1 W hat, then, shall we say Abraham our father, to have found, according to flesh?

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

2 f or if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath to boast -- but not before god;

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 f or what doth the writing say? `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;'

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 nd to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt;

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

5 a nd to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned -- to righteousness:

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 e ven as David also doth speak of the happiness of the man to whom God doth reckon righteousness apart from works:

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

7 ` Happy they whose lawless acts were forgiven, and whose sins were covered;

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

8 h appy the man to whom the Lord may not reckon sin.'

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 t his happiness, then, upon the circumcision, or also upon the uncircumcision -- for we say that the faith was reckoned to Abraham -- to righteousness?

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 h ow then was it reckoned? he being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision;

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

11 a nd a sign he did receive of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them,

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 a nd father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, that in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham.

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 F or not through law the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, of his being heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith;

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 f or if they who are of law heirs, the faith hath been made void, and the promise hath been made useless;

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 f or the law doth work wrath; for where law is not, neither transgression.

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

16 B ecause of this of faith, that according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which of the law only, but also to that which of the faith of Abraham,

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 w ho is father of us all (according as it hath been written -- `A father of many nations I have set thee,') before Him whom he did believe -- God, who is quickening the dead, and is calling the things that be not as being.

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 W ho, against hope in hope did believe, for his becoming father of many nations according to that spoken: `So shall thy seed be;'

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 nd not having been weak in the faith, he did not consider his own body, already become dead, (being about a hundred years old,) and the deadness of Sarah's womb,

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 a nd at the promise of God did not stagger in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God,

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 a nd having been fully persuaded that what He hath promised He is able also to do:

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

22 w herefore also it was reckoned to him to righteousness.

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

23 A nd it was not written on his account alone, that it was reckoned to him,

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

24 b ut also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned -- to us believing on Him who did raise up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,

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 w ho was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.

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