Romatɔwo 3
1 Ekema viɖe kae le Yudatɔnyenye me alo asixɔxɔ kae le aʋatsotso ŋu?
What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
2 Viɖe geɖe le Yudatɔnyenye me. Gbã la, Mawu tsɔ eƒe nyawo de asi na wo.
Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3 Ekema ne xɔse mele wo dometɔ aɖewo si o ɖe? Ɖe xɔse si mele wo si o la ate fli ɖe Mawu ƒe anukwaretɔnyenye mea?
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?
4 Gbeɖe! Mawu nye anukwaretɔ, eye ame sia ame nye aʋatsokala, abe ale si woŋlɔe ɖi ene be: “Be woatso afia na wò le wò nyawo me, eye nàɖu dzi ne èdrɔ̃ ʋɔnu.”
Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
5 Gake ne míaƒe madzɔmadzɔnyenye ɖe Mawu ƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye fia nyuie ɖe, nya ka míagblɔ? Ɖe míagblɔ be Mawu mewɔ nu dzɔdzɔe to eƒe dɔmedzoehehe va mía dzi me oa? (Mele nu ƒom abe amegbetɔ ene.)
But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.
6 Mele alea o! Ne ele nenema la, aleke Mawu adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu xexea mee?
Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?
7 Ame aɖe agblɔ be, “Ne nye aʋatsokaka ado Mawu ƒe nyateƒetɔnyenye ɖe ŋgɔ, eye wòado Mawu ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe ɖe dzi ɖe, nu ka ta wogabu fɔm be menye nu vɔ̃ wɔla ɖo?”
However, if my falsehood accentuates God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?
8 Nu ka ta womagblɔ be, abe ale si ame aɖewo ka aʋatso ɖe mía si ene be míegblɔ be, “Mina míawɔ nu vɔ̃ be nu nyui nado tso eme” o ɖo? Enyo be woabu fɔ wo!
Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved!
9 Aleke míawu nya la nue? Ɖe míagblɔ be míenyo wu ame bubuwoa? Ao, mele eme nenema o, elabena míegblɔ xoxo be Yudatɔwo kple ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la siaa nye nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo.
What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.
10 Abe ale si Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔe ene la, “Ame dzɔdzɔe aɖeke meli o, ɖeka pɛ hã meli o;
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
11 Ame aɖeke mese egɔme o; ame aɖeke medi Mawu o.
There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
12 Ame sia ame tra mɔ; wo katã wogblẽ; ame aɖeke meli si wɔa nu nyui o; ame ɖeka pɛ hã meli o.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13 Woƒe ve me le abe yɔdo nuvowo ene; woƒe aɖewo srɔ̃ alakpadada. Aʋatsokaka yɔ aɖe dzi na wo. Ƒli ƒe aɖi le woƒe nuyiwo ŋu.
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
14 Woƒe nu me yɔ fũu kple fiƒode kple vevesese helĩhelĩ.
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 Woɖea abla ɖe ʋukɔkɔɖi ŋu;
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 gbegblẽ kple nuxaxa le woƒe mɔwo dzi,
ruin and misery lie in their wake,
17 eye womenya ŋutifafa ƒe mɔ o.”
and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 Mawuvɔvɔ̃ aɖeke mele woƒe ŋkuwo me o.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Azɔ la, míenya be nya sia nya si se la gblɔ la, egblɔe na ame siwo le se la te, be amewo nazi ɖoɖoe, eye Mawu nadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu xexea me katã.
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
20 Eya ta Mawu matso afia na ame aɖeke be ele dzɔdzɔe to se la dzi wɔwɔ me o; ke boŋ to se la me la, míedea dzesi nu vɔ̃.
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
21 Ke azɔ la, woɖe dzɔdzɔenyenye tso Mawu gbɔ fia mí se la manɔmee. Se la kple Nyagblɔɖilawo ɖi ɖase tso eŋuti.
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
22 Dzɔdzɔenyenye sia si tso Mawu gbɔ la vana to Yesu Kristo dzixɔse me na ame siwo katã xɔe se la. Vovototo aɖeke mele eme o,
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,
23 elabena wo katã wowɔ nu vɔ̃, eye Mawu ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe bu ɖe wo,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 eye wotso afia na wo faa to eƒe amenuveve si va to ɖeɖedɔ si Kristo Yesu va wɔ la me.
and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
25 Mawu tsɔe na abe vɔsa ene ɖe mía nu, to eƒe ʋu la dzi xɔse me. Ewɔ esia be yeaɖe yeƒe nu dzɔdzɔe wɔwɔ afia, elabena le eƒe lɔlɔ̃ ta la, mena tohehe amewo ɖe nu vɔ̃ siwo wowɔ la ta o.
God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
26 Ewɔ esia tsɔ ɖe eƒe lɔlɔ̃ fia le egbeŋkekewo me, be wòanye dzɔdzɔetɔ kple ame si tsoa afia na ame siwo xɔ Yesu dzi se la.
He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Esia ta adegbeƒoƒo aɖe lia? Adegbeƒoƒo aɖeke meli o. Nu ka ta míaƒo adegbe ɖo? To se la dzi wɔwɔ mea? Gbeɖe, ke boŋ to xɔse me.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.
28 Elabena míexɔe se be ame akpɔ afiatsotso to xɔse me, ke menye to se la dzi wɔwɔ me o.
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
29 Ɖe Mawu nye Yudatɔwo ɖeɖe ko ƒe Mawua? Ɖe Mawu menye ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o hã ƒe Mawu oa? Ɛ̃, enye ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o hã ƒe Mawu.
Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
30 Elabena Mawu ɖeka koe li, ame si atso afia na aʋatsotsotɔwo kple aʋamatsomatsotɔwo to xɔse ɖeka ma me.
since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
31 Ɖe míate fli ɖe se la me to xɔse sia mea? Gbeɖe! Ke boŋ se la le eteƒe.
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
