Quid ergo dicemus invenisse Abraham patrem nostrum secundum carnem?

What shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh.

What, for instance, shall we say of Abraham, our forefather by human descent? What kind of blessing did he win?

Si enim Abraham ex operibus justificatus est, habet gloriam, sed non apud Deum.

For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.

If it was by observances that Abraham attained his justification, he, to be sure, has something to be proud of. But it was not so in God’s sight;

Quid enim dicit Scriptura? Credidit Abraham Deo, et reputatam est illi ad justitiam.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

what does the scripture tell us? Abraham put his faith in God, and it was reckoned virtue in him.

Ei autem qui operatur, merces non imputatur secundum gratiam, sed secundum debitum.

Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt.

The reward given to one who works to earn it is not reckoned as a favour, it is reckoned as his due.

Ei vero qui non operatur, credenti autem in eum, qui justificat impium, reputatur fides ejus ad justitiam secundum propositum gratiæ Dei.

But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God.

When a man’s faith is reckoned virtue in him, according to God’s gracious plan, it is not because of anything he does; it is because he has faith, faith in the God who makes a just man of the sinner.

Sicut et David dicit beatitudinem hominis, cui Deus accepto fert justitiam sine operibus:

As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to whom God reputeth justice without works:

So, too, David pronounces his blessing on the man whom God accepts, without any mention of observances:

Beati, quorum remissæ sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt peccata.

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Blessed are those who have all their faults forgiven, all their transgressions buried away;

Beatus vir, cui non imputavit Dominus peccatum.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.

blessed is the man who is not a sinner in the Lord’s reckoning.

Beatitudo ergo hæc in circumcisione tantum manet, an etiam in præputio? Dicimus enim quia reputata est Abrahæ fides ad justitiam.

This blessedness then, doth it remain in the circumcision only, or in the uncircumcision also? For we say that unto Abraham faith was reputed to justice.

This blessing, then, does it fall only on those who are circumcised, or on the uncircumcised as well? We saw that Abraham’s faith was reckoned virtue in him.

Quomodo ergo reputata est? in circumcisione, an in præputio? Non in circumcisione, sed in præputio.

How then was it reputed? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

And in what state of things was that reckoning made? Was he circumcised or uncircumcised at the time? Uncircumcised, not circumcised yet.

Et signum accepit circumcisionis, signaculum justitiæ fidei, quæ est in præputio: ut sit pater omnium credentium per præputium, ut reputetur et illis ad justitiam:

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the justice of the faith, which he had, being uncircumcised; that he might be the father of all them that believe, being uncircumcised, that unto them also it may be reputed to justice:

Circumcision was only given to him as a token; as the seal of that justification which came to him through his faith while he was still uncircumcised. And thus he is the father of all those who, still uncircumcised, have the faith that will be reckoned virtue in them too.

et sit pater circumcisionis non iis tantum, qui sunt ex circumcisione, sed et iis qui sectantur vestigia fidei, quæ est in præputio patris nostri Abrahæ.

And he might be the father of circumcision; not to them only, that are of the circumcision, but to them also that follow the steps of the faithful, that is in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham.

Meanwhile, he is the father of those who are circumcised, as long as they do not merely take their stand on circumcision, but follow in the steps of that faith which he, our father Abraham, had before circumcision began.

Non enim per legem promissio Abrahæ, aut semini ejus ut hæres esset mundi: sed per justitiam fidei.

For not through the law was the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world; but through the justice of faith.

It was not through obedience to the law, but through faith justifying them, that Abraham and his posterity were promised the inheritance of the world.

Si enim qui ex lege, hæredes sunt: exinanita est fides, abolita est promissio.

For if they who are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, the promise is made of no effect.

If it is only those who obey the law that receive the inheritance, then his faith was ill founded, and the promise has been annulled.

Lex enim iram operatur. Ubi enim non est lex, nec prævaricatio.

For the law worketh wrath. For where there is no law, neither is there transgression.

(The effect of the law is only to bring God’s displeasure upon us; it is only where there is a law that transgression becomes possible.)

Ideo ex fide, ut secundum gratiam firma sit promissio omni semini, non ei qui ex lege est solum, sed et ei qui ex fide est Abrahæ, qui pater est omnium nostrum

Therefore is it of faith, that according to grace the promise might be firm to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

The inheritance, then, must come through faith (and so by free gift); thus the promise is made good to all Abraham’s posterity, not only that posterity of his which keeps the law, but that which imitates his faith. We are all Abraham’s children;

(sicut scriptum est: Quia patrem multarum gentium posui te) ante Deum, cui credidit, qui vivificat mortuos, et vocat ea quæ non sunt, tamquam ea quæ sunt:

(As it is written: I have made thee a father of many nations,) before God, whom he believed, who quickeneth the dead; and calleth those things that are not, as those that are.

and so it was written of him, I have made thee the father of many nations. We are his children in the sight of God, in whom he put his faith, who can raise the dead to life, and send his call to that which has no being, as if it already were.

qui contra spem in spem credidit, ut fieret pater multarum gentium secundum quod dictum est ei: Sic erit semen tuum.

Who against hope believed in hope; that he might be made the father of many nations, according to that which was said to him: So shall thy seed be.

Abraham, then, believed, hoping against hope; and thus became the father of many nations; Like these, he was told, thy posterity shall be.

Et non infirmatus est fide, nec consideravit corpus suum emortuum, cum jam fere centum esset annorum, et emortuam vulvam Saræ.

And he was not weak in faith; neither did he consider his own body now dead, whereas he was almost an hundred years old, nor the dead womb of Sara.

There was no wavering in his faith; he gave no thought to the want of life in his own body, though he was nearly a hundred years old at the time, nor to the deadness of Sara’s womb;

In repromissione etiam Dei non hæsitavit diffidentia, sed confortatus est fide, dans gloriam Deo:

In the promise also of God he staggered not by distrust; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God:

he shewed no hesitation or doubt at God’s promise, but drew strength from his faith, confessing God’s power,

plenissime sciens, quia quæcumque promisit, potens est et facere.

Most fully knowing, that whatsoever he has promised, he is able also to perform.

fully convinced that God was able to perform what he had promised.

Ideo et reputatum est illi ad justitiam.

And therefore it was reputed to him unto justice.

This, then, was reckoned virtue in him;

Non est autem scriptum tantum propter ipsum quia reputatum est illi ad justitiam:

Now it is not written only for him, that it was reputed to him unto justice,

and the words, It was reckoned virtue in him, were not written of him only;

sed et propter nos, quibus reputabitur credentibus in eum, qui suscitavit Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum a mortuis,

But also for us, to whom it shall be reputed, if we believe in him, that raised up Jesus Christ, our Lord, from the dead,

they were written of us too. It will be reckoned virtue in us, if we believe in God as having raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead:

qui traditus est propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter justificationem nostram.

Who was delivered up for our sins, and rose again for our justification.

handed over to death for our sins, and raised to life for our justification.