Romans 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Romans 4 ▼
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1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?
2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.
3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.
5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,
15 For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,
24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
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