Romans 11
1 I ask then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not. For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of 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, which he foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with 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, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life."
Nkosi, babulele abaprofethi bakho, badilizile amalathi akho; mina-ke ngisele ngedwa, sebedinga umphefumulo wami.
4 But how does God answer him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand people, who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
Kodwa impendulo kaNkulunkulu yathini kuye? Yathi: Ngizitshiyele amadoda azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, angaguqanga ngedolo kuBhali.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Kunjalo-ke kukhona langalesisikhathi insali ngokukhetha komusa.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.
Kodwa uba kungomusa, kakusayi ngemisebenzi; uba kungenjalo umusa kawuseyiwo umusa. Kodwa aluba kusiya ngemisebenzi, kakuseyiwo umusa; uba kungenjalo umsebenzi kawusengumsebenzi.
7 What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he did not obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.
Pho-ke? Lokhu uIsrayeli ayekudinga, lokho kakutholanga, kodwa abakhethiweyo bakuthola, labanye benziwa baba lukhuni;
8 According as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.
njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: UNkulunkulu wabanika umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, amehlo ukuze bangaboni, lendlebe ukuze bangezwa, kuze kube lusuku lwalamuhla.
9 David says, "Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a retribution to them.
LoDavida uthi: Itafula labo libe ngumjibila lesifu, lesikhubekiso, lempindiselo kubo;
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can't see, and their backs be bent continually."
amehlo abo kafiphazwe ukuze bangaboni, njalo ugobise umhlana wabo njalonjalo.
11 I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? Absolutely not. But by their fall salvation has come to the non-Jews, to provoke them to jealousy.
Ngakho ngithi: Bakhubeka ukuze bawe yini? Phinde! Kodwa ngesiphambeko sabo usindiso lufikile kwabezizwe, ukubavusela umona.
12 Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the non-Jews; how much more their fullness?
Kodwa uba isiphambeko sabo siyinotho yomhlaba, lokwehluleka kwabo kuyinotho yabezizwe, kakhulu kangakanani ukugcwala kwabo?
13 For I speak to you who are the non-Jews. Since then as I am an apostle to the non-Jews, I glorify my ministry;
Ngoba ngikhuluma lani bezizwe, njengalokho mina ngingumphostoli wabezizwe; ngikhulisa inkonzo yami;
14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them.
ukuthi mhlawumbe ngibavusele umona abenyama yami, ngisindise abanye babo.
15 For if the rejection of them is the reconciling of the world, what would 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 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 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree;
Kodwa uba kwephulwe ezinye ingatsha, lawe ongumhlwathi weganga waxhunyelelwa phakathi kwazo, uhlanganyele lazo impande lamafutha omhlwathi,
18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who 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, that I might be grafted in."
Uzakuthi-ke: Ingatsha zephulwa, ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe.
20 True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;
Kulungile; zephulwa ngokungakholwa, wena-ke umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba;
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
ngoba uba uNkulunkulu engayekelanga ingatsha zemvelo, hlezi lawe kayikukuyekela.
22 See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; 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 They also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, 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 out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are 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 For I do not desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won't be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the non-Jews 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. Even as it is written, "There will come out of Zion the Deliverer; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
ngokunjalo-ke uIsrayeli wonke uzasindiswa; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kuzavela eSiyoni uMkhululi, asuse ukungabi loNkulunkulu kuJakobe;
27 This is my covenant to them, when I will take away their sins."
njalo yilesi isivumelwano sami kubo, lapho ngizasusa izono zabo.
28 Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are loved for the fathers' sake.
Ngokwevangeli bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokukhetha bangabathandiweyo ngenxa yabobaba;
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
ngoba izipho zomusa lokubiza kukaNkulunkulu kakulakuphenduka.
30 For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
Ngoba njengalokhu lani kade lingamlaleli uNkulunkulu, kodwa khathesi selihawukelwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo;
31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may now also obtain mercy.
ngokunjalo lalabo khathesi kabalalelanga, ukuze ngesihawu senu bahawukelwe labo;
ngoba uNkulunkulu ubavalele bonke ekungalalelini, ukuze abe lesihawu kubo bonke. (eleēsē g1653)
33 Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out.
Yeka ukujula kwenotho, kokubili eyenhlakanipho leyolwazi lukaNkulunkulu! Kakuphenyeki kangakanani ukwahlulela kwakhe, lendlela zakhe kazilandeleki!
34 For "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 "Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?"
Kumbe ngubani owamnika kuqala, njalo kubuyiselwe kuye?
