Romani 4

1Che diremo dunque che l’antenato nostro Abramo abbia ottenuto secondo la carne? 2Poiché se Abramo è stato giustificato per le opere, egli avrebbe di che gloriarsi; ma dinanzi a Dio egli non ha di che gloriarsi; infatti, che dice la Scrittura? 3Or Abramo credette a Dio, e ciò gli fu messo in conto di giustizia. 4Or a chi opera, la mercede non è messa in conto di grazia, ma di debito; 5mentre a chi non opera ma crede in colui che giustifica l’empio, la sua fede gli è messa in conto di giustizia. 6Così pure Davide proclama la beatitudine dell’uomo al quale Iddio imputa la giustizia senz’opere, dicendo: 7Beati quelli le cui iniquità son perdonate, e i cui peccati sono coperti. 8Beato l’uomo al quale il Signore non imputa il peccato. 9Questa beatitudine è ella soltanto per i circoncisi o anche per gli incirconcisi? Poiché noi diciamo che la fede fu ad Abramo messa in conto di giustizia. 10In che modo dunque gli fu messa in conto? Quand’era circonciso, o quand’era incirconciso? Non quand’era circonciso, ma quand’era incirconciso; 11poi ricevette il segno della circoncisione, qual suggello della giustizia ottenuta per la fede che avea quand’era incirconciso, affinché fosse il padre di tutti quelli che credono essendo incirconcisi, onde anche a loro sia messa in conto la giustizia; 12e il padre dei circoncisi, di quelli, cioè, che non solo sono circoncisi, ma seguono anche le orme della fede del nostro padre Abramo quand’era ancora incirconciso. 13Poiché la promessa d’esser erede del mondo non fu fatta ad Abramo o alla sua progenie in base alla legge, ma in base alla giustizia che vien dalla fede. 14Perché, se quelli che son della legge sono eredi, la fede è resa vana, e la promessa è annullata; 15poiché la legge genera ira; ma dove non c’è legge, non c’è neppur trasgressione. 16Perciò l’eredità è per fede, affinché sia per grazia; onde la promessa sia sicura per tutta la progenie; non soltanto per quella che è sotto la legge, ma anche per quella che ha la fede d’Abramo, il quale è padre di noi tutti 17(secondo che è scritto: Io ti ho costituito padre di molte nazioni) dinanzi al Dio a cui egli credette, il quale fa rivivere i morti, e chiama le cose che non sono, come se fossero. 18Egli, sperando contro speranza, credette, per diventar padre di molte nazioni, secondo quel che gli era stato detto: Così sarà la tua progenie. 19E senza venir meno nella fede, egli vide bensì che il suo corpo era svigorito (avea quasi cent’anni), e che Sara non era più in grado d’esser madre; 20ma, dinanzi alla promessa di Dio, non vacillò per incredulità, ma fu fortificato per la sua fede dando gloria a Dio 21ed essendo pienamente convinto che ciò che avea promesso, Egli era anche potente da effettuarlo. 22Ond’è che ciò gli fu messo in conto di giustizia. 23Or non per lui soltanto sta scritto che questo gli fu messo in conto di giustizia, 24ma anche per noi ai quali sarà così messo in conto; per noi che crediamo in Colui che ha risuscitato dai morti Gesù, nostro Signore, 25il quale è stato dato a cagione delle nostre offese, ed è risuscitato a cagione della nostra giustificazione.

1What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. 5But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. 6Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works, 7“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.” 9Is this blessing then pronounced on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10How then was it counted? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them. 12He is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision. 13For the promise to Abraham and to his seed that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect. 15For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience. 16For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure 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. 17As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were. 18Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your seed be.” 19Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform. 22Therefore it also was “reckoned to him for righteousness.” 23Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, 24but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, 25who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.

1Wat zullen wij dan zeggen, dat Abraham, onze vader, verkregen heeft naar het vlees? 2Want indien Abraham uit de werken gerechtvaardigd is, zo heeft hij roem, maar niet bij God. 3Want wat zegt de Schrift? En Abraham geloofde God, en het is hem gerekend tot rechtvaardigheid. 4Nu dengene, die werkt, wordt het loon niet toegerekend naar genade, maar naar schuld. 5Doch dengene, die niet werkt, maar gelooft in Hem, Die den goddeloze rechtvaardigt, wordt zijn geloof gerekend tot rechtvaardigheid. 6Gelijk ook David den mens zalig spreekt, welken God de rechtvaardigheid toerekent zonder werken; 7Zeggende: Zalig zijn zij, welker ongerechtigheden vergeven zijn, en welker zonden bedekt zijn; 8Zalig is de man, welken de Heere de zonden niet toerekent. 9Deze zaligspreking dan, is die alleen over de besnijdenis, of ook over de voorhuid? Want wij zeggen, dat Abraham het geloof gerekend is tot rechtvaardigheid. 10Hoe is het hem dan toegerekend? Als hij in de besnijdenis was, of in de voorhuid? Niet in de besnijdenis, maar in de voorhuid. 11En hij heeft het teken der besnijdenis ontvangen tot een zegel der rechtvaardigheid des geloofs, die hem in de voorhuid was toegerekend; opdat hij zou zijn een vader van allen, die geloven in de voorhuid zijnde, ten einde ook hun de rechtvaardigheid toegerekend worde; 12En een vader der besnijdenis, dengenen namelijk, die niet alleen uit de besnijdenis zijn, maar die ook wandelen in de voetstappen des geloofs van onzen vader Abraham, hetwelk in de voorhuid was. 13Want de belofte is niet door de wet aan Abraham of zijn zaad geschied, namelijk, dat hij een erfgenaam der wereld zou zijn, maar door de rechtvaardigheid des geloofs. 14Want indien degenen, die uit de wet zijn, erfgenamen zijn, zo is het geloof ijdel geworden, en de beloftenis te niet gedaan. 15Want de wet werkt toorn; want waar geen wet is, daar is ook geen overtreding. 16Daarom is zij uit het geloof, opdat zij naar genade zij; ten einde de belofte vast zij al den zade, niet alleen dat uit de wet is, maar ook dat uit het geloof Abrahams is, welke een vader is van ons allen; 17(Gelijk geschreven staat: Ik heb u tot een vader van vele volken gesteld) voor Hem, aan Welken hij geloofd heeft, namelijk God, Die de doden levend maakt, en roept de dingen, die niet zijn, alsof zij waren; 18Welke tegen hoop op hoop geloofd heeft, dat hij zou worden een vader van vele volken; volgens hetgeen gezegd was: Alzo zal uw zaad wezen. 19En niet verzwakt zijnde in het geloof, heeft hij zijn eigen lichaam niet aangemerkt, dat alrede verstorven was, alzo hij omtrent honderd jaren oud was, noch ook dat de moeder in Sara verstorven was. 20En hij heeft aan de beloftenis Gods niet getwijfeld door ongeloof; maar is gesterkt geweest in het geloof, gevende God de eer; 21En ten volle verzekerd zijnde, dat hetgeen beloofd was, Hij ook machtig was te doen. 22Daarom is het hem ook tot rechtvaardigheid gerekend. 23Nu is het niet alleen om zijnentwil geschreven, dat het hem toegerekend is; 24Maar ook om onzentwil, welken het zal toegerekend worden, namelijk dengenen, die geloven in Hem, Die Jezus, onzen Heere, uit de doden opgewekt heeft; 25Welke overgeleverd is om onze zonden, en opgewekt om onze rechtvaardigmaking.