Romans 4
1 Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
Wie steht es nun nach unserer Behauptung bei unserem Stammvater dem Leibe nach, bei Abraham?
2 If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
Ward Abraham aus Werken gerechtfertigt, so mag er sich rühmen; doch nicht vor Gott.
3 [Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Was steht denn in der Schrift? "Abraham glaubte Gott, und es ward ihm angerechnet als Gerechtigkeit."
4 If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
Dem, der Werke tut, wird der Lohn nicht aus Gnade, vielmehr nach Verdienst berechnet.
5 But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
Wer aber keine Werke tut und doch an den glaubt, der den Gottlosen zum Gerechten macht, dem wird sein Glaube zur Gerechtigkeit angerechnet nach dem Ratschluß der Gnade Gottes.
6 Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
So spricht David auch sein "Selig" über den Menschen, dem Gott Gerechtigkeit anrechnet ohne Werke:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
"Selig, deren Missetaten verziehen und deren Sünden bedeckt sind;
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
selig der Mann, dem der Herr die Sünden nicht anrechnet."
9 As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
Gilt nun dieses "Selig" nur von den Beschnittenen oder auch von der Vorhaut? Wir sagen: "Der Glaube ward dem Abraham als Gerechtigkeit angerechnet."
10 ([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
Wann wurde er ihm angerechnet? Nach der Beschneidung oder vor der Beschneidung? Nicht nach der Beschneidung, vielmehr in der Vorhaut.
11 [Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
Das Zeichen der Beschneidung erhielt er ja als Besiegelung der Gerechtigkeit, die er durch den Glauben in der Vorhaut hatte. Er sollte der Vater aller sein, die in der Vorhaut glauben, damit auch ihnen die Gerechtigkeit angerechnet würde.
12 Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
Er sollte aber auch der Vater der Beschnittenen sein, soweit sie nicht allein Beschnittene sind, vielmehr getreulich unserem Vater Abraham in seinem Glauben folgen, den er schon in der Vorhaut hatte.
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
Dem Abraham oder seinen Nachkommen ward die Verheißung, er würde einst die Welt zum Erbe erhalten, nicht durch das Gesetz, sondern durch die Gerechtigkeit des Glaubens.
14 If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
Denn wenn nur die, die das Gesetz besitzen, Erben wären, dann wäre der Glaube eitel und die Verheißung nichtig.
Denn das Gesetz bewirkt Zorn; wo es aber kein Gesetz gibt, da gibt es auch keine Übertretung.
16 So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
Und deshalb geschieht es durch den Glauben, damit die Gerechtigkeit aus Gnade komme und die Verheißung allen Nachkommen gesichert sei; nicht nur denen, die aus dem Gesetze kommen, sondern auch denen, die dem Glauben Abrahams entstammen, der unser aller Vater ist
17 What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
gemäß dem Schriftwort: "Zum Vater vieler Völker habe ich dich gemacht." Er ist dies vor Gott, an den er glaubte, der die Toten auferweckt und das, was nicht ist, ins Dasein ruft.
18 even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
Er hat gegen alle Hoffnung vertrauensvoll geglaubt, daß er Vater vieler Völker werde, wie zu ihm gesprochen ward: "So wird dein Stamm sein."
19 He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
Auch ward er nicht im Glauben wankend, als er seinen schon erstorbenen Leib betrachtete - er war ja beinahe hundert Jahre alt - und den gleichfalls erstorbenen Schoß der Sara.
20 he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
Er hegte keinen ungläubigen Zweifel an der Verheißung Gottes, sondern wurde stark im Glauben und gab Gott die Ehre,
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
durchaus überzeugt, daß er, der die Verheißung gab, sie auch erfüllen könne.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Darum "ward es ihm zur Gerechtigkeit angerechnet."
23 The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
Es steht nun aber nicht nur seinetwegen da: "Es ward ihm angerechnet",
24 They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
sondern auch unseretwegen, denen es erst angerechnet werden soll, uns, die wir an den glauben, der unseren Herrn Jesus von den Toten auferweckt hat,
25 Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
der um unserer Sünden willen hingeopfert ward und auferweckt wurde zu unserer Rechtfertigung.
