1 Q ue diremos, pois, ter alcançado Abraão, nosso pai segundo a carne?

What about Abraham, our early father? What did he learn?

2 P orque, se Abraão foi justificado pelas obras, tem de que se gloriar, mas não diante de Deus.

If Abraham was made right with God by what he did, he would have had something to be proud of. But he could not be proud before God.

3 P ois, que diz a Escritura? Creu Abraão a Deus, e isso lhe foi imputado como justiça.

The Holy Writings say, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.”

4 O ra, ao que trabalha não se lhe conta a recompensa como dádiva, mas sim como dívida;

If a man works, his pay is not a gift. It is something he has earned.

5 p orém ao que não trabalha, mas crê naquele que justifica o ímpio, a sua fé lhe é contada como justiça;

If a man has not worked to be saved, but has put his trust in God Who saves men from the punishment of their sins, that man is made right with God because of his trust in God.

6 a ssim também Davi declara bem-aventurado o homem a quem Deus atribui a justiça sem as obras, dizendo:

David tells of this. He spoke of how happy the man is who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin.

7 B em-aventurados aqueles cujas iniqüidades são perdoadas, e cujos pecados são cobertos.

“Those people are happy whose sinful acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

8 B em-aventurado o homem a quem o Senhor não imputará o pecado.

Those people are happy whose sins the Lord will not remember.”

9 V em, pois, esta bem-aventurança sobre a circuncisão somente, ou também sobre a incircuncisão? Porque dizemos: A Abraão foi imputada a fé como justiça.

Is this happiness given to the Jews only? Or is it given also to the people who are not Jews? We say again, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.”

10 C omo, pois, lhe foi imputada? Estando na circuncisão, ou na incircuncisão? Não na circuncisão, mas sim na incircuncisão.

When did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham went through the religious act of becoming a Jew? It was before.

11 E recebeu o sinal da circuncisão, selo da justiça da fé que teve quando ainda não era circuncidado, para que fosse pai de todos os que crêem, estando eles na incircuncisão, a fim de que a justiça lhes seja imputada,

He went through the religious act after he had put his trust in God. That religious act proved that his trust in God made him right with God even before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew. In that way, it made him the early father of all those who believe. It showed that those who did not go through the religious act of becoming a Jew could be right with God.

12 b em como fosse pai dos circuncisos, dos que não somente são da circuncisão, mas também andam nas pisadas daquela fé que teve nosso pai Abraão, antes de ser circuncidado.

He is also the early father of all those who have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. It is not because they went through the act. It is because they put their trust in God the same as Abraham did before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew.

13 P orque não foi pela lei que veio a Abraão, ou ã sua descendência, a promessa de que havia de ser herdeiro do mundo, mas pela justiça da fé.

God promised to give the world to him and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God.

14 P ois, se os que são da lei são herdeiros, logo a fé é vã e a promessa é anulada.

If those who obey the Law are to get the world, then a person putting his trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would be worth nothing.

15 P orque a lei opera a ira; mas onde não há lei também não há transgressão.

God’s anger comes on a man when he does not obey the Law. But if there were no Law, then no one could break it.

16 P orquanto procede da fé o ser herdeiro, para que seja segundo a graça, a fim de que a promessa seja firme a toda a descendência, não somente ã que é da lei, mas também ã que é da fé que teve Abraão, o qual é pai de todos nós.

So God’s promise is given to us because we put our trust in Him. We can be sure of it. It is because of His loving-favor to us. It is for all the family of Abraham. It is for those who obey the Law. It is for those who put their trust in God as Abraham did. In this way, he is the father of all Christians.

17 ( como está escrito: Por pai de muitas nações te constituí) perante aquele no qual creu, a saber, Deus, que vivifica os mortos, e chama as coisas que não são, como se já fossem.

The Holy Writings say, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This promise is good because of Who God is. He makes the dead live again. He speaks, and something is made out of nothing.

18 O qual, em esperança, creu contra a esperança, para que se tornasse pai de muitas nações, conforme o que lhe fora dito: Assim será a tua descendência;

Abraham believed he would be the father of many nations. He had no reason to hope for this, but he had been told, “Your children will become many nations.”

19 e sem se enfraquecer na fé, considerou o seu próprio corpo já amortecido (pois tinha quase cem anos), e o amortecimento do ventre de Sara;

Abraham was about one hundred years old. His body was about dead, but his faith in God was not weak when he thought of his body. His faith was not weak when he thought of his wife Sarah being past the age of having children.

20 c ontudo, ã vista da promessa de Deus, não vacilou por incredulidade, antes foi fortalecido na fé, dando glória a Deus,

Abraham did not doubt God’s promise. His faith in God was strong, and he gave thanks to God.

21 e estando certíssimo de que o que Deus tinha prometido, também era poderoso para o fazer.

He was sure God was able to do what He had promised.

22 P elo que também isso lhe foi imputado como justiça.

Abraham put his trust in God and was made right with Him.

23 O ra, não é só por causa dele que está escrito que lhe foi imputado;

The words, “He was made right with God,” were not for Abraham only.

24 m as também por causa de nós a quem há de ser imputado, a nós os que cremos naquele que dos mortos ressuscitou a Jesus nosso Senhor;

They were for us also. God will make us right with Himself the same way He did Abraham, if we put our trust in God Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

25 o qual foi entregue por causa das nossas transgressões, e ressuscitado para a nossa justificação.

Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.