1 ¿ Qué, pues, diremos que halló Abraham, nuestro padre según la carne?

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

2 S i Abraham hubiera sido justificado por las obras, tendría de qué gloriarse, pero no ante 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 dice la Escritura? Creyó Abraham a Dios y le fue contado por 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 P ero al que trabaja no se le cuenta el salario como un regalo, sino como deuda;

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 cree en aquel que justifica al impío, su fe le es contada por 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 P or eso también David habla de la bienaventuranza 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 d iciendo: «Bienaventurados aquellos 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 B ienaventurado el hombre 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 ¿ Es, pues, esta bienaventuranza solamente para los de la circuncisión o también para los de la incircuncisión? Porque decimos que a Abraham le fue contada la fe por 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 ¿ Cómo, pues, le fue contada? ¿Estando en la circuncisión, o en la incircuncisión? No en la circuncisión, sino en la incircuncisión.

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

11 Y recibió la circuncisión como señal, como sello de la justicia de la fe que tuvo cuando aún no había sido circuncidado, para que fuera padre de todos los creyentes no circuncidados, a fin de que también a ellos la fe les sea contada por 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 padre de la circuncisión, para los que no solamente son de la circuncisión, sino que también siguen las pisadas de la fe que tuvo nuestro padre Abraham 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 L a promesa de que sería heredero del mundo, fue dada a Abraham o a su descendencia no por la Ley sino por la justicia de 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 orque si los que son de la Ley son los herederos, vana resulta la fe y anulada la promesa.

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 L a ley produce ira; 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 eso, la promesa es fe, para que sea por gracia, a fin de que sea firme para toda su descendencia, no solamente para la que es por la Ley, sino también para la que es de la fe de Abraham. Él 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 son como si fueran.

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 É l creyó en esperanza contra esperanza, 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 Y su fe no se debilitó al considerar su cuerpo, que estaba ya como muerto (siendo de 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 por la fe, dando 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 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, también su fe le fue contada por justicia.

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

23 P ero no sólo con respecto a él se escribió que le fue contada,

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

24 s ino también con respecto a nosotros a quienes igualmente ha de ser contada, es decir, a los que creemos en aquel que levantó de los muertos a Jesús, Señor nuestro,

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 nuestras transgresiones, y resucitado para nuestra justificación.

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