For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, "I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world."

The scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."

God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning. You know what the scripture says in the passage where Elijah pleads with God against Israel:

You are to answer them, "Listen to what the LORD is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums---what they tell you cannot keep trouble away."

Surely you have read this scripture? 'The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.

Don't think that there is no truth in the scripture that says, "The spirit that God placed in us is filled with fierce desires."

Above all else, however, remember that none of us can explain by ourselves a prophecy in the Scriptures.

For no prophetic message ever came just from the human will, but people were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God.

Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.

Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, "He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: "Through you God will bless all people."

And the scripture came true that said, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous." And so Abraham was called God's friend.

But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself.

Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.

That is why Abraham, through faith, "was accepted as righteous by God."

They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from death.

This has been remembered in his favor ever since and will be for all time to come.