CHAPTER 4
1 What then shall we say, that Abraham, our father after the flesh, found?
2 For if Abraham is justified of works of the law, he hath glory, but not with God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed to God, and it was areckoned to him to rightwiseness.
4 And to him that worketh, meed is not areckoned by grace, but by debt.
5 Soothly to him that worketh not, but believeth into him that justifieth a wicked [or an unpious] man, his faith is areckoned to rightwiseness, after the purpose of God’s grace.
6 As David saith the blessedness of a man, whom God accepteth, he giveth to him rightwiseness without works of the law,
7 Blessed be they, whose wicked-nesses be forgiven, and whose sins be hid [or be covered].
8 Blessed is that man, to whom God areckoned not sin.
9 Then whether dwelleth this blessedness only in circumcision, or also in prepuce? For we say, that the faith was areckoned to Abraham to rightwiseness.
10 How then was it areckoned? in circumcision, or in prepuce? Not in circumcision, but in prepuce.
11 And he took a sign of circumcision, a token [or a marking] of rightwiseness of the faith which is in prepuce, that he be father of all men believing by prepuce, that it be areckoned also to them to rightwise-ness;
12 and that he be father of circumcision, not only to them that be of circumcision, but also to them that pursue the steps of the faith, which faith is in prepuce of our father Abraham, [or but and to them that pursue the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, that is in prepuce].
13 For not by the law is [the] promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be [the] heir of the world, but by the rightwiseness of faith.
14 For if they that be of the law, be heirs, faith is destroyed, promise is done away.
15 For the law worketh wrath; for where is no law, there is no trespass, neither is trespassing [or prevarication].
16 Therefore rightwiseness is of faith, that by grace promise be stable [or be steadfast] to each seed, not to that seed only that is of the law, but to that that is of the faith of Abraham, which is father of us all.
17 As it is written, For I have set thee father of many folks, before God to whom thou hast believed. The which God quickeneth dead men [or The which quickeneth the dead], and calleth those things that be not, as those that be.
18 [The] Which Abraham against hope believed into hope, that he should be made father of many folks, as it was said to him, Thus shall thy seed be, as the stars of heaven, and as the gravel [or sand] that is in the brink of the sea.
19 And he was not made unsteadfast in the belief, neither he beheld his body then nigh dead, when he was almost of an hundred years, nor the womb of Sarah nigh dead.
20 Also in the promise of God he doubted not with untrust; but he was comforted in belief, giving glory to God,
21 witting most fully that whatever things God hath promised, he is mighty also to do.
22 Therefore it was areckoned to him to rightwiseness.
23 And it is not written only for him, that it was areckoned to him to rightwiseness,
24 but also for us, to whom it shall be areckoned, that believe in him that raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death.
25 Which was betaken for our sins, and rose again for our justifying.