'What1then2shall we say3was gained by4Abraham,5our8forefather7according to9the flesh?10 For2if1Abraham3was justified6by4works,5he has7[something] to boast about,8but9not10before11God.12 For2what1doesthe3Scripture4say?5“Abraham8believed6God,10and11it was counted12to him13as14righteousness.”15 Now2to the one1who works,3hiswages5are7not6counted7as8a gift9but10as11hisdue.12 And2to the one1who does4not3work4but6believes5in7him8who justifies9the10ungodly,11his15faith14is counted12as16righteousness,17 just as1David3also2speaks4of the5blessing6of the [one]8to whom9God11counts12righteousness13apart from14works:15 “Blessed1are thosewhose2lawless deeds5are forgiven,3and6whose7sins10are covered;8 blessed1isthe man2against whom3the Lord7will6not45count6hissin.”8 Isthis4blessing2then3onlyfor5the6circumcised,7or8also9for10the11uncircumcised?12For14we say13thatfaith19was counted15to Abraham17as20righteousness.21 How1then2was it counted3to him? Was it[before]9or7afterhe had been6circumcised?5It wasnot10[after],12but13before he was circumcised.1415 He17received3the sign2of circumcision4as a seal5of the6righteousness7that he had byfaith9while he was still uncircumcised.1113The purpose was1415to make16him17the father18of all19who believe21without being circumcised,23so that2425righteousness30would be counted26to them28as well,27 and1to make himthe father2of the circumcised3who4arenot5merely8circumcised7but9who12also10walk12in the13footsteps14of the15faith18thatour21father20Abraham22had before he was circumcised.1617 For2the5promise6to Abraham78and9his12offspring11that13he15would be16heir14of the world17didnot1comethrough3the law4but18through19the righteousness20of faith.21 For2if1it is the adherentsof4the law5who3are to be theheirs,6faith9is null7and10the12promise13is void.11 For2the1law3brings5wrath,4but7where6there is9no8law10there isno11transgression.12 That is why12it dependson3faith,4in order that5the12promise13[may rest] on6grace7andbe10guaranteed11to all14hisoffspring16— not17only22to the18[adherent] of19the20law21but23also24to the one25[who shares]26the faith of27Abraham,28who29is30the father31of us33all,32 as1it is written,2“I have made7you8the father4of many5nations”6—in the presence of9the God12in whom10he believed,11who gives life to14the15dead16and17calls18into existence2223the things19that21donot20exist.21 In4hope3he1believed6against2hope,5that78he10should become9the father11of many12nations,13as14he had been told,16“So17shall18your21offspring20be.”18 He did3not2weaken3in faith5whenhe considered6his own8body,9which wasas good as10dead11(since he was14about13a hundred years old),12or15when he consideredthe16barrenness17of Sarah’s20womb.19 No7unbelief10made him waver8concerning1the3promise4of God,6but11he grew strong12in [his] faith14as he gave15glory16to God,18 fully convinced2that3[God] was7able6to do9what4he had promised.5 That is why1[his faith] was“counted3to him4as5righteousness.”6 But3the words“it was counted8to him”9were2not1written2for4his5sake4alone,6 but1for3ours4also.2It will be6counted7to [us]8who believe9in10him11who raised12from17the dead18Jesus13our16Lord,15 who1was delivered up2for3our6trespasses5and7raised8for9our12justification.11