romiṇaḥ 4

1 asmākaṁ pūrvvapuruṣa ibrāhīm kāyikakriyayā kiṁ labdhavān etadadhi kiṁ vadiṣyāmaḥ?

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

2 sa yadi nijakriyābhyaḥ sapuṇyo bhavet tarhi tasyātmaślāghāṁ karttuṁ panthā bhavediti satyaṁ, kintvīśvarasya samīpe nahi|

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

3 śāstre kiṁ likhati? ibrāhīm īśvare viśvasanāt sa viśvāsastasmai puṇyārthaṁ gaṇito babhūva|

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

4 karmmakāriṇo yad vetanaṁ tad anugrahasya phalaṁ nahi kintu tenopārjitaṁ mantavyam|

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

5 kintu yaḥ pāpinaṁ sapuṇyīkaroti tasmin viśvāsinaḥ karmmahīnasya janasya yo viśvāsaḥ sa puṇyārthaṁ gaṇyo bhavati|

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

6 aparaṁ yaṁ kriyāhīnam īśvaraḥ sapuṇyīkaroti tasya dhanyavādaṁ dāyūd varṇayāmāsa, yathā,

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

7 sa dhanyo'ghāni mṛṣṭāni yasyāgāṁsyāvṛtāni ca|

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

8 sa ca dhanyaḥ pareśena pāpaṁ yasya na gaṇyate|

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

9 eṣa dhanyavādastvakchedinam atvakchedinaṁ vā kaṁ prati bhavati? ibrāhīmo viśvāsaḥ puṇyārthaṁ gaṇita iti vayaṁ vadāmaḥ|

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 viśvāsastasya tvakcheditvāvasthāyāṁ kim atvakcheditvāvasthāyāṁ kasmin samaye puṇyamiva gaṇitaḥ? tvakcheditvāvasthāyāṁ nahi kintvatvakcheditvāvasthāyāṁ|

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

11 aparañca sa yat sarvveṣām atvakchedināṁ viśvāsinām ādipuruṣo bhavet, te ca puṇyavattvena gaṇyeran;

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 lokāḥ kevalaṁ chinnatvaco na santo 'smatpūrvvapuruṣa ibrāhīm achinnatvak san yena viśvāsamārgeṇa gatavān tenaiva tasya pādacihnena gacchanti teṣāṁ tvakchedināmapyādipuruṣo bhavet tadartham atvakchedino mānavasya viśvāsāt puṇyam utpadyata iti pramāṇasvarūpaṁ tvakchedacihnaṁ sa prāpnot|

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 ibrāhīm jagato'dhikārī bhaviṣyati yaiṣā pratijñā taṁ tasya vaṁśañca prati pūrvvam akriyata sā vyavasthāmūlikā nahi kintu viśvāsajanyapuṇyamūlikā|

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 vyavasthāvalambino yadyadhikāriṇo bhavanti tarhi viśvāso viphalo jāyate sā pratijñāpi luptaiva|

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

15 adhikantu vyavasthā kopaṁ janayati yato 'vidyamānāyāṁ vyavasthāyām ājñālaṅghanaṁ na sambhavati|

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

16 ataeva sā pratijñā yad anugrahasya phalaṁ bhavet tadarthaṁ viśvāsamūlikā yatastathātve tadvaṁśasamudāyaṁ prati arthato ye vyavasthayā tadvaṁśasambhavāḥ kevalaṁ tān prati nahi kintu ya ibrāhīmīyaviśvāsena tatsambhavāstānapi prati sā pratijñā sthāsnurbhavati|

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 nirjīvān sajīvān avidyamānāni vastūni ca vidyamānāni karoti ibrāhīmo viśvāsabhūmestasyeśvarasya sākṣāt so'smākaṁ sarvveṣām ādipuruṣa āste, yathā likhitaṁ vidyate, ahaṁ tvāṁ bahujātīnām ādipuruṣaṁ kṛtvā niyuktavān|

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 tvadīyastādṛśo vaṁśo janiṣyate yadidaṁ vākyaṁ pratiśrutaṁ tadanusārād ibrāhīm bahudeśīyalokānām ādipuruṣo yad bhavati tadarthaṁ so'napekṣitavyamapyapekṣamāṇo viśvāsaṁ kṛtavān|

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 aparañca kṣīṇaviśvāso na bhūtvā śatavatsaravayaskatvāt svaśarīrasya jarāṁ sārānāmnaḥ svabhāryyāyā rajonivṛttiñca tṛṇāya 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 aviśvāsād īśvarasya pratijñāvacane kamapi saṁśayaṁ na cakāra;

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

21 kintvīśvareṇa yat pratiśrutaṁ tat sādhayituṁ śakyata iti niścitaṁ vijñāya dṛḍhaviśvāsaḥ san īśvarasya mahimānaṁ prakāśayāñcakāra|

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

22 iti hetostasya sa viśvāsastadīyapuṇyamiva gaṇayāñcakre|

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

23 puṇyamivāgaṇyata tat kevalasya tasya nimittaṁ likhitaṁ nahi, asmākaṁ nimittamapi,

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

24 yato'smākaṁ pāpanāśārthaṁ samarpito'smākaṁ puṇyaprāptyarthañcotthāpito'bhavat yo'smākaṁ prabhu ryīśustasyotthāpayitarīśvare

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 vayaṁ viśvasāmastarhyasmākamapi saeva viśvāsaḥ puṇyamiva gaṇayiṣyate|

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