Romans 4
1 Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
Tabang ahile eite i pa Abraham thu bangbang son tu hi ziam, cilesa taw kisai bang mu ziam?
2 If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
Banghangziam cile Abraham sia a sepna te hang in thutang suana nga ahile, ki suantak natu nei hi; ahihang Pathian mai ah hi ngawl hi.
3 [Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Banghangziam cile laithiangtho in bang hong ci ziam? Abraham in Pathian um a, tua a upna sia thutang suana in ceptesak hi.
4 If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
Tu in naseam khat sia a sep thaman sang hi a, hesuakna ci in ngaisut tu hi ngawl zaw a, a leibat hi zaw hi.
5 But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
Ahihang a seam ngawl khat sia Pathian nei ngawl te thutangsakpa a up uh hu in, tua a upna sia thutang suana in ceptesak hi.
6 Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
Pathian in sepna kihel ngawl napi, mi thutang in a cepte mi khat i thupha sang ahina thu sia David in a sonna ah,
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
A phatngawl nate maisak na le, a mawna te a ki phualsealsak te sia mihing thuphatoai te a hihi.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Topa i a mawsak ngawl pa sia thuphatoai a hihi, ci hi.
9 As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
Hi thupha sia vunteap tan te tung bek ah ahi ziam, a hibale, vunteap tan ngawl te tung zong a theng veve ziam? banghangziam cile, Abraham i a upna sia thutang suana in ceptesak hi, i ci hi.
10 ([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
Tabang hile bangbang in ceptesak ziam? vunteap a tan zawkciang ziam maw, a hibale vunteap a tan ma ziam? Vunteap a tan zawkciang hi ngawl hi, ahihang vunteap a tan ma hi zaw hi.
11 [Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
Abraham in vunteap tan taw ceptena sang hi, tua thu sia vunteap a tan ma in a neisa upna hang in thutang suana kipsakna a hihi: tabang in vunteap tan ngawl te ahizong a um theampo te i Pa ahi thei natu le vunteap tan ngawl te zong a upna uh thutang suana in a ceptesak thei natu a hihi:
12 Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
Taciang ama sia vunteap a tan te i Pa bek hi ngawl in, eite i Pa Abraham in vunteap a tan ma in a neisa upna khaw-ni a zui te i Pa zong a hihi.
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
Banghangziam cile Abraham le a suan a pal te leitung ngamhlua tu in a kamciam sia thukham taw hi ngawl hi, ahihang upna i thutang suana tungtawn a hihi.
14 If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
Banghangziam cile thukham a zui te ngamhlua te ahile, upna sia mannei ngawl suak hi, taciang kamciam zong mannung ngawl hong suak hi:
Banghangziam cile thukham in Pathian thin-ukna piangsak hi: banghangziam cile thukham om ngawl na mun ah, thukham palsat na om ngawl hi.
16 So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
Tua ahikom in kamciam sia hesuakna hang in, upna tungtawn in i nga hi; ci sia a suan le pal theampo in a tawpdong a telthiang thei natu a hihi; tasia sia thukham a zui te bek hi ngawl in, Abraham bang in upna nei te zong kihel hi; banghangziam cile Abraham sia eite theampo i Pa a hihi,
17 What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
Minam tampi te i Pa in kong vawt zo hi, ci a ki atsa bang in, Abraham sia, mithi te a thokiksak, a om ngawl lai nate a omsa bang in a son, a up Pathian mai ah eite theampo i Pa a hihi.
18 even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
Na suan le pal te sia tabang in hi tu hi, ci a son bang in, minam tampi te i Pa hi tu lam-et om ngawl napi, upna taw lam-etna nei nginge hi.
19 He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
A upna thaneam ngawl ahikom, Abraham sia kum zakhat kiim a phak ciang in, ama pumpi le Sarah i sul sia a thisa bang in ngaisun ngawl hi:
20 he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
Pathian kamciam muangla ngawl in, a upna thahat ahikom, Pathian pokna pia hi;
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
Pathian in kamciam a piak na bang in vawt thei hi, ci um ngam takpi hi.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Tua ahikom a upna sia Pathian in thutang suana in ceptesak hi.
23 The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
Tu in hi upna thutang suana in a ceptesak sia, ama atu bek in a ki at hi ngawl hi;
24 They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
Ahihang eite i Topa Jesus Christ thina pan a thokiksak sia i um ahile, eite atu zong thutang suana in hong ceptesak tu hi;
25 Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
Eite mawna hang in ki ap a, eite thutang suaksak tu in thina pan ki thokiksak hi.
