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]
Inona ary no holazaintsika ho efa azon’ i Abrahama, razantsika araka ny nofo?
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].
Fa raha asa no nanamarinana an’ i Abrahama, dia misy hireharehany ihany, nefa tsy amin’ Andriamanitra.
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}.
Fa ahoana hoy ny Soratra Masìna? Ary Abrahama nino an’ Andriamanitra, ka dia nisaina ho fahamarinany izany.
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].
Ary ho an’ izay miasa, dia tsy isaina ho fahasoavana ny karama, fa ho trosa.
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].
Fa ho an’ izay tsy miasa kosa, fa mino Izay manamarina ny ratsy fanahy, dia ny finoany no isaina ho fahamarinana.
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]:
Dia araka izany koa no ilazan’ i Davida fa sambatra ny olona izay isain’ Andriamanitra fahamarinana tsy amin’ ny asa, hoe:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
Sambatra izay voavela ny helony sy voasarona ny fahotany.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Sambatra izay olona tsy hisain’ i Jehovah heloka.
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].
Koa izany fahasambarana izany moa an’ ny voafora ihany va, sa an’ ny tsy voafora koa? fa lazaintsika fa ny finoana no nisaina ho fahamarinan’ i Abrahama.
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.
Ary ahoana no nanisana izany? Tamin’ izy efa voafora va, sa fony izy tsy mbola voafora? Tsy tamin’ izy efa voafora tsy akory, fa fony izy tsy mbola voafora.
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.
Ary ny famorana, izay famantarana, dia noraisiny ho tombo-kasen’ ny fahamarinana amin’ ny finoana izay nananany fony izy tsy mbola voafora, mba ho rain’ ny olona rehetra izay mino izy, na dia ny tsy voafora aza, mba hisaina ho an’ ireny ny fahamarinana,
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.
ary ho rain’ ny voafora, dia tsy izay voafora ihany, fa izay mandeha araka ny dian’ ny finoan’ i Abrahama razantsika koa, izay nananany fony izy tsy mbola voafora.
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.
Fa tsy lalàna, fa fahamarinana amin’ ny finoana, no nahazoan’ i Abrahama sy ny taranany ny teny fikasana ho mpandova izao tontolo izao izy.
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].
Fa raha izay amin’ ny lalàna no mpandova, dia efa foana ny finoana, ary efa tsinontsinona ny teny fikasana;
fa ny lalàna mahatonga fahatezerana; fa raha tsy misy lalàna, dia tsy misy fandikan-dalàna.
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].
Koa finoana no andovana, mba ho araka ny fahasoavana, hahatò ny teny fikasana ho an’ ny taranaka rehetra, ― tsy ho an’ izay amin’ ny lalàna ihany, fa ho an’ izay amin’ ny finoan’ i Abrahama koa, dia ilay razantsika rehetra ―
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],
araka ny voasoratra hoe: Nataoko ho rain’ ny firenena maro ianao ― teo anatrehan’ izay ninoany, dia Andriamanitra Izay mamelona ny maty sy miantso ny tsy misy toy ny misy.
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.
Ary na dia efa tsy nisy fanantenana aza, dia nanantena ihany izy ka nino, mba ho rain’ ny firenena maro; araka ny voalaza hoe: Ho tahaka izany ny taranakao.
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],
Ary satria tsy mba nalemy finoana izy, dia nihevitra ny tenany izay efa hoatra ny maty (fa efa tokony ho zato taona izy) sy ny fahafatesan’ ny kibon’ i Saraha,
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].
ary tsy niahanahana ny amin’ ny teny fikasan’ Andriamanitra tamin’ ny tsi-finoana izy, fa nampaherezin’ ny finoana ka nanome voninahitra an’ Andriamanitra
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
ary natoky indrindra fa izay nolazainy dia hainy hatao koa.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Dia nisaina ho fahamarinany izany.
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.
Nefa tsy ho azy ihany no nanoratana fa nisaina ho azy izany,
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.
fa ho antsika izay hanisana izany koa, dia isika izay mino Ilay nanangana an’ i Jesosy Tompontsika tamin’ ny maty,
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.
Izay natolotra noho ny fahadisoantsika ka natsangana indray ho fanamarinana antsika.
