Romans 11
1 I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Ngakho ngithi: UNkulunkulu ubalahlile yini abantu bakhe? Phinde! Ngoba lami ngingumIsrayeli, owenzalo kaAbrahama, wesizwe sikaBhenjamini.
2 God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel:
UNkulunkulu kabalahlanga abantu bakhe abazi ngaphambili. Kumbe kalazi yini kuElija ukuthi umbhalo uthini? Ukuthi walabhela njani kuNkulunkulu emelene loIsrayeli, esithi:
3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”?
Nkosi, babulele abaprofethi bakho, badilizile amalathi akho; mina-ke ngisele ngedwa, sebedinga umphefumulo wami.
4 And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Kodwa impendulo kaNkulunkulu yathini kuye? Yathi: Ngizitshiyele amadoda azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, angaguqanga ngedolo kuBhali.
5 In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Kunjalo-ke kukhona langalesisikhathi insali ngokukhetha komusa.
6 And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
Kodwa uba kungomusa, kakusayi ngemisebenzi; uba kungenjalo umusa kawuseyiwo umusa. Kodwa aluba kusiya ngemisebenzi, kakuseyiwo umusa; uba kungenjalo umsebenzi kawusengumsebenzi.
7 What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,
Pho-ke? Lokhu uIsrayeli ayekudinga, lokho kakutholanga, kodwa abakhethiweyo bakuthola, labanye benziwa baba lukhuni;
8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: UNkulunkulu wabanika umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, amehlo ukuze bangaboni, lendlebe ukuze bangezwa, kuze kube lusuku lwalamuhla.
9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
LoDavida uthi: Itafula labo libe ngumjibila lesifu, lesikhubekiso, lempindiselo kubo;
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
amehlo abo kafiphazwe ukuze bangaboni, njalo ugobise umhlana wabo njalonjalo.
11 I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
Ngakho ngithi: Bakhubeka ukuze bawe yini? Phinde! Kodwa ngesiphambeko sabo usindiso lufikile kwabezizwe, ukubavusela umona.
12 But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
Kodwa uba isiphambeko sabo siyinotho yomhlaba, lokwehluleka kwabo kuyinotho yabezizwe, kakhulu kangakanani ukugcwala kwabo?
13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
Ngoba ngikhuluma lani bezizwe, njengalokho mina ngingumphostoli wabezizwe; ngikhulisa inkonzo yami;
14 in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them.
ukuthi mhlawumbe ngibavusele umona abenyama yami, ngisindise abanye babo.
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Ngoba uba ukulahlwa kwabo kuyikubuyiswa komhlaba, kungaba yini ukwemukelwa, ngaphandle kokuthi kuyimpilo kwabafileyo?
16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Njalo uba izithelo zokuqala zingcwele, lenhlama injalo; uba-ke impande ingcwele, lengatsha zinjalo.
17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,
Kodwa uba kwephulwe ezinye ingatsha, lawe ongumhlwathi weganga waxhunyelelwa phakathi kwazo, uhlanganyele lazo impande lamafutha omhlwathi,
18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
ungazincomi phezu kwengatsha; kodwa uba uzincoma phezu kwazo, kayisuwe othwele impande, kodwa impande wena.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”
Uzakuthi-ke: Ingatsha zephulwa, ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe.
20 That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
Kulungile; zephulwa ngokungakholwa, wena-ke umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba;
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
ngoba uba uNkulunkulu engayekelanga ingatsha zemvelo, hlezi lawe kayikukuyekela.
22 Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Khangela-ke ububele lobukhali bukaNkulunkulu; ubukhali, kulabo abawayo; kodwa kuwe, ububele, uba uhlala ebubeleni; uba kungenjalo uzaqunywa lawe.
23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
Lalabo futhi, uba bengahlali ekungakholweni, bazaxhunyelwa, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulamandla okubuya abaxhume.
24 For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Ngoba uba wena waqunywa emhlwathini weganga ngemvelo, wasuxhunyelelwa ngokuphambene lemvelo emhlwathini ohlanyelweyo, kakhulu kangakanani labo, abazingatsha ngemvelo, bazaxhunyelelwa esihlahleni sakibo somhlwathi?
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
Ngoba ngithanda ukuthi lingabi ngabangaziyo, bazalwane, ngalimfihlo, hlezi lizitshaye abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi ubulukhuni sebehlele uIsrayeli nganxanye, kuze kungene ukugcwala kwabezizwe;
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
ngokunjalo-ke uIsrayeli wonke uzasindiswa; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kuzavela eSiyoni uMkhululi, asuse ukungabi loNkulunkulu kuJakobe;
27 And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
njalo yilesi isivumelwano sami kubo, lapho ngizasusa izono zabo.
28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs.
Ngokwevangeli bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokukhetha bangabathandiweyo ngenxa yabobaba;
29 For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
ngoba izipho zomusa lokubiza kukaNkulunkulu kakulakuphenduka.
30 Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their disobedience,
Ngoba njengalokhu lani kade lingamlaleli uNkulunkulu, kodwa khathesi selihawukelwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo;
31 so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you.
ngokunjalo lalabo khathesi kabalalelanga, ukuze ngesihawu senu bahawukelwe labo;
32 For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone. (eleēsē g1653)
ngoba uNkulunkulu ubavalele bonke ekungalalelini, ukuze abe lesihawu kubo bonke. (eleēsē g1653)
33 O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
Yeka ukujula kwenotho, kokubili eyenhlakanipho leyolwazi lukaNkulunkulu! Kakuphenyeki kangakanani ukwahlulela kwakhe, lendlela zakhe kazilandeleki!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”
Ngoba ngubani owazi ingqondo yeNkosi? Kumbe ngubani owaba ngumeluleki wayo?
35 “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?”
Kumbe ngubani owamnika kuqala, njalo kubuyiselwe kuye?
