Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”

要追想你们的祖宗亚伯拉罕和生养你们的撒拉；因为亚伯拉罕独自一人的时候，我选召他，赐福与他，使他人数增多。

要追想你们的祖宗亚伯拉罕和生你们的撒拉；因为我选召亚伯拉罕时，他只有一个人，但我赐福给他，使他增多。

要追想你们的祖宗亚伯拉罕和生你们的撒拉；因为我选召亚伯拉罕时，他只有一个人，但我赐福给他，使他增多。

你们要追想你们的祖先亚伯拉罕和生你们的撒拉。我呼召亚伯拉罕的时候，他是孤身一人，但我赐福给他，使他子孙众多。

你们要瞻仰你们的祖宗亚伯拉罕，他们也要瞻仰那生你们的撒拉。亚伯拉罕独自一人的时候，我呼召了他，赐福给他，使他有很多子孙。

你们要仰望你们的先祖亚伯拉罕，以及那生你们的撒拉。我召唤了亚伯拉罕一个人，祝福了他，使他繁衍增多。

要追想你們的祖宗亞伯拉罕和生養你們的撒拉；因為亞伯拉罕獨自一人的時候，我選召他，賜福與他，使他人數增多。

要追想你們的祖宗亞伯拉罕和生你們的撒拉；因為我選召亞伯拉罕時，他只有一個人，但我賜福給他，使他增多。

要追想你們的祖宗亞伯拉罕和生你們的撒拉；因為我選召亞伯拉罕時，他只有一個人，但我賜福給他，使他增多。

你們要追想你們的祖先亞伯拉罕和生你們的撒拉。我呼召亞伯拉罕的時候，他是孤身一人，但我賜福給他，使他子孫眾多。

你們要瞻仰你們的祖宗亞伯拉罕，他們也要瞻仰那生你們的撒拉。亞伯拉罕獨自一人的時候，我呼召了他，賜福給他，使他有很多子孫。

要瞻仰你們的祖先亞伯拉罕、和那生你們、的撒拉；因為亞伯拉罕獨自一人時、我呼召了他，賜福與他，使他人數增多。

你們要仰望你們的先祖亞伯拉罕，以及那生你們的撒拉。我召喚了亞伯拉罕一個人，祝福了他，使他繁衍增多。

且念爾祖亞伯拉罕、及生爾之撒拉、亞伯拉罕孑然一身、我選召之、錫以福祉、俾其昌熾、

爾之祖父亞伯拉罕、祖母撒拉、爾祖被我遴選之時、孑然一身、後錫純嘏、寖昌寖熾。

追思爾始祖亞伯拉罕及爾祖母撒拉、我選召亞伯拉罕時、彼孑然一身、後賜之以福、使其昌熾、

look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.

Consider Abraham. He is the father of your people. Think about Sarah. She is your mother. When I chose Abraham, he did not have any children. But I blessed him and gave him many of them.

Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.

Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you. When I called him, he was only one; I blessed him and made him many.

Look to Abraham your father And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; When he was only one I called him, Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”

Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him, and made him many.

Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain. When I called him, he was only one; I blessed him and made him many.

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah[ that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Look at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who gave you birth. When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, but I blessed him and gave him numerous descendants.

Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, I blessed him, and made him many.

“ Son of man, the scattered remnants of Israel living among the ruined cities keep saying,‘ Abraham was only one man, yet he gained possession of the entire land. We are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’

So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say,“ Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say,“ It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says,“ It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures,“ Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.So she laughed silently to herself and said,“ How could a worn out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master— my husband— is also so old?”Then the Lord said to Abraham,“ Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say,‘ Can an old woman like me have a baby?’

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”But Abram replied,“ O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.

“ And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.

That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel,“ My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.

I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

Abraham was now a very old man, and the Lord had blessed him in every way.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.For the Scriptures tell us,“ Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith— for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead— a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram,“ Look as far as you can see in every direction— north and south, east and west.I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

Then the Lord said to him,“ No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him,“ Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

The Lord had said to Abram,“ Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac.

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him,“ I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping— believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him,“ That’s how many descendants you will have!”And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead— and so was Sarah’s womb.Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recordedfor our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

“ You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham.When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.