| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? | 1Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? |
| 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. | 2If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. |
| 3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” | 3For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” |
| 4Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. | 4When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. |
| 5But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, | 5But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. |
| 6just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: | 6David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: |
| 7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; | 7“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. |
| 8Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” | 8Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.” |
| 9Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. | 9Now, 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. |
| 10How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. | 10But 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! |
| 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, | 11Circumcision 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. |
| 12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. | 12And 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. |
| 13For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. | 13Clearly, 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. |
| 14For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, | 14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. |
| 15because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. | 15For 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!) |
| 16Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all | 16So 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. |
| 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations” ) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; | 17That 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. |
| 18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” | 18Even 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!” |
| 19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. | 19And 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. |
| 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, | 20Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. |
| 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. | 21He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. |
| 22And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” | 22And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. |
| 23Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, | 23And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded |
| 24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, | 24for 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. |
| 25who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. | 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
