Romanos 4

¹ What do we then say that Abraham our father obtained by the flesh?

² for if Abraham were justified by works, he might boast; but not before God.

³ «For what says the scripture?» 'And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.'

⁴ Now, to him who works, the reward is not counted as a favor, but as a debt.

⁵ But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

⁶ In like manner, also, David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God counts righteousness without works: saying,

⁷ «Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.»

⁸ «Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not count sin.»

⁹ Does this blessedness come, then, on the circumcision only, or on the uncircumcision, also? for we affirm that faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness.

¹⁰ How, then, was it counted? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

¹¹ And he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had whilst uncircumcised; that he might be the father of all uncircumcised believers, that righteousness might be counted even to them.

¹² And a father to the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham, which he had whilst in uncircumcision.

¹³ For the promise to Abraham, that he should be the heir of a world, was not to him, nor to his seed, through law; but through a righteousness of faith.

¹⁴ For if they who are of law are heirs; faith is rendered vain, and the promise is made of no effect.

¹⁵ Farther, the law works out wrath; but where law is not, there is no transgression.

¹⁶ For this reason, it is through faith that it might be by favor, that the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to that only which is of the law; but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all:

¹⁷ «(as it is written,'Surely a father of many nations have I constituted you,') in the presence of him whom he believed, even of God, who makes alive the dead, and calls things which exist not, as though they existed.»

¹⁸ «He, contrary to hope, believed with hope, that he should be a father of many nations, according to what was spoken,» 'So shall your seed be.'

¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body now dead, being about a hundred years old; neither the deadness of Sarah's womb.

²⁰ Therefore, against the promise of God, through unbelief, he did not dispute; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

²¹ And was fully persuaded that what was promised, he was able to perform.

²² Therefore, also, it was counted to him for righteousness.

²³ Now it was not written for his sake only, that it was so counted,

²⁴ even to those who believe on him who raised up Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;

²⁵ who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised up again for our justification.