1 E ntonces, ¿qué fue lo que obtuvo nuestro antepasado Abrahán?

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

2 P orque si Abrahán hubiera sido justificado por las obras, tendría de qué jactarse, pero no delante de Dios.

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

3 P ues ¿qué es lo que dice la Escritura? Que Abrahán le creyó a Dios, y esto se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

For 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).

4 A hora bien, para el que trabaja, su salario no es un regalo sino algo que tiene merecido;

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

5 p ero al que no trabaja, sino que cree en aquel que justifica al pecador, su fe se le toma en cuenta como justicia.

But 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).

6 D avid también se refiere a la felicidad del hombre a quien Dios atribuye justicia sin obras,

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

7 c uando dice: «¡Dichoso aquel cuyas iniquidades son perdonadas, Y cuyos pecados son cubiertos!

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

8 ¡ Dichoso aquél a quien el Señor no culpa de pecado!»

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

9 ¿ Acaso esta dicha es solamente para los que están circuncidados, o es también para los que no lo están? Porque decimos que la fe de Abrahán se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

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

10 ¿ Cuándo se le tomó en cuenta? ¿Antes de ser circuncidado, o después? Antes, y no después.

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

11 E ntonces Abrahán fue circuncidado como señal, como sello de la justicia por la fe que tuvo antes de ser circuncidado. De esa manera, Abrahán es padre de todos los creyentes que no están circuncidados, a fin de que también a ellos la fe se les tome en cuenta como justicia.

He 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,

12 Y también es padre de aquellos que, además de estar circuncidados, siguen las pisadas de la fe que tuvo nuestro padre Abrahán antes de ser circuncidado. La promesa realizada mediante la fe

As 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.

13 P orque la promesa dada a Abrahán y a su descendencia en cuanto a que recibiría el mundo como herencia, no le fue dada por la ley sino por la justicia que se basa en la fe.

For 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.

14 P ues si los que van a recibir la herencia se basan en la ley, la fe resulta vana y la promesa queda anulada.

If 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).

15 P orque la ley produce castigo, pero donde no hay ley, tampoco hay transgresión.

For the Law results in wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 P or tanto, la promesa se recibe por fe, para que sea por gracia, a fin de que la promesa sea firme para toda su descendencia, tanto para los que son de la ley como para los que son de la fe de Abrahán, el cual es padre de todos nosotros.

Therefore, 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.

17 C omo está escrito: «Te he puesto por padre de muchas naciones.» Y lo es delante de Dios, a quien creyó, el cual da vida a los muertos, y llama las cosas que no existen, como si existieran.

As 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.

18 C ontra toda esperanza, Abrahán creyó para llegar a ser padre de muchas naciones, conforme a lo que se le había dicho: «Así será tu descendencia.»

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

19 A demás, su fe no flaqueó al considerar su cuerpo, que estaba ya como muerto (pues ya tenía casi cien años ), o la esterilidad de la matriz de Sara.

He 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.

20 T ampoco dudó, por incredulidad, de la promesa de Dios, sino que se fortaleció en la fe y dio gloria a Dios,

No 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,

21 p lenamente convencido de que Dios era también poderoso para hacer todo lo que había prometido.

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

22 P or eso su fe se le tomó en cuenta como justicia.

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

23 Y no solamente con respecto a él se escribió que se le tomó en cuenta,

But, It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone,

24 s ino también con respecto a nosotros, pues Dios tomará en cuenta nuestra fe, si creemos en el que levantó de los muertos a Jesús, nuestro Señor,

But 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,

25 e l cual fue entregado por nuestros pecados, y resucitó para nuestra justificación.

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