Romans 7
1 Brothers and sisters, (I'm speaking here to people who know the law), don't you see that the law has authority over someone only while they're alive?
Kalazi yini, bazalwane (ngoba ngikhuluma lalabo abawaziyo umlayo), ukuthi umlayo ubusa umuntu selokhu esaphila?
2 For example, a married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he's alive, but if he dies, she's released from this legal obligation to him.
Ngoba umfazi owendileyo ubotshelwe ngomlayo endodeni ephilayo; kodwa uba indoda isifile, ukhululiwe emlayweni wendoda.
3 So if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery. However, if her husband dies and then she marries another man, she wouldn't be guilty of adultery.
Ngakho uba indoda isaphila, uzathiwa yisifebe uba esiba ngowenye indoda; kodwa uba indoda isifile, ukhululekile emlayweni, ukuze angabi yisifebe uba esiba ngowenye indoda.
4 In the same way, my friends, you've become dead to the law through the body of Christ, and so now you belong to someone else—Christ, who was raised from the dead so that we could live a productive life for God.
Ngakho, bazalwane bami, selenziwe lafa lani emlayweni ngomzimba kaKristu, ukuze libe ngabomunye, ngabalowo owavuswa kwabafileyo, ukuze sithelele uNkulunkulu izithelo.
5 While we were controlled by old nature, our sinful desires (as revealed by the law) were at work within us and resulted in death.
Ngoba sathi sisenyameni, inkanuko zezono ezingomlayo zasebenza ezithweni zethu ukuthelela ukufa izithelo.
6 But now we've been set free from the law, and have died to what kept us in chains, so that we can serve in the newness of the spirit and not the old letter of the law.
Kodwa khathesi-ke sesikhululiwe emthethweni, sifile mayelana lalokho esasibanjwe yikho, ukuze sikhonze ngobutsha bomoya, njalo kungeyisikho ngobudala bokulotshiweyo.
7 So what do we conclude? That the law is sin? Of course not! I wouldn't have known what sin was unless the law defined it. I wouldn't have realized that wanting to have other people's things for myself was wrong without the law that says, “Don't desire for yourself what belongs to someone else.”
Pho-ke sizakuthini? Umthetho uyisono yini? Phinde! Kodwa bengingasazi isono, ngaphandle ngomthetho; ngoba bengingawazi umhawu futhi, uba umthetho ubungatshongo ukuthi: Ungabi lomhawu.
8 But through this commandment sin found a way to stir up in me all kinds of selfish desires—for without law, sin is dead.
Kodwa isono, sizuze ithuba ngomthetho, sasebenza kimi umhawu wonke; ngoba ngaphandle komlayo isono sifile.
9 I used to live without realizing what the law really meant, but when I understood the implications of that commandment, then sin came back to life, and I died.
Mina-ke ngake ngaphila ngaphandle komlayo; kodwa kwathi sekufike umthetho, isono savuka, njalo ngafa mina;
10 I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life brought death instead,
njalo umthetho ongowempilo, wona waficwa yimi ungowokufa;
11 because sin found a way through the commandment to deceive me, and used the commandment to kill me!
ngoba isono, sizuze ithuba ngomthetho, sangikhohlisa, sangibulala ngawo.
12 However, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good.
Ngakho umthetho ungcwele, lomlayo ungcwele njalo ulungile, futhi muhle.
13 Now would something that is good kill me? Of course not! But sin shows itself to be sin by using good to cause my death. So by means of the commandment, it's revealed how evil sin really is.
Ngakho okulungileyo kwaba yikufa kimi yini? Phinde! Kodwa isono, ukuze sibonakaliswe ukuthi siyisono, sisebenza ukufa kimi ngokulungileyo; ukuze isono ngomthetho sibe yikonakala okukhulu kakhulu.
14 We realize that the law is spiritual; but I'm all-too-human, a slave to sin.
Ngoba siyazi ukuthi umthetho ungowomoya; kanti mina ngingowenyama, ngithengisiwe ngaphansi kwesono.
15 I really don't understand what I'm doing. I do the things I don't want to do, and what I hate doing, that's what I do!
Ngoba lokhu engikwenzayo, angivumelanilakho; ngoba kakusikho engikuthandayo, lokho engikwenzayo; kodwa lokho engikuzondayo, yikho engikwenzayo.
16 But if I'm saying that I do what I don't want to, this shows that I admit the law is good and right.
Uba ngisenza lokho engingakuthandiyo, ngiyawuvumela umthetho ukuthi ulungile.
17 So it's no longer me who does this, but sin living in me—
Kodwa khathesi-ke kakuseyimi engikwenzayo, kodwa yisono esihlala kimi.
18 for I know that there's nothing good in me as far as my sinful human nature is concerned. Even though I want to do good, I'm just not able to do it.
Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi kimi, lokhu kuyikuthi enyameni yami, kakuhlali okuhle; ngoba kukhona ukuthanda kimi, kodwa ukwenza okuhle kangikutholi.
19 The good I want to do, I don't do; while the evil I don't want to do, that's what I end up doing!
Ngoba okuhle engikuthandayo, kangikwenzi; kodwa okubi engingakuthandiyo, yikho engikwenzayo.
20 However, if I'm doing what I don't want to, then it's no longer me doing it, but sin living in me.
Kodwa uba ngisenza lokho mina engingakuthandiyo, kakuseyimi engikwenzayo, kodwa yisono esihlala kimi.
21 This is the principle I've discovered: if I want to do what's good, evil is always there too.
Ngakho ngithola umthetho wokuthi lapho ngithanda ukwenza okuhle, okubi kukhona kimi.
22 My inner self is delighted with God's law,
Ngoba ngiyathokoza emthethweni kaNkulunkulu ngomuntu ophakathi;
23 but I see a different law at work within me that is at war with the law my mind has decided to follow, making me a prisoner of the law of sin that is within me.
kodwa ngibona ezithweni zami omunye umthetho olwa lomthetho wengqondo yami, longithumbela emthethweni wesono osezithweni zami.
24 I'm totally miserable! Who will rescue me from this body that's causing my death? Thank God—for he does this through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Mina muntu olusizi! Ngubani ozangikhulula kulumzimba walokhukufa?
25 Here's the situation: while I myself choose with my mind to obey God's law, my human nature obeys the law of sin.
Ngiyabonga uNkulunkulu ngoJesu Kristu iNkosi yethu. Ngalokho-ke mina ngokwami ngikhonza umthetho kaNkulunkulu ngengqondo, kodwa ngenyama umthetho wesono.
