनां विश्वासिनाम् आदिपुरुषो भवेत्, ते च पुण्यवत्त्वेन गण्येरन्;
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 ये च लोकाः केवलं छिन्नत्वचो न सन्तो ऽस्मत्पूर्व्वपुरुष इब्राहीम् अछिन्नत्वक् सन् येन विश्वासमार्गेण गतवान् तेनैव तस्य पादचिह्नेन गच्छन्ति तेषां त्वक्छेदिनामप्यादिपुरुषो भवेत् तदर्थम् अत्वक्छेदिनो मानवस्य विश्वासात् पुण्यम् उत्पद्यत इति प्रमाणस्वरूपं त्वक्छेदचिह्नं स प्राप्नोत्।
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 इब्राहीम् जगतोऽधिकारी भविष्यति यैषा प्रतिज्ञा तं तस्य वंशञ्च प्रति पूर्व्वम् अक्रियत सा व्यवस्थामूलिका नहि किन्तु विश्वासजन्यपुण्यमूलिका।
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 यतो व्यवस्थावलम्बिनो यद्यधिकारिणो भवन्ति तर्हि विश्वासो विफलो जायते सा प्रतिज्ञापि लुप्तैव।
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 अधिकन्तु व्यवस्था कोपं जनयति यतो ऽविद्यमानायां व्यवस्थायाम् आज्ञालङ्घनं न सम्भवति।
Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.
16 अतएव सा प्रतिज्ञा यद् अनुग्रहस्य फलं भवेत् तदर्थं विश्वासमूलिका यतस्तथात्वे तद्वंशसमुदायं प्रति अर्थतो ये व्यवस्थया तद्वंशसम्भवाः केवलं तान् प्रति नहि किन्तु य इब्राहीमीयविश्वासेन तत्सम्भवास्तानपि प्रति सा प्रतिज्ञा स्थास्नुर्भवति।
That is why everything is made to depend on faith: so that everything may be God’s gift, and in order that the fulfillment 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 यो निर्जीवान् सजीवान् अविद्यमानानि वस्तूनि च विद्यमानानि करोति इब्राहीमो विश्वासभूमेस्तस्येश्वरस्य साक्षात् सोऽस्माकं सर्व्वेषाम् आदिपुरुष आस्ते, यथा लिखितं विद्यते, अहं त्वां बहुजातीनाम् आदिपुरुषं कृत्वा नियुक्तवान्।
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 त्वदीयस्तादृशो वंशो जनिष्यते यदिदं वाक्यं प्रतिश्रुतं तदनुसाराद् इब्राहीम् बहुदेशीयलोकानाम् आदिपुरुषो यद् भवति तदर्थं सोऽनपेक्षितव्यमप्यपेक्षमाणो विश्वासं कृतवान्।
With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words – ‘So many will your descendants be,’ he might become ‘the father of many nations.’
19 अपरञ्च क्षीणविश्वासो न भूत्वा शतवत्सरवयस्कत्वात् स्वशरीरस्य जरां सारानाम्नः स्वभार्य्याया रजोनिवृत्तिञ्च तृणाय न मेने।
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 अपरम् अविश्वासाद् ईश्वरस्य प्रतिज्ञावचने कमपि संशयं न चकार;
He was not led by want of faith to doubt God’s promise.
21 किन्त्वीश्वरेण यत् प्रतिश्रुतं तत् साधयितुं शक्यत इति निश्चितं विज्ञाय दृढविश्वासः सन् ईश्वरस्य महिमानं प्रकाशयाञ्चकार।
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 इति हेतोस्तस्य स विश्वासस्तदीयपुण्यमिव गणयाञ्चक्रे।
And therefore his faith ‘was regarded as righteousness.’
23 पुण्यमिवागण्यत तत् केवलस्य तस्य निमित्तं लिखितं नहि, अस्माकं निमित्तमपि,
Now these words – ‘it was regarded as righteousness’ – were not written with reference to Abraham only;
24 यतोऽस्माकं पापनाशार्थं समर्पितोऽस्माकं पुण्यप्राप्त्यर्थञ्चोत्थापितोऽभवत् योऽस्माकं प्रभु र्यीशुस्तस्योत्थापयितरीश्वरे
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 यदि वयं विश्वसामस्तर्ह्यस्माकमपि सएव विश्वासः पुण्यमिव गणयिष्यते।
for Jesus was given up to death to atone for our offenses, and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.
