Abraham Justified by Faith
1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, tour forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but unot before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? v“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now wto the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but xbelieves in1 him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 y“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not zcount his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for athe circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? bFor we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 cHe received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was dto make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 yBe gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from zthe gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of athe daughter of Zion
I may brejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk in cthe pit that they made;
in dthe net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself eknown; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion.1 Selah
17 The wicked shall freturn to Sheol,
all the nations that gforget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and hthe hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 iArise, O Lord! Let not jman prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but jmen! Selah
