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]
Zvino tichati Abhurahama, tateguru wedu, panyama akawaneiko pazviri?
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].
Nokuti dai Abhurahama akaruramisirwa namabasa, angadai aine chinhu chokuzvirumbidza nacho, asi kwete pamberi paMwari.
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}.
Ko, Rugwaro runoti kudiniko? “Abhurahama akatenda Mwari, uye kukanzi kwaari ndiko kururama.”
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].
Zvino kana munhu achiita basa, mubayiro wake hautorwi sechipo chokungopiwa, asi somubayiro wakamufanira.
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].
Asi kumunhu asingashandi, asi achitenda Mwari uyo anoruramisira munhu akaipa, kutenda kwake kuchanzi kwaari ndiko kururama.
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]:
Dhavhidhi anotaura pamusoro pechinhu chimwe chete ichi paanotaura zvokuropafadzwa kwomunhu anonzi naMwari akarurama kunze kwamabasa, achiti:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
“Vakaropafadzwa avo vakaregererwa zvakaipa zvavo, vakafukidzirwa zvivi zvavo.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Akaropafadzwa munhu ane chivi chisingazombobvunzwi naIshe pamusoro pake.”
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].
Ko, kuropafadzwa uku ndokwavakadzingiswa chete here? Kana kuti navasina kudzingiswawo? Nokuti tati kuna Abhurahama kutenda kwake kwakanzi kwaari ndiko kururama.
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.
Zvino zvakanzarwo seiko? Akanga adzingiswa here, kana kuti asati? Haana kunzarwo adzingiswa, asi kuti asati adzingiswa!
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.
Uye akagamuchira chiratidzo chokudzingiswa, sechisimbiso chokururama kwaakawana nokutenda asati adzingiswa. Saka naizvozvo ndiye baba wavose vanotenda, asi vasina kudzingiswa, kuitira kuti kururama kugopiwa kwavari.
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.
Uye ndiyewo baba wavakadzingiswa, avo vasina kudzingiswa bedzi, asi vanofambawo mumakwara okutenda kwakanga kuna baba vedu Abhurahama vasati vadzingiswa.
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.
Nokuti Abhurahama, nezvizvarwa zvake, haana kupiwa chipikirwa chokuti achava mugari wenhaka yenyika, kubudikidza nomurayiro, asi kubudikidza nokururama kunobva pakutenda.
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].
Nokuti dai vaya vanorarama nomurayiro vari ivo vadyi venhaka, kutenda hakuna maturo uye nechipikirwa chinokoneswa,
nokuti murayiro unouyisa kutsamwa. Uye pasina murayiro hapanawo kudarika.
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].
Naizvozvo chipikirwa chinouya nokutenda, kuitira kuti zvive zvenyasha uye kuti chisimbiswe kuzvizvarwa zvose zvaAbhurahama, kwete avo vari vomurayiro voga, asi nokuna avo vari vokutenda kwaAbhurahama. Ndiye baba vedu tose.
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],
Sezvazvakanyorwa zvichinzi: “Ndakakuita baba vendudzi zhinji.” Ndiye baba vedu pamberi paMwari, uyo waakatenda kwaari, iye Mwari anopa upenyu kuvakafa uye anodana zvisipo sokunge zviripo.
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.
Pasina kana tariro, Abhurahama netariro akatenda uye akava baba vendudzi zhinji, sezvazvakanga zvarehwa kwaari zvichinzi, “Zvizvarwa zvako zvichadarowo.”
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],
Haana kushayiwa simba mukutenda kwake, paakaona kuti muviri wake wakanga watofa hawo, sezvo akanga ava namakore anenge zana okuzvarwa, uye kuti chizvaro chaSara chakanga chafawo.
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].
Asi haana kukahadzika nokuda kwokusatenda pamusoro pechipikirwa chaMwari, asi akasimbiswa mukutenda kwake uye akakudza Mwari,
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
achinyatsogutsikana kuti Mwari ane simba rokuita zvaakanga avimbisa.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Ndokusaka “zvakanzi kwaari ndiko kururama.”
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.
Mashoko okuti, “zvakanzi kwaari,” haana kunyorerwa iye oga,
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.
asi kwatiriwo, kuna avo vachanzi naMwari vakarurama, kunesu vanotenda kwaari iye akamutsa Jesu Ishe wedu kubva kuvakafa.
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.
Akaiswa kurufu nokuda kwezvivi zvedu uye akamutswa kuvapenyu nokuda kwokururamisirwa kwedu.
