1 i f so, what shall we say about Abraham, our forefather humanly speaking— find out?

¶ What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found?

2 F or if Abraham was justified ( established as just by acquittal from guilt) by good works he has grounds for boasting. But not before God!

For if Abraham were justified by works, he has reason to glory in himself, but not before God.

3 F or what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God).

For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 N ow to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him).

But unto him that works, the reward is not reckoned as grace, but as debt.

5 B ut to one who, not working, trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).

But to him that does not work, but believes in him that justifies the ungodly, the faith is counted as righteousness.

6 T hus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does:

Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God doth attribute righteousness without works,

7 B lessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried.

saying, Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

8 B lessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin.

9 I s this blessing (happiness) then meant only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

¶ Is this blessedness, therefore, only upon the circumcision or also upon the uncircumcision? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.

10 H ow then was it credited ? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 H e received the mark of circumcision as a token or an evidence seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised— so that he was to be made the father of all who believe, though without circumcision, and who thus have righteousness (right standing with God) imputed to them and credited to their account,

And he received the circumcision as a sign, as a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all the uncircumcised believers, that it might be counted unto them also as righteousness,

12 A s well as the father of those circumcised persons who are not merely circumcised, but also walk in the way of that faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

that he be the father of the circumcision: not only to those who are of the circumcision, but also unto those who walk in the steps of the faith that was in our father Abraham before he was circumcised.

13 F or the promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through the Law but through the righteousness of faith.

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

14 I f it is the adherents of the Law who are to be the heirs, then faith is made futile and empty of all meaning and the promise is made void (is annulled and has no power).

For if those who are of the law are the heirs, faith is in vain, and the promise annulled,

15 F or the Law results in wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

because the law works wrath; for where there is no law, there is no rebellion either.

16 T herefore, the promise is the outcome of faith and depends on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Therefore by faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to that which is of the law, but also to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

17 A s it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that as if they existed.

¶ as it is written, As a father of many Gentiles have I placed thee before God, whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which are not as those that are.

18 h ope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So shall your descendants be.

Who believed to wait against all hope, that he might become the father of many Gentiles, according to that which had been spoken unto him, So shall thy seed be.

19 H e did not weaken in faith when he considered the impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.

And he did not weaken in faith: he considered not his own body now dead when he was about one hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb;

20 N o unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,

he doubted not the promise of God, with unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,

21 F ully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised.

being fully persuaded that he was also powerful to do all that he had promised;

22 T hat is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).

therefore, his faith was also attributed unto him as righteousness.

23 B ut, It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone,

¶ Now it is not written for his sake alone that it was so reckoned to him,

24 B ut for our sakes too. will be granted and credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

but for us also to whom it shall be so reckoned, that is, to those that believe in him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,

25 W ho was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal),.

who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.