Romatɔwo 3
1 Ekema viɖe kae le Yudatɔnyenye me alo asixɔxɔ kae le aʋatsotso ŋu?
How then is the Jew better off? or what profit is there in circumcision?
2 Viɖe geɖe le Yudatɔnyenye me. Gbã la, Mawu tsɔ eƒe nyawo de asi na wo.
Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.
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?
And if some have no faith, will that make the faith of God without effect?
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.”
In no way: but let God be true, though every man is seen to be untrue; as it is said in the Writings, That your words may be seen to be true, and you may be seen to be right when you are judged.
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 the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)?
6 Mele alea o! Ne ele nenema la, aleke Mawu adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu xexea mee?
In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all 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?”
But if, because I am untrue, God being seen to be true gets more glory, why am I to be judged 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!
Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.
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 worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;
10 Abe ale si Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔe ene la, “Ame dzɔdzɔe aɖeke meli o, ɖeka pɛ hã meli o;
As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;
11 Ame aɖeke mese egɔme o; ame aɖeke medi Mawu o.
Not one who has the knowledge of what is right, not one who is a searcher after God;
12 Ame sia ame tra mɔ; wo katã wogblẽ; ame aɖeke meli si wɔa nu nyui o; ame ɖeka pɛ hã meli o.
They have all gone out of the way, there is no profit in any of them; there is not one who does good, not so much as 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 throat is like an open place of death; with their tongues they have said what is not true: the poison of snakes is under their lips:
14 Woƒe nu me yɔ fũu kple fiƒode kple vevesese helĩhelĩ.
Whose mouth is full of curses and bitter words:
15 Woɖea abla ɖe ʋukɔkɔɖi ŋu;
Their feet are quick in running after blood;
16 gbegblẽ kple nuxaxa le woƒe mɔwo dzi,
Destruction and trouble are in their ways;
17 eye womenya ŋutifafa ƒe mɔ o.”
And of the way of peace they have no knowledge:
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 have knowledge that what the law says is for those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and all men may be judged by 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.
Because by the works of the law no man is able to have righteousness in his eyes, for through the law comes the knowledge 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 without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given 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,
That is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all those who have faith; and one man is not different from another,
23 elabena wo katã wowɔ nu vɔ̃, eye Mawu ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe bu ɖe wo,
For all have done wrong and are far from 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 they may have righteousness put to their credit, freely, by his grace, through the salvation which 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.
Whom God has put forward as the sign of his mercy, through faith, by his blood, to make clear his righteousness when, in his pity, God let the sins of earlier times go without punishment;
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.
And to make clear his righteousness now, so that he might himself be upright, and give righteousness to him 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.
What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.
28 Elabena míexɔe se be ame akpɔ afiatsotso to xɔse me, ke menye to se la dzi wɔwɔ me o.
For this reason, then, a man may get righteousness by faith without the 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.
Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not in the same way the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles:
30 Elabena Mawu ɖeka koe li, ame si atso afia na aʋatsotsotɔwo kple aʋamatsomatsotɔwo to xɔse ɖeka ma me.
If God is one; and he will give righteousness because of faith to those who have circumcision, and through faith to those who have not circumcision.
31 Ɖe míate fli ɖe se la me to xɔse sia mea? Gbeɖe! Ke boŋ se la le eteƒe.
Do we, then, through faith make the law of no effect? in no way: but we make it clear that the law is important.
