Aroma 3
1 Gwatuĩka ũguo-rĩ, Mũyahudi agĩkĩrĩte andũ arĩa angĩ na kĩ? Kana bata wa kũrua ũkĩrĩ ũrĩkũ?
What is the advantage, then, of being a Jew? Or what is the good of circumcision?
2 Hĩ! Ũguni no mũnene na njĩra ciothe! Mbere ya maũndũ mothe, Ayahudi nĩo mehokeirwo ũramati wa ciugo cia Ngai.
Great in every way. First of all, because the Jews were entrusted with God’s utterances.
3 Ĩ kũngĩkorwo amwe ao nĩmagire kwĩhokeka, kwaga kwĩhokeka kwao, nĩkũngĩatũmire Ngai aage gũtuĩka mwĩhokeku?
What follows then? Some, no doubt, showed a want of faith; but will their want of faith make God break faith? Heaven forbid!
4 Kũroaga gũtuĩka ũguo! Ngai arotuĩka wa ma, na mũndũ o wothe atuĩke wa maheeni, o ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo atĩrĩ: “Nĩguo kuonekage atĩ rĩrĩa ũkwaria, wee waragia maũndũ ma kĩhooto, na ũhootanage rĩrĩa ũgũciirithania.”
God must prove true, though everyone prove a liar! As scripture says of God – “That you may be pronounced righteous in what you say, and gain your cause when people would judge you.”
5 No rĩrĩ, angĩkorwo wagi witũ wa ũthingu nĩũtũmaga ũthingu wa Ngai ũguũrio mũno makĩria-rĩ, tũkiuge atĩa? No tuuge atĩ Ngai ti wa kĩhooto rĩrĩa egũtũkinyĩria mangʼũrĩ make? (Ndĩraaria o ta ũrĩa mũndũ wa gũkũ thĩ angĩaria.)
But what if our wrongdoing makes God’s righteousness all the clearer? Will God be wrong in inflicting punishment? (I can but speak as a person.) Heaven forbid!
6 Aca, kũroaga gũtuĩka ũguo! Angĩkorwo ũguo nĩguo kũrĩ-rĩ, Ngai angĩgĩtuĩra thĩ ciira atĩa?
Otherwise how can God judge the world?
7 No mũndũ ahota kuuga atĩrĩ, “Angĩkorwo kũheenania gwakwa no kũingĩhie ũhoro-wa-ma wa Ngai, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio gũtũme riiri wake wongerereke-rĩ, niĩ ngĩtuagĩrwo ciira ta ndĩ mwĩhia nĩkĩ?”
But, if my falsehood redounds to the glory of God, by making his truthfulness more apparent, why am I like others, still condemned as a sinner?
8 Nĩ kĩĩ kĩgiragia tuuge, ta ũrĩa tũcambagio atĩ nĩguo tuugaga, o na ta ũrĩa andũ amwe moigaga atĩ nĩguo tuugaga, “Nĩtũtũũre twĩkaga ũũru nĩguo wega woneke”? Acio-rĩ, gũtuĩrwo ciira kwao nĩ gwa kĩhooto.
Why should we not say – as some people slanderously assert that we do say – “Let us do evil that good may come”? The condemnation of such people is indeed just!
9 Tũkiuge atĩa? Ithuĩ Ayahudi tũkĩrĩ ega gũkĩra andũ arĩa angĩ? Aca, tiguo! Nĩtũrĩkĩtie kuonania hau mbere atĩ Ayahudi o hamwe na andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ othe nĩmagwĩte hinya-inĩ wa mehia.
What follows, then? Are we Jews in any way superior to others? Not at all. Our indictment against both Jews and Greeks was that all alike were in subjection to sin.
10 O ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo atĩrĩ: “Gũtirĩ mũndũ mũthingu, gũtirĩ o na ũmwe;
As scripture says – “There is not even one who is righteous,
11 gũtirĩ mũndũ ũmenyaga ũndũ, gũtirĩ mũndũ ũrongoragia Ngai.
not one who understands, not one who is searching for God!
12 Othe nĩmagarũrũkĩte, makoora, othe hamwe magatuĩka kĩndũ gĩtarĩ bata; gũtirĩ mũndũ wĩkaga wega, gũtirĩ o na ũmwe.”
They have all gone astray; they have one and all become depraved; there is no one who is doing good – no, not one!”
13 “Mĩmero yao ĩhaana ta mbĩrĩra hingũre; nĩmĩ ciao ciaragia o maheeni.” “Mĩromo yao yaragia maũndũ marũrũ ta thumu wa nduĩra.”
“Their throats are like opened graves; they deceive with their tongues.” “The venom of snakes lies behind their lips,”
14 “Tũnua twao tũiyũrĩte irumi na ũrũrũ.”
“And their mouths are full of bitter curses.”
15 “Mahanyũkaga na magũrũ magaite thakame;
“Swift are their feet to shed blood.
16 mwanangĩko na kĩeha nĩcio cionanagia kũrĩa magereire,
Distress and trouble dog their steps,
17 nayo njĩra ya thayũ matimĩũĩ.”
and the path of peace they do not know.”
18 “Hatirĩ wĩtigĩri Ngai maitho-inĩ mao.”
“The fear of God is not before their eyes.”
19 Na rĩu-rĩ, nĩtũũĩ atĩ maũndũ marĩa mothe watho uugĩte, merĩtwo andũ arĩa marĩ rungu rwa watho, nĩgeetha kanua o gothe gakirio, nao andũ a thĩ othe matuĩke a gũciirithio nĩ Ngai.
Now we know that everything said in the Law is addressed to those who are under its authority, in order that every mouth may be closed, and to bring the whole world under God’s judgment.
20 Tondũ wa ũguo-rĩ, gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũ ũngĩtuuo mũthingu maitho-inĩ ma Ngai nĩ ũndũ wa kũrũmia watho; no rĩrĩ, watho nĩguo ũtũmaga andũ mamenye atĩ nĩmehĩtie.
For no human being will be pronounced righteous before God as the result of obedience to Law; for it is Law that shows what sin is.
21 No rĩrĩ, rĩu ũthingu uumĩte kũrĩ Ngai nĩũmenyithanĩtio na njĩra ĩngĩ ĩtahutanĩtie na Watho wa Musa, o na gũtuĩka nĩyoimbũrĩtwo o tene nĩ Watho na Anabii.
But now, quite apart from Law, the divine righteousness stands revealed, and to it the Law and the prophets bear witness –
22 Naguo ũthingu ũyũ nĩ ũrĩa uumaga kũrĩ Ngai, na ũheagwo arĩa othe metĩkĩtie na ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia Jesũ Kristũ. Gũtirĩ ũhoro wa gũthuurania andũ,
the divine righteousness which is bestowed, through faith in Jesus Christ, on all, without distinction, who believe in him.
23 nĩgũkorwo andũ othe nĩmehĩtie na makanyiihĩrwo nĩ riiri wa Ngai,
For all have sinned, and all fall short of God’s glorious ideal,
24 na nĩ ũndũ wa wega wa Ngai magatuuo athingu o ũguo tũhũ, nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa maakũũrirwo nĩ Kristũ Jesũ.
but, in his loving kindness, are being freely pronounced righteous through the deliverance found in Christ Jesus.
25 Ngai aamũrutire arĩ igongona rĩa kũhoroheria mehia na ũndũ wa wĩtĩkio thĩinĩ wa thakame yake. Ngai eekire ũguo nĩgeetha onanie ũthingu wake, tondũ wa ũrĩa mehia ma mbere ĩyo maarekeirwo andũ matekũherithio, nĩ ũndũ wa gũkirĩrĩria kwa Ngai,
For God set him before the world, to be, by the shedding of his blood, a means of reconciliation through faith. And this God did to prove his righteousness, and because, in his forbearance, he had passed over the sins that people had previously committed;
26 nake eekire ũguo nĩgeetha onanie ũthingu wake mahinda-inĩ maya, na kũmenyeke atĩ we nĩ mũthingu, na nĩwe ũtuaga andũ arĩa metĩkĩtie Jesũ athingu.
as a proof, I repeat, at the present time, of his own righteousness, that he might be righteous in our eyes, and might pronounce righteous the person who takes their stand on faith in Jesus.
27 Gwagĩtuĩka ũguo-rĩ, kwĩraha gũkĩrĩ ha? Nĩ kweherie biũ. Kweheretio nĩ ũndũ wa gĩtũmi kĩrĩkũ? Hihi nĩ ũndũ wa kũrũmia watho? Aca, no nĩ ũndũ wa watho ũrĩa wa wĩtĩkio.
What, then, becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what sort of Law? A Law requiring obedience? No, a Law requiring faith.
28 Nĩgũkorwo nĩtũrũmĩtie atĩ mũndũ atuagwo mũthingu na ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia no ti ũndũ wa gwathĩkĩra watho.
For we conclude that a person is pronounced righteous on the ground of faith, quite apart from obedience to Law.
29 Ngai-rĩ, akĩrĩ o Ngai wa Ayahudi oiki? Githĩ Ngai ti wa andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ o nao? Ĩĩ, nĩ Ngai wa andũ-a-Ndũrĩrĩ o nao,
Or can it be that God is the God only of the Jews? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles?
30 nĩgũkorwo Ngai no ũmwe, na nĩwe ũrĩĩtuaga andũ arĩa maruaga athingu, na ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia, na arĩa mataruaga nao amatuuage athingu na ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia o ro ũguo.
Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is only one God, and he will pronounce those who are circumcised righteous as the result of faith, and also those who are uncircumcised on their showing the same faith.
31 Rĩu-rĩ, no twagithie ũhoro wa watho kĩene nĩ ũndũ wa ũhoro wa wĩtĩkio ũcio? Aca, kũroaga gũtuĩka ũguo! Handũ ha ũguo-rĩ, nĩ watho tũgũkĩongerera hinya.
Do we, then, use this faith to abolish Law? Heaven forbid! No, we establish Law.
