< Aroma 13 >

1 O mũndũ no nginya athĩkagĩre arĩa maathanaga, nĩgũkorwo gũtirĩ hinya wa gwathana tiga ũrĩa Ngai ahaandĩte. Aathani arĩa marĩ ho nĩ Ngai ũmatuĩte a gwathana.
Let every individual be obedient to those who rule over him; for no one is a ruler except by God's permission, and our present rulers have had their rank and power assigned to them by Him.
2 Nĩ ũndũ wa ũguo-rĩ, mũndũ ũrĩa ũremagĩra arĩa maathanaga, nĩkũrega aregaga ũndũ ũrĩa Ngai atuĩte, nao arĩa mekaga ũguo nĩmagatuĩka a gũtuĩrwo ciira.
Therefore the man who rebels against his ruler is resisting God's will; and those who thus resist will bring punishment upon themselves.
3 Nĩgũkorwo aathani ti a kũmakia arĩa mekaga ũrĩa kwagĩrĩire, no nĩ a kũmakia arĩa mekaga ũũru. Nĩũkwenda wagage gwĩtigagĩra ũrĩa wathanaga? Gĩĩkage ũrĩa kwagĩrĩire, nake nĩarĩkũgathagĩrĩria.
For judges and magistrates are to be feared not by right-doers but by wrong-doers. You desire--do you not? --to have no reason to fear your ruler. Well, do the thing that is right, and then he will commend you.
4 Nĩgũkorwo we nĩ ndungata ya Ngai ya gũtũma wonage maũndũ mega. No ũngĩka ũũru-rĩ, wĩtigĩre, nĩgũkorwo ndakuuaga rũhiũ rwa njora tũhũ. We nĩ ndungata ya Ngai, na mũrĩhania wake wa kũherithania na wa gũkinyĩria mũndũ ũrĩa wĩkaga ũũru mangʼũrĩ ma Ngai.
For he is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid. He does not wear the sword to no purpose: he is God's servant--an administrator to inflict punishment upon evil-doers.
5 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, nĩ kwagĩrĩire mwathĩkagĩre arĩa maathanaga, ti tondũ wa gwĩtigĩra mangʼũrĩ macio, no nĩ tondũ wa ũrĩa mwĩmenyeire na thamiri cianyu ũrĩa arĩ wega gwĩka.
We must obey therefore, not only in order to escape punishment, but also for conscience' sake.
6 Ũndũ ũcio noguo ũtũmaga mũrutage magooti, nĩgũkorwo arĩa maathanaga nĩ ndungata cia Ngai, na maheanaga mahinda mao mothe nĩ ũndũ wa wĩra ũcio kĩũmbe.
Why, this is really the reason you pay taxes; for tax-gatherers are ministers of God, devoting their energies to this very work.
7 Rutagĩrai andũ othe kĩrĩa mwagĩrĩirwo nĩ kũmarutĩra: Angĩkorwo mũtirutĩte magooti, rutai magooti; na angĩkorwo nĩ kũruta mbeeca cia kũrutithia wĩra wa bũrũri, rutai; nao andũ arĩa a kũheo gĩtĩĩo, maheagei; na arĩa a gwĩkĩrĩrwo, mekagĩrĩrei.
Pay promptly to all men what is due to them: taxes to those to whom taxes are due, toll to those to whom toll is due, respect to those to whom respect is due, honour to those to whom honour is due.
8 Mũtigaikare mũrĩ na thiirĩ na mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ, tiga o mwendanage hĩndĩ ciothe mũndũ na ũrĩa ũngĩ, nĩgũkorwo mũndũ wendaga mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩ nĩahingĩtie watho.
Owe nothing to any one except mutual love; for he who loves his fellow man has satisfied the demands of Law.
9 Nĩ ũndũ maathani maya, atĩ “Ndũkanatharanie,” na “Ndũkanoragane,” na “Ndũkanaiye”, na “Ndũkanacumĩkĩre kĩndũ kĩene,” o na rĩathani rĩngĩ o rĩothe rĩngĩkorwo ho, mohanĩtio mothe maturanĩirwo thĩinĩ wa rĩathani rĩĩrĩ: “Enda mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩ ta ũrĩa wĩyendete wee mwene.”
For the precepts, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt do no murder," "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not covet," and all other precepts, are summed up in this one command, "Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thou lovest thyself."
10 Wendani-rĩ, ndũngĩĩka mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩ ũũru. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio kwendana nĩkuo kũhingia watho.
Love avoids doing any wrong to one's fellow man, and is therefore complete obedience to Law.
11 Na mwĩkage ũguo nĩ ũndũ wa kũmenya mahinda maya tũrĩ ũrĩa matariĩ. Ihinda nĩikinyu nĩgeetha mwarahũke mũtige gũkoma, tondũ ũhonokio witũ rĩu ũrĩ hakuhĩ kũrĩ rĩrĩa twambĩrĩirie gwĩtĩkia.
Carry out these injunctions because you know the critical period at which we are living, and that it is now high time, to rouse yourselves from sleep; for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first became believers.
12 Ũtukũ ũrĩ hakuhĩ gũthira; naguo mũthenya ũkiriĩ gũkinya. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio nĩtũtigane na maũndũ ma nduma na twĩohe indo cia mbaara, o iria cia ũtheri.
The night is far advanced, and day is about to dawn. We must therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness, and clothe ourselves with the armour of Light.
13 Nĩtũthiiage na mĩthiĩre mĩagĩrĩru, o ĩrĩa yagĩrĩire gũikarwo nayo mũthenya, tũtigatoonye maruga-inĩ mooru marĩ na nyĩmbo njũru na ũrĩĩu, na tũtigatoonye ũtharia-inĩ kana maũndũ ma ũũra-thoni, na tũtikagĩage na njũgitano na kũiguanĩra ũiru.
Living as we do in broad daylight, let us conduct ourselves becomingly, not indulging in revelry and drunkenness, nor in lust and debauchery, nor in quarrelling and jealousy.
14 No rĩrĩ, mwĩhumbei Mwathani Jesũ Kristũ, na mũtigatũũre mwĩciiragia o ũrĩa mũngĩhingia merirĩria ma mĩĩrĩ ĩno ya mehia.
On the contrary, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for gratifying your earthly cravings.

< Aroma 13 >