< Romatɔwo 9 >
1 Nyateƒe gblɔm mele le Kristo me, nyemele alakpa dam o, eye nye dzitsinya le ɖase ɖim kpe ɖe ŋunye le Gbɔgbɔ Kɔkɔe la me,
I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 be mele nu xam ŋutɔ, eye nye dzi le veve sem ɣe sia ɣi.
that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 Elabena anyo nam wu be woabu fɔm, eye woaɖem ɖa tso Kristo gbɔ ne esia ana be nye amewo, Israeltɔwo, nakpɔ ɖeɖe.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers' sake, my physical relatives according to the flesh,
4 Woawo tɔe nye vinyenye la; woawo tɔe nye Mawu me ŋutikɔkɔe la, nubablawo, se la xɔxɔ, gbedoxɔmesubɔsubɔ la kple ŋugbedodoawo.
who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises;
5 Wonye fofoawo ƒe dzidzimeviwo, dzidzime siwo me Kristo dzɔ tso le ŋutilã nu, ame si nye Mawu ɖe nuwo katã dzi, ame si wokafuna tegbee la! Amen. (aiōn )
of whom are the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ, as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. (aiōn )
6 Ke mele eme be Mawu ƒe ŋugbedodowo zu dzodzro o. Elabena menye ame siwo katã tso Israel lae nye Israeltɔwo o.
But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel.
7 Alo ame siwo katã tso Abraham ƒomea me lae nye Abraham ƒe viwo o, ke boŋ Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔ be, “woanya wò ƒome la to Isak kple eƒe dzidzimeviwo dzi.”
Neither, because they are Abraham's descendants, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your descendants be called."
8 Esia le fiafiam be menye Abraham ƒe viwo katãe nye Mawu viwo o, ke boŋ ame siwo xɔ ɖeɖekpɔkpɔ ƒe ŋugbe si wodo na Abraham dzi se la koe.
That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
9 Elabena ŋugbedodo lae nye esi be, “Matrɔ ava gbɔwò le ƒe si gbɔna la me, eye Sara adzi ŋutsuvi.”
For this is what the promise said, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."
10 Menye esia ɖeɖe ko o; Rebeka hã fɔ viawo ƒe fu na mía tɔgbui Isak le ɣe ma ɣi tututu.
And not only that, but Rebekah also had conceived by one, our father Isaac.
11 Ke esi mekpɔ dzi evenɔviawo o, eye womewɔ nyui alo vɔ̃ o hã, bena Mawu ƒe tameɖoɖo ɖi nanɔ eteƒe le tatia la nu,
For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,
12 menye le dɔwɔwɔ aɖeke nu o, ke boŋ tso ame si yɔa ame gbɔ, wogblɔ na Rebeka be, “Tsitsitɔ la azu subɔla na ɖevitɔ la”;
it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger."
13 abe ale si woŋlɔe ɖi ene be, “Melɔ̃ Yakob, ke Esau la, melé fui.”
Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14 Azɔ nya ka gblɔ ge míala? Ɖe Mawu tɔ medzɔ oa? Gbeɖe!
What should we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Absolutely not.
15 Elabena egblɔ na Mose be, “Makpɔ nublanui na ame si makpɔ nublanui na la, eye nye dɔ me atrɔ ɖe ame si ŋu nye dɔ me atrɔ ɖo la.”
For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16 Eya ta esia metso amegbetɔ ƒe didi alo dɔwɔwɔ gbɔ o, ke boŋ Mawu ƒe nublanuikpɔkpɔ gbɔ wòtso.
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy.
17 Elabena Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la gblɔ na Farao be, “Esia ta mefɔ wò ɖe tsitre, be maɖe nye ŋusẽ ɖe go afia le mewò, be woaɖe gbeƒã nye ŋkɔ le anyigbawo katã dzi.”
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 Eya ta Mawu kpɔa nublanui na ame siwo wòlɔ̃na be yeakpɔ nublanui na la, eye wòsẽa dzi me na ame siwo wòlɔ̃na be yeasẽ dzi me na la.
So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.
19 Ame aɖe abiam be, “Ekema nu ka ta Mawu bua fɔ mí ɖo? Elabena ame kae ate ŋu atsi tsitre ɖe eƒe lɔlɔ̃nu ŋu mahã?”
You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?"
20 Ke wò, amegbetɔ, ame ka nènye be nàhe nya kple Mawu? Ɖe ame aɖe ƒe nuwɔwɔ abia nuwɔla la be, “Nu ka ta nèwɔm alea ɖo mahã?”
But who indeed are you, a human being, to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"
21 Ɖe mɔɖeɖe meli be zemela natsɔ anyi ame ze si ŋu bubu le, eye wòagatsɔ eƒe ɖe ame ze si ŋu bubu mele o la mahã?
Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
22 Nu kae adzɔ nenye be Mawu, ame si lɔ̃ ɖe eƒe dɔmedzoe kple ŋusẽ fia la gbɔ dzi ɖi na ame siwo dze na eƒe dɔmedzoe ƒe tohehe?
What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction,
23 Eye nu kae adzɔ ne ewɔ esia be yeaɖe yeƒe ŋutikɔkɔe ƒe kesinɔnuwo afia ame siwo le mɔ kpɔm na eƒe nublanuikpɔkpɔ, ame siwo wòdzra ɖo do ŋgɔ na eƒe ŋutikɔkɔe la,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
24 mí ame siwo hã wòyɔ, menye tso Yudatɔwo dome ɖeɖe ko o, ke boŋ tso ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la hã dome?
us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the non-Jews?
25 Egblɔ le Hosea ƒe agbalẽ me be, “Mayɔ ame siwo menye nye amewo o la be ‘nye amewo’; eye mayɔ ame siwo menye nye lɔlɔ̃tɔwo o la be ‘nye lɔlɔ̃tɔwo.’
As he says also in Hosea, "I will call them which were not my people 'my people,' and her who was not loved, 'loved.'"
26 Wogblɔ le ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la ŋu tsã be, “Menye nye amewo mienye o.” Azɔ la, woayɔ wo be, “Mawu gbagbe la ƒe viwo.”
"It will be that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' There they will be called 'children of the living God.'"
27 Ke Yesaya gblɔ tso Israeltɔwo ŋu be, “Togbɔ be wole abe ƒutake ene hã la, wo dometɔ ʋɛ aɖewo koe akpɔ ɖeɖe.
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be kept safe.
28 Elabena Aƒetɔ la atso nya me le anyigba la ŋuti, eye wòawu eƒe wɔnawo nu kaba le dzɔdzɔenyenye me.”
For he will fulfill the word and decisively in righteousness; because the Lord will carry out the word decisively in the midst of the earth."
29 Yesaya gagblɔ be: “Ne menye Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ ye susɔ dzidzime ʋɛ aɖewo ɖi o la, ne míetsrɔ̃ abe Sodom kple Gomora ene.”
As Isaiah has said before, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah."
30 Azɔ nya ka gblɔ ge míala? Mawu na mɔnukpɔkpɔ ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la be woakpɔ ɖeɖe to xɔse me, togbɔ be wometi dzɔdzɔenyenye yome o hã.
What should we say then? That the non-Jews, who did not follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;
31 Ke Israeltɔ siwo dze agbagba vevie be yewoadze Mawu ŋu to seawo dzi wɔwɔ me la mete ŋu dze Mawu ŋu o.
but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
32 Nu ka ta? Elabena wonɔ agbagba dzem be yewoakpɔ ɖeɖe to seawo dzi wɔwɔ me, eye yewoanɔ agbe nyui esime wòle be woanya be xɔse me ko yewoato akpɔ ɖeɖe hafi; wokli nukikli ƒe kpe la.
Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;
33 Mawu gbe nya na wo tso nu sia ŋu le Ŋɔŋlɔ Kɔkɔe la me esi wògblɔ be, “Metsɔ Agakpe aɖe da ɖe mɔ me na Zion. Ame geɖewo akli Agakpe sia, si nye Yesu, eye woadze anyi. Ame siwo axɔ edzi ase la, ŋu makpe wo gbeɖe o.”
even as it is written, "Look, I am laying in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock to trip over; and the one who believes in him will not be put to shame."