Romans · Majority Standard Bible
Romans 4 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has discovered?
1 ¿QUÉ, pues, diremos que halló Abraham nuestro padre según la carne?
2 If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
2 Que si Abraham fué justificado por la obras, tiene de qué gloriarse; mas no para con Dios.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
3 Porque ¿qué dice la Escritura? Y creyó Abraham á Dios, y le fué atribuído á justicia.
4 Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
4 Empero al que obra, no se le cuenta el salario por merced, sino por deuda.
5 However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
5 Mas al que no obra, pero cree en aquél que justifica al impío, la fe le es contada por justicia.
6 And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
6 Como también David dice ser bienaventurado el hombre al cual Dios atribuye justicia sin obras,
7 “Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
7 [Diciendo]: Bienaventurados aquellos cuyas iniquidades son perdonadas, y cuyos pecados son cubiertos.
8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
8 Bienaventurado el varón al cual el Señor no imputó pecado.
9 Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
9 ¿Es pues esta bienaventuranza [solamente] en la circuncisión, ó también en la incircuncisión? porque decimos que á Abraham fué contada la fe por justicia.
10 In what context was it credited? Was it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but before.
10 ¿Cómo pues [le] fué contada? ¿en la circuncisión, ó en la incircuncisión? No en la circuncisión, sino en la incircuncisión.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision as 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 are not circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them as well.
11 Y recibió la circuncisión por señal, por sello de la justicia de la fe que tuvo en la incircuncisión: para que fuese padre de todos los creyentes no circuncidados, para que también á ellos les sea contado por justicia;
12 And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
12 Y padre de la circuncisión, no solamente á los que son de la circuncisión, mas también á los que siguen las pisadas de la fe que fué en nuestro padre Abraham antes de ser circuncidado.
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
13 Porque no por la ley fué [dada] la promesa á Abraham ó á su simiente, que sería heredero del mundo, sino por la justicia de la fe.
14 For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,
14 Porque si los que son de la ley son los herederos, vana es la fe, y anulada es la promesa.
15 because the law brings wrath. For where there is no law, there is no transgression.
15 Porque la ley obra ira; porque donde no hay ley, tampoco hay transgresión.
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
16 Por tanto [es] por la fe, para que [sea] por gracia; para que la promesa sea firme á toda simiente, no solamente al que es de la ley, mas también al que es de la fe de Abraham, el cual es padre de todos nosotros,
17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
17 (Como está escrito: Que por padre de muchas gentes te he puesto) delante de Dios, al cual creyó; el cual da vida á los muertos, y llama las cosas que no son, como las que son.
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
18 El creyó en esperanza contra esperanza, para venir á ser padre de muchas gentes, conforme á lo que [le] había sido dicho: Así será tu simiente.
19 Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged neither the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) nor the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
19 Y no se enflaqueció en la fe, ni consideró su cuerpo ya muerto (siendo ya de casi cien años), ni la matriz muerta de Sara;
20 Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
20 Tampoco en la promesa de Dios dudó con desconfianza: antes fué esforzado en fe, dando gloria á Dios,
21 being fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.
21 Plenamente convencido de que todo lo que había prometido, era también poderoso para hacerlo.
22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
22 Por lo cual también le fué atribuído á justicia.
23 Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,
23 Y no solamente por él fué escrito que le haya sido imputado;
24 but also for us, to whom righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
24 Sino también por nosotros, á quienes será imputado, [esto es], á los que creemos en el que levantó de los muertos á Jesús Señor nuestro,
25 He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
25 El cual fué entregado por nuestros delitos, y resucitado para nuestra justificación.
Cross references (25)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:16; 2 Corinthians 11:22; John 8:56; Acts 13:26
- 2 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 11:30; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:9; Galatians 3:22
- 3 Genesis 15:6; James 2:23; Galatians 3:6–8; Romans 4:9; Romans 4:22–25
- 4 Romans 11:6; Romans 9:32; Romans 11:35; Matthew 20:1–16
- 5 Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:22; Titus 3:3–7; Romans 10:9–10; Galatians 3:8–14
- 6 Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Galatians 3:8–9; 1 Corinthians 1:30
- 7 Psalm 32:1–2; Psalm 130:3–4; Luke 7:47–50; Psalm 85:2; Micah 7:18–20
- 8 Psalm 32:2; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:19–20; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:10–12
- 9 Galatians 3:14; Colossians 3:11; Ephesians 3:8; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:26–28
- 10 Galatians 6:15; Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 7:18–19; Genesis 15:16; Genesis 15:5–6
- 11 Romans 3:22; Luke 19:9; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 6:16
- 12 Proverbs 2:20; Song of Songs 1:8; John 8:39–40; Galatians 4:22–31; 2 Corinthians 12:18
- 13 Galatians 3:29; Genesis 28:14; Romans 9:8; Genesis 22:17–18; Psalm 2:8
- 14 Galatians 3:18–24; Hebrews 7:19; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:31; Isaiah 55:11
- 15 Romans 5:13; Galatians 3:10; Romans 3:19–20; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Romans 7:7–25
- 16 Romans 3:24–26; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 9:8; Galatians 3:22; Titus 3:7
- 17 1 Corinthians 1:28; Genesis 17:4–5; John 5:21; Romans 8:29–30; John 6:63
- 18 Romans 8:24; Genesis 15:5–6; Romans 5:5; Acts 27:25; Proverbs 13:12
- 19 Hebrews 11:11–19; Genesis 17:17; Romans 4:20–21; Matthew 14:31; Mark 9:23–24
- 20 Luke 1:45; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Daniel 10:19; 2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Timothy 2:1
- 21 Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32:27; Jeremiah 32:17; Hebrews 11:19; Luke 1:45
- 22 Romans 4:3; Romans 4:6
- 23 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 1 Corinthians 9:9–10
- 24 Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 1:21; Acts 13:30; Romans 10:9–10; Ephesians 1:18–20
- 25 1 John 4:9–10; Isaiah 53:5–6; 1 Peter 3:18; Galatians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
He had said (5 mss. eipen), that the world had become guilty before God, and that all had sinned, and that boasting was excluded, and that it was impossible to be saved otherwise than by faith.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." On account of his faith and hospitality, a son was given him in his old age; and in the exercise of obedience, he offered him as a sacrifice to God on one of the mountains which He showed him.
"Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." In the first place, [he believed] that He was the maker of heaven and earth, the only God; and in the next place, that He would make his seed as the stars of heaven.
Here, indeed, is set down that sentence which the apostle quotes in order to commend the grace of God, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness;" lest the circumcision should glory, and be unwilling to receive the uncircumcised nations to the faith of Christ.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
God promises the old man a child, and Abraham without being weakened in faith, though he considered his own body now as good as dead, heeded not the weakness of his body, but the power of Him who promised, because he counted Him faithful who had promised, and so beyond all expectation gained the child from bodies as it …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)