The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans
Chapter 4
1 – What shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh.
2 – For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.
3 – For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.
4 – Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt.
5 – 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.
6 – As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to whom God reputeth justice without works:
7 – Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 – Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.
9 – 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.
10 – How then was it reputed? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 – 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:
12 – And 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.
13 – 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.
14 – For if they who are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, the promise is made of no effect.
15 – For the law worketh wrath. For where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
16 – 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,
17 – (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.
18 – 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.
19 – 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.
20 – In the promise also of God he staggered not by distrust; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God:
21 – Most fully knowing, that whatsoever he has promised, he is able also to perform.
22 – And therefore it was reputed to him unto justice.
23 – Now it is not written only for him, that it was reputed to him unto justice,
24 – 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,
25 – Who was delivered up for our sins, and rose again for our justification.
The Catholic Bible Online. Scriptures are from The Douay Rheims Catholic Bible 1582-1610 a.d. Version In the Public Domain. The Douay Rheims Bible is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English undertaken by members of the English College, Douai in the service of the Catholic Church.