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Romans · Young's Literal Translation

Romans 4 Young's Literal Translation

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About YLT
  • Individual translator
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Textus Receptus
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Very literal
  • 1898
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 What, then, shall we say Abraham our father, to have found, according to flesh? 2 for if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath to boast — but not before God; 3 for what doth the writing say? 'And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him — to righteousness;' 4 and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt; 5 and to him who is not working, and is believing upon Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned — to righteousness: 6 even as David also doth speak of the happiness of the man to whom God doth reckon righteousness apart from works: 7 'Happy they whose lawless acts were forgiven, and whose sins were covered; 8 happy the man to whom the Lord may not reckon sin.' 9 [Is] this happiness, then, upon the circumcision, or also upon the uncircumcision — for we say that the faith was reckoned to Abraham — to righteousness? 10 how then was it reckoned? he being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision; 11 and a sign he did receive of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them, 12 and father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, that [is] in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham. 13 For not through law [is] the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, of his being heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith; 14 for if they who are of law [are] heirs, the faith hath been made void, and the promise hath been made useless; 15 for the law doth work wrath; for where law is not, neither [is] transgression. 16 Because of this [it is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which [is] of the law only, but also to that which [is] of the faith of Abraham, 17 who is father of us all (according as it hath been written — 'A father of many nations I have set thee,') before Him whom he did believe — God, who is quickening the dead, and is calling the things that be not as being. 18 Who, against hope in hope did believe, for his becoming father of many nations according to that spoken: 'So shall thy seed be;' 19 and not having been weak in the faith, he did not consider his own body, already become dead, (being about a hundred years old,) and the deadness of Sarah's womb, 20 and at the promise of God did not stagger in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God, 21 and having been fully persuaded that what He hath promised He is able also to do: 22 wherefore also it was reckoned to him to righteousness. 23 And it was not written on his account alone, that it was reckoned to him, 24 but also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned — to us believing on Him who did raise up Jesus our Lord out of the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.

Cross references (25)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:16; 2 Corinthians 11:22; John 8:56; Acts 13:26
  2. 2 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 11:30; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:9; Galatians 3:22
  3. 3 Genesis 15:6; James 2:23; Galatians 3:6–8; Romans 4:9; Romans 4:22–25
  4. 4 Romans 11:6; Romans 9:32; Romans 11:35; Matthew 20:1–16
  5. 5 Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:22; Titus 3:3–7; Romans 10:9–10; Galatians 3:8–14
  6. 6 Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Galatians 3:8–9; 1 Corinthians 1:30
  7. 7 Psalm 32:1–2; Psalm 130:3–4; Luke 7:47–50; Psalm 85:2; Micah 7:18–20
  8. 8 Psalm 32:2; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:19–20; 1 Peter 3:18; Isaiah 53:10–12
  9. 9 Galatians 3:14; Colossians 3:11; Ephesians 3:8; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:26–28
  10. 10 Galatians 6:15; Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 7:18–19; Genesis 15:16; Genesis 15:5–6
  11. 11 Romans 3:22; Luke 19:9; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Galatians 6:16
  12. 12 Proverbs 2:20; Song of Songs 1:8; John 8:39–40; Galatians 4:22–31; 2 Corinthians 12:18
  13. 13 Galatians 3:29; Genesis 28:14; Romans 9:8; Genesis 22:17–18; Psalm 2:8
  14. 14 Galatians 3:18–24; Hebrews 7:19; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:31; Isaiah 55:11
  15. 15 Romans 5:13; Galatians 3:10; Romans 3:19–20; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Romans 7:7–25
  16. 16 Romans 3:24–26; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 9:8; Galatians 3:22; Titus 3:7
  17. 17 1 Corinthians 1:28; Genesis 17:4–5; John 5:21; Romans 8:29–30; John 6:63
  18. 18 Romans 8:24; Genesis 15:5–6; Romans 5:5; Acts 27:25; Proverbs 13:12
  19. 19 Hebrews 11:11–19; Genesis 17:17; Romans 4:20–21; Matthew 14:31; Mark 9:23–24
  20. 20 Luke 1:45; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Daniel 10:19; 2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Timothy 2:1
  21. 21 Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32:27; Jeremiah 32:17; Hebrews 11:19; Luke 1:45
  22. 22 Romans 4:3; Romans 4:6
  23. 23 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 1 Corinthians 9:9–10
  24. 24 Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 1:21; Acts 13:30; Romans 10:9–10; Ephesians 1:18–20
  25. 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).

  1. Commentary 4:1 John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans (Homily VIII)

    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)

  2. Quotes verse 4:3 Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Chapters VII–XIII)

    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.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 4:3 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Preface)

    "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.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  4. Quotes verse 4:3 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVI, Chapters 22–24)

    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)

  5. Quotes verse 4:19 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture V)

    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)