Romatɔwo 7
1 Nɔvi lɔlɔ̃awo, mele nu ƒom na ame siwo nya se la; ɖe mienyae bena ne ame aɖe ku la, se la megablae o mahã?
Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?
2 Elabena srɔ̃nyɔnu la, zi ale si srɔ̃ŋutsu la le agbe la, se blae ɖe eŋuti; ke ne srɔ̃ŋutsu la ku la, srɔ̃ɖeɖe ƒe se la megabla nyɔnu la o.
For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
3 Eya ta ne srɔ̃nyɔnu la gale ŋutsu bubu gbɔ dem esime srɔ̃ŋutsu la le agbe la, ekema nyɔnu la nye ahasiwɔla; ke ne srɔ̃ŋutsu la ku la, ekema srɔ̃ɖeɖe ƒe se la megablae o, eye ne eɖe ŋutsu bubu la, meganye ahasiwɔla o.
So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she marries another man.
4 Eya ta nɔvi lɔlɔ̃awo, miawo hã mieku na se la to Kristo ƒe ŋutilã me, be miazu ame bubu si wofɔ ɖe tsitre tso ame kukuwo dome la tɔ, be míatse ku na Mawu.
Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
5 Elabena esi míenɔ ŋutilã me tsã la, nu vɔ̃ ƒe nudzodzro siwo dzɔ tso se la me la nɔa dɔ wɔm le mía me, be míatse ku na ku.
For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death.
6 Ke azɔ esi míeku na se si ƒe kpɔkplɔ te míenɔ kpɔ la, míevo tso se la me, be míasubɔ le Gbɔgbɔ la ƒe mɔ yeye nu, ke menye le se la ƒe mɔ xoxo nu o.
But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
7 Azɔ nya ka gblɔ ge míala? Ɖe se la nye nu vɔ̃ mahã? Gbeɖe! Ne se la meli o la, nyemate ŋu anya nu si nu vɔ̃ nye la o. Elabena nyemanya nu si nye ŋubiabiã ne womegblɔe le se la me o be, “Mègabiã ŋu o.”
What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
8 Ke esi mɔnukpɔkpɔ su nu vɔ̃ si to sedede me la, eho ŋubiabiã ƒomevi ɖe sia ɖe ɖe dzi le menye; elabena ne se meli o la, ekema nu vɔ̃ ku.
But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9 Nye la, menɔ agbe kpɔ se aɖeke te manɔmanɔe; ke esi sedede la va la, nu vɔ̃ gbɔ agbe, eye meku.
Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
10 Elabena mekpɔe dze sii be se si wode hena agbe la he ku vɛ boŋ.
So I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death.
11 Ke esi mɔnukpɔkpɔ su nu vɔ̃ si to sedede me la, eblem, eye to sedede me la, wotso kufia nam.
For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through the commandment put me to death.
12 Eya ta se la le kɔkɔe, eye sedede la le kɔkɔe; ele dzɔdzɔe eye wònyo.
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
13 Ekema ɖe nu nyui la zu ku nama? Gbeɖe! Ke boŋ nu vɔ̃ lae, bena wòadze ƒãa be etsɔ nu nyui wɔ ku nam, be to sedede la me la, nu vɔ̃ navɔ̃ɖi ɖe edzi ŋutɔ.
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 Míenya be se la nye gbɔgbɔmenu; ke nye la, ŋutilã me menye, elabena wodzram mezu kluvi na nu vɔ̃.
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 Nyemesea nu si mewɔna la gɔme o. Elabena menye nu si medina be mawɔ la mewɔna o, ke nu si melé fui la, eya boŋ mewɔna.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.
16 Eye ne mewɔ nu si nyemedina be mawɔ o la, melɔ̃na be se la nyo.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good.
17 Ke azɔ meganye nyee le esia wɔm o, ke boŋ nu vɔ̃ si le menye lae.
In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
18 Elabena menya be nu nyui aɖeke menɔa menye o, ɖe ale si menye nu vɔ̃ ƒe ŋutilã ta. Elabena nu nyui wɔwɔ dzroam, gake nyemetea ŋu wɔnɛ o.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 Elabena nyemewɔa nu nyui si medina be mawɔ la o; ke nu vɔ̃ si nyemedina be mawɔ o la, eya boŋ mewɔna.
For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.
20 Azɔ ne mewɔ nu si nyemedina be mawɔ o la, ekema meganye nyee le ewɔm o, ke boŋ nu vɔ̃ si le menye lae le ewɔm.
And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 Eya ta mekpɔ se sia be ele dɔ wɔm; togbɔ be medina be mawɔ nu nyui hã la, nu vɔ̃ gaxea mɔ nam.
So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 Elabena le ememe ke la, mekpɔa dzidzɔ le Mawu ƒe se la me;
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
23 gake mekpɔ be se bubu le dɔ wɔm le menye, esi le aʋa wɔm kple se si le nye susu me, eye wòna mezu kluvi na nu vɔ̃ ƒe se si le menye la.
But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.
24 O, nye nu wɔ nublanui ŋutɔ! Ame kae aɖem tso ŋutilã si kplɔm yina ɖe ku mee la si me?
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Meda akpe na Mawu be eɖem to Yesu Kristo míaƒe Aƒetɔ la dzi. Eya ta azɔ la, menye kluvi na Mawu ƒe se la le nye susu me, ke menye kluvi na nu vɔ̃ ƒe se la le ŋutilã nu.
Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
