Romatɔwo 4
1 Azɔ nu ka gblɔ ge míala tso mía tɔgbui Abraham, ame si ƒe ŋutinya míese le nya sia me la ŋuti?
What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation?
2 Ne ele eme vavã be wotso afia na Abraham to eƒe dɔwɔwɔwo me la, ekema nane li si ŋuti wòaƒo adegbe le, gake menye le Mawu ŋkume o.
If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.
3 Nu ka Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔ? “Abraham xɔ Mawu dzi se, eye wobui nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee.”
For what are the words of scripture? ‘Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’
4 Azɔ ne ame aɖe wɔ dɔ la, ekema eƒe fetu menye nunana o, ke boŋ enye eƒe dɔdeasi.
Now wages are regarded as due to the person who works, not as a favor, but as a debt;
5 Ke ne ame aɖe mewɔ dɔ o, gake wòxɔ Mawu, ame si tsoa afia na ame vɔ̃ɖi dzi se la, ekema woabu eƒe xɔse nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee.
while, as for the person who does not rely on their obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, their faith is regarded by God as righteousness.
6 David gblɔ nya sia ke esi wòƒo nu tso ame si Mawu bu ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe yayra ŋu dɔ wɔwɔ manɔmee be,
In precisely the same way David speaks of the blessing pronounced on the person who is regarded by God as righteous apart from actions –
7 “Woayra ame siwo wotsɔ woƒe dzidadawo ke wo, kple ame siwo wotsyɔ nu woƒe nu vɔ̃wo dzi la.
‘Blessed are those whose wrongdoings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn!
8 Woayra ŋutsu si ƒe nu vɔ̃ Aƒetɔ la mabu nɛ o la.”
Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!’
9 Ɖe yayra sia nye aʋatsotsotɔwo ɖeɖe ko tɔ alo enye ame siwo menye aʋamatsomatsotɔwo hã tɔa? Míegblɔna be Mawu bu Abraham ƒe xɔse nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee.
Is this blessing, then, pronounced on the circumcised only or on the uncircumcised as well? We say that – ‘Abraham’s faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’
10 Nu ka ta wobu Abraham ƒe xɔse nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee ɖo? Ɖe wobui nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee le eƒe aʋatsotso megbe alo do ŋgɔ na eƒe aʋatsotsoa? Menye le eƒe aʋatsotso megbe o, ke boŋ do ŋgɔ na eƒe aʋatsotso!
Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it?
11 Exɔ aʋatsotso si nye eƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe nutrenu ƒe dzesi si wòxɔ la esime wometso aʋa nɛ o. Esia ta Abraham nye ame siwo katã xɔ se, gake wometso aʋa na wo o la fofo, be woabui na wo dzɔdzɔenyenyee.
Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision – to show the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man – in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, so that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;
12 Abraham ganye ame siwo katã wotso aʋa na la fofo, ame siwo mexɔ aʋatsotso ɖeɖe ko o, ke boŋ wonɔ agbe le xɔse me abe ale si mía fofo Abraham hã nɔ agbee hafi wotso aʋa nɛ ene.
as well as father of the circumcised – to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.
13 Menye to se la mee Abraham kple eƒe dzidzimeviwo xɔ ŋugbedodo la le be anye xexea me ƒe domenyila o, ke boŋ to dzɔdzɔenyenye si tso xɔse mee.
For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.
14 Elabena ne ame siwo le agbe le se la nu nye domenyilawo la, ekema xɔse menye viɖenu o, eye ŋugbedodo la nye yakanu,
If those who take their stand on Law are to inherit the world, then faith is robbed of its meaning and the promise comes to nothing!
15 elabena se la hea dɔmedzoe vanɛ. Eye afi si se mele o la, nu vɔ̃ menɔa anyi o.
Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.
16 Eya ta ŋugbedodo la vana to xɔse me be wòanye amenuveve, eye wòanye Abraham ƒe dzidzimeviwo katã, menye ame siwo le se la te ɖeɖe ko o, ke boŋ ame siwo si xɔse le abe Abraham ene. Eyae nye mí katã fofo.
That is why everything is made to depend on faith: so that everything may be God’s gift, and in order that the fulfillment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham’s descendants – not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the father of us all;
17 Abe ale si Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔ ene be: “Meɖo wò dukɔ geɖewo fofo.” Eyae nye mía fofo le Mawu ŋkume, ame si dzi wòxɔ se, Mawu, ame si naa agbe ame kukuwo, eye wòyɔa nu siwo meli o la abe ɖe woli ene.
as scripture says – ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’) And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did.
18 Togbɔ be mɔkpɔkpɔ aɖeke megali o hã la, Abraham kpɔ mɔ le xɔse me, eye wòzu dukɔ geɖewo fofo, abe ale si wogblɔ nɛ ene be, “Nenema anye wò dzidzimeviwo.”
With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfillment of the words – ‘So many will your descendants be,’ he might become ‘the father of many nations.’
19 Megbɔdzɔ le xɔse me o, eya ta mebu be yeƒe ŋutilã ku, esi wòxɔ abe ƒe alafa ɖeka ene, eye Sara hã ƒe vidzidɔ ku na vidzidzi o.
Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children.
20 Ke meke ɖi le Mawu ƒe ŋugbedodo la ŋuti le dzimaxɔse me o, ke boŋ edo ŋusẽ eƒe xɔse, eye wòtsɔ ŋutikɔkɔe na Mawu,
He was not led by want of faith to doubt God’s promise.
21 eye wòka ɖe edzi blibo be Mawu ate ŋu awɔ nu sia nu si ŋugbe wòdo la.
On the contrary, his faith gave him strength; and he praised God, in the firm conviction that what God has promised he is also able to carry out.
22 Nu sia ta “wobui nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee” ɖo.
And therefore his faith ‘was regarded as righteousness.’
23 Gake menye eya ɖeɖe ta woŋlɔ ɖi be “wobui nɛ dzɔdzɔenyenyee” o,
Now these words – ‘it was regarded as righteousness’ – were not written with reference to Abraham only;
24 ke míawo hã tae, mí ame siwo Mawu abui na dzɔdzɔenyenyee, mí ame siwo xɔa ame si fɔ Yesu, míaƒe Aƒetɔ la ɖe tsitre tso ame kukuwo dome dzi sena.
but also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;
25 Eku ɖe míaƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta, eye wofɔe ɖe tsitre ɖe afiatsotso na mí ta.
for Jesus was given up to death to atone for our offenses, and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.
