Galatians 3
1 You [fellow believers who live in] Galatia are very foolish! (Someone must have put an evil spell on you!/Did someone put an evil spell on you?) [RHQ] I clearly explained to you [SYN] [what] Jesus Christ [accomplished when] he was crucified {he died on the cross}.
Hawu maGalathiya ayizithutha, ngubani oliloyileyo ukuze lingalaleli iqiniso, lina abekwa obala phambi kwamehlo enu uJesu Kristu, ebethelwe phakathi kwenu?
2 [So], I want you to tell me one thing: [Do you think that] it was because you obeyed the laws God gave Moses that you received the [Holy] Spirit? [Do you not know that] [RHQ] it was because [when you] heard [the good message concerning Christ, you] trusted in him?
Yilokhu kuphela engithanda ukukufunda kini ukuthi: Lemukela uMoya ngemisebenzi yomlayo yini, loba ngokuzwa kokholo?
3 (You are acting so foolishly/Why are you being so foolish?) [RHQ]! You first [became Christians] as a result of God’s Spirit [enabling you]. So, (you should not now think that it is by what you yourselves do that you will continue [to grow spiritually]/do you now think it is by your own human efforts that you will continue [to grow spiritually?]!) [RHQ]
Kanti liyizithutha kangaka? Liqale ngoMoya selipheleliswa ngenyama yini?
4 Keep in mind that [if what God has done for you was because of your obeying the laws that God gave to Moses and] not because of trusting in Christ, when others caused you to suffer, you suffered many things needlessly! [RHQ] [I certainly hope that you did not suffer like that] needlessly.
Lahlupheka izinto ezinengi kangaka ngeze yini? Uba-ke ngitsho ngeze.
5 [When God now] generously gives to you his Spirit and performs miracles among you, [do you think that it is] [RHQ] because you obey the laws [that God gave to Moses? Surely you know that] it is because when you heard [the good message about Christ], you trusted in him [RHQ]!
Ngakho yena olinika uMoya losebenza imisebenzi yamandla phakathi kwenu, kungaba ngemisebenzi yomlayo yini, kumbe ngokuzwa kokholo?
6 [What you have experienced is] as [Moses wrote in the Scriptures about] Abraham. [He wrote that Abraham] trusted God, and as a result, he was considered as being righteous {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
NjengoAbrahama wakholwa kuNkulunkulu, kwabalelwa-ke kuye ukuthi yikulunga.
7 You must realize, therefore, that it is those who trust [in what Christ has done who] are [like] Abraham’s descendants [MET] [because they trust in God as Abraham did].
Ngakho liyazi ukuthi labo abangabokholo, bona bangabantwana bakaAbrahama.
8 Furthermore, God planned beforehand that it was [when] non-Jews trusted [him] that he would erase the record of their sins. [Moses wrote in] the Scriptures [PRS] this good message that God told Abraham: “Because of [what] you [did], I will bless [people in] [MTY] all nations.”
Lombhalo, ubona ngaphambili ukuthi uNkulunkulu ulungisisa abezizwe ngokholo, watshumayela ivangeli ngaphambili kuAbrahama wathi: Izizwe zonke zizabusiswa kuwe.
9 So, [we can conclude that] it is those who trust [in what Christ has done] whom [God] blesses. That includes [all non-Jews and Jews who trust him], along with Abraham, the one who trusted him [long ago].
Ngakho abangabokholo babusiswa kanye loAbrahama okholwayo.
10 That is, God will eternally punish all those who [mistakenly] think [that God will erase the record of their sins] as a result of their [obeying] the laws [that God gave to Moses]. What is written in the Scriptures is that [God] will eternally punish everyone who does not continuously and completely obey all the laws [that Moses wrote].
Ngoba bonke abemisebenzi yomlayo bangaphansi kwesiqalekiso; ngoba kulotshiwe ukuthi: Uqalekisiwe wonke ongaqhubeki kukho konke okulotshiweyo encwadini yomlayo ukukwenza.
11 But God has declared that if he erases the record of anyone’s sins, it will not be as a result of their obeying the laws God gave Moses. [This is evident because the Scriptures say], “Every person whose record of sins God erases because that person trusts God will live [spiritually].”
Kodwa kusobala ukuthi ngomlayo kakulamuntu olungisiswayo phambi kukaNkulunkulu; ngoba: Olungileyo uzaphila ngokholo;
12 But [when God gave] his laws [to the Jews, he did] not [say that a person must] trust [him]. Instead, [God said that] it is those who obey [all God’s laws, continuously and completely], who will live.
kodwa umlayo kawusiwo wokholo, kodwa kuthiwa: Umuntu owenza lezizinto uzaphila kuzo.
13 Even though we humans have not continuously and completely obeyed God’s laws, Christ rescued us from [God] punishing us eternally. Christ rescued us by his being [the one God condemned] instead of God condemning us. What is written {[someone/Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures] shows that this is true. It is written {[He] wrote}, “[God] has cursed anyone [whom people have executed for his crimes and whose body they] have hung on a tree.”
UKristu wasihlenga kusiqalekiso somlayo, esenziwe waba yisiqalekiso esikhundleni sethu; ngoba kulotshiwe ukuthi: Uqalekisiwe wonke olenga esihlahleni;
14 Jesus Christ rescued us in order that as a result of what he [has done, God might bless the non-Jews, in a way similar to the way] God blessed Abraham. He also desired that as a result of our trusting [Christ], we [all] might receive the Spirit [whom God] promised to [give to] us.
ukuze kuthi isibusiso sikaAbrahama sifike kwabezizwe ngoKristu Jesu, ukuze semukele isithembiso sikaMoya ngokholo.
15 My fellow believers, I will now [illustrate] by referring to human [relationships. After an agreement is confirmed by two people] {[two people have signed] an agreement}, no one can reject it or add to it.
Bazalwane, ngikhuluma njengokomuntu; ngitsho isivumelwano somuntu esiqinisiweyo, kakho osichithayo loba osengezelelayo.
16 [God] declared to Abraham and his descendant that he was promising [to give blessings to Abraham]. [The words that God spoke were not “and your] descendants.” [He was not] referring to many persons. Instead, he was referring to one person, who is Christ, [because the words that God spoke were], “and your descendant.”
Njalo izithembiso zakhulunywa kuAbrahama lenzalweni yakhe. Katsho ukuthi: Lezinzalweni, njengokungathi zinengi, kodwa njengokungathi ngeyodwa ukuthi: Lenzalweni yakho, enguKristu.
17 This is what I am saying: [Since God] gave the laws [to the Jews] 430 years after [he declared to Abraham what he was promising to do for Abraham], those laws do not cancel that agreement [with] Abraham that God himself had previously agreed about [PRS].
Lalokho ngiyakutsho: Umlayo oweza emva kweminyaka engamakhulu amane lamatshumi amathathu kawusesuli isivumelwano esaqiniswa nguNkulunkulu kuKristu ngaphambili, ukuze usenze isithembiso sibe yize.
18 Remember that if it is because [we obey God’s] laws [that he gives to us] what [he has] promised [to give to us], then it is not [just] because he [has] promised [that he would give those things to us]. God freely gave to Abraham [what he had promised to give to him, just] because [God had] promised [that he would give it to him. Similarly, it is not because we obey God’s laws that God gives to us what he has promised to give to us].
Ngoba uba ilifa livela emlayweni, alisaveli esithembisweni; kodwa uNkulunkulu walinika uAbrahama ngesithembiso.
19 So, [if someone should ask], “Why [did God later give] his laws [to Moses?” I would reply that] it was in order that [people might realize] how sinful they were. [Those laws were valid] until [Jesus came. He was] the descendant that God [was referring to when he made] the promises to Abraham. [The laws] were given {[God] gave [his laws]} [to Moses] by God’s causing angels to [speak to him. Moses was the] mediator, [the one who told the laws to the people].
Pho, umlayo uyini? Wengezwa ngenxa yeziphambeko, kuze kufike inzalo eyanikwa isithembiso; wamiswa ngezingilosi esandleni somlamuli.
20 Now, [when] a mediator [functions], one [person] is not [speaking with another] directly; but God himself [made his promises directly to Abraham].
Kodwa umlamuli kayisuye woyedwa, kodwa uNkulunkulu munye.
21 [If someone should ask, “When God gave his] laws [to Moses] long [after he told Abraham] what he was promising [to give to him, was he] changing his mind?” [I would reply that God] certainly did not [change his mind when he did that]! If God had given a law that could enable people to live [eternally], then it actually would be because of people [obeying that] law that God would erase the record of their sins.
Pho umlayo uphambene lezithembiso zikaNkulunkulu yini? Phinde! Ngoba uba wawunikiwe umlayo olamandla okuphilisa, isibili ukulunga ngabe kuvela ngomlayo.
22 But instead, [what we read in] the Scriptures [PRS] is that God [caused all people to be unable to escape being punished for] their [sins] [MET], just like [people] in prison [are unable to escape] [PRS, MET]. [God did that in order that he might give what he promised to those who trust Jesus Christ, just] because they trust him.
Kodwa umbhalo uvalele konke ngaphansi kwesono, ukuze isithembiso ngokholo lukaJesu Kristu siphiwe abakholwayo.
23 Before [God revealed the good message about] trusting [in Christ], the laws [PRS] that God gave to Moses were [confining/imprisoning us Jews] [MET], [as] a prisoner [in jail is] confined. [We] were unable to escape [obeying those] [MET] [laws]. This happened in order that [we might believe] the good message [concerning Christ, the message that God would] reveal [later].
Kodwa kungakafiki ukholo, sasilondolozwe ngaphansi komlayo, sivalelwe kuze kube sekholweni obeluzakwembulwa.
24 [Like a father supervises his immature son by appointing a] servant to take care of him [MET], [God] was supervising us [by] his laws [MET, PRS] until Christ came. [He did this] in order that he might erase the record of our sins [only] because we trust [Christ].
Ngakho umlayo wawungumeluleki wethu kuKristu, ukuze silungisiswe ngokholo;
25 But [now that God] has revealed the message [about trusting in Christ], the laws [that God gave to Moses] are no longer supervising us [Jews] [PRS, MET].
kodwa selufikile ukholo, kasisekho ngaphansi kukameluleki.
26 Now all of you [Jews and] non-Jews are [as though you are] God’s children because you trusted Christ Jesus.
Ngoba lonke lingabantwana bakaNkulunkulu ngokholo kuKristu Jesu.
27 That is, you who [began a relationship] with Christ when you were baptized identified yourselves [MET] with Christ.
Ngoba lonke elabhabhathizelwa kuKristu, lembethe uKristu;
28 [If you are believers, it does] not [matter to God if you are] Jews or non-Jews; slaves or ones [who are] not slaves; males or females, because all of you are [as] one [sort of person because of your relationship] with Christ Jesus.
kakukho umJuda lomGriki, kakukho obotshiweyo lokhululekileyo, kakukho owesilisa lowesifazana; ngoba lina lonke limunye kuKristu Jesu.
29 Furthermore, since you belong to Christ, you are [like] Abraham’s descendants [because you trust God as Abraham did], and you will possess/receive all that God has promised [MET].
Uba-ke lingabakaKristu, ngakho liyinzalo kaAbrahama, njalo liyizindlalifa njengokwesithembiso.
