Aroma 3
1 Gwatuĩka ũguo-rĩ, Mũyahudi agĩkĩrĩte andũ arĩa angĩ na kĩ? Kana bata wa kũrua ũkĩrĩ ũrĩkũ?
[Someone may object to this, saying], “[If being circumcised does not cause God to accept us Jews], (there is no advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]./is there any advantage in being a Jew [over being a non-Jew]?) [RHQ] Being circumcised does not benefit [us Jews at all]!”
2 Hĩ! Ũguni no mũnene na njĩra ciothe! Mbere ya maũndũ mothe, Ayahudi nĩo mehokeirwo ũramati wa ciugo cia Ngai.
[I would reply that being Jews] benefits [us] in many ways [HYP]. First of all, it benefits us because it was to [our ancestors] that God’s words, [words that contain his promises], were given {that [God] gave his words, [words that contain his promises]}.
3 Ĩ kũngĩkorwo amwe ao nĩmagire kwĩhokeka, kwaga kwĩhokeka kwao, nĩkũngĩatũmire Ngai aage gũtuĩka mwĩhokeku?
Many [Jews did not obey God as they promised that they would. So someone might ask], “Does their not being faithful mean that God will not [bless us Jews] as he promised [that he would]?”
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.”
[I would reply], “No, it certainly does not mean that! God always does [what he has promised], even though [people do not]. All those who accuse God [of not keeping his promises to us Jews] are very mistaken.” [What King David wrote about God’s justly saying that he would punish him for his sins is also true of those who accuse God of not keeping his promises. What he said to God was], “So everyone must acknowledge that what you [(sg)] have said [about them] (OR, [their sin]) is true, and you will always win the case when you are accused {when [people] accuse 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.)
So if we [Jews’] being wicked [PRS] shows that it is right that God [does not bless us], what shall we say/conclude? Shall we conclude that it is not right for God to be angry [and punish us Jews] [MTY]? I [should not be saying these things], [but] I am speaking as ordinary humans [speak].
6 Aca, kũroaga gũtuĩka ũguo! Angĩkorwo ũguo nĩguo kũrĩ-rĩ, Ngai angĩgĩtuĩra thĩ ciira atĩa?
We should certainly not [conclude that God should not judge us], because if God [did not judge us Jews], (it would not possibly be right for him to judge [anyone in] the world [MTY]!/how could he judge [anyone in] the world?) [MTY, RHQ]
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 [someone might object and say to me], “The fact that God truly [keeps his promises] becomes very clear/evident because of my not doing [what God has commanded]. But the result is that people praise God! So (God should no longer say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned!/why should God still say that I should be punished {that [he] should punish me} on account of my having sinned?) [RHQ]
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.
[If what you, Paul, say is true], then (we might as well/it is all right for us to) do evil things in order that good things [like that] will result! For example, [then people will praise God]!” Some people speak evil about me by their [falsely] saying that I say [such things. God] will fairly/justly punish [people who say such things about me]!
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.
[If someone would ask], “[Shall we conclude that God] will treat us [Jews] more favorably [and will treat] the non-Jews less [favorably] [RHQ]?” [I would reply that we can] certainly not [conclude that]! I have already shown you that all people, the Jews and also the non-Jews, have sinned and [so they deserve to be punished] {[that God will punish them]} [PRS].
10 O ta ũrĩa kwandĩkĩtwo atĩrĩ: “Gũtirĩ mũndũ mũthingu, gũtirĩ o na ũmwe;
[The following words] that are written {prophets have written} [in the Scriptures support this], No person is righteous. There is not even one righteous person!
11 gũtirĩ mũndũ ũmenyaga ũndũ, gũtirĩ mũndũ ũrongoragia Ngai.
There is no one who understands [how to live properly] (OR, [about God]). There is no one who seeks/desires [to know] God!
12 Othe nĩmagarũrũkĩte, makoora, othe hamwe magatuĩka kĩndũ gĩtarĩ bata; gũtirĩ mũndũ wĩkaga wega, gũtirĩ o na ũmwe.”
Absolutely everyone has turned away [MET] [from God]. God considers them depraved (OR, Everyone has become useless [to God]). There is no one who acts righteously; no, there is not even one!
13 “Mĩmero yao ĩhaana ta mbĩrĩra hingũre; nĩmĩ ciao ciaragia o maheeni.” “Mĩromo yao yaragia maũndũ marũrũ ta thumu wa nduĩra.”
What people say [MTY] [is foul/bad, like the smell that comes from] a grave that has been {that [people] have} opened [MET]. [By what people say] [MTY], they deceive people. [By what they say] [MTY] [they injure people, just like] the poison of snakes [injures people] [MET].
14 “Tũnua twao tũiyũrĩte irumi na ũrũrũ.”
They are continually (cursing/asking God to do harmful things to) others and saying (cruel/harsh/hateful) things [MTY].
15 “Mahanyũkaga na magũrũ magaite thakame;
They (go quickly/are eager) to murder people [MTY].
16 mwanangĩko na kĩeha nĩcio cionanagia kũrĩa magereire,
Wherever they go, they ruin everything and make [people] miserable [MTY].
17 nayo njĩra ya thayũ matimĩũĩ.”
They have not/never known how [to live] peacefully [with other people].
18 “Hatirĩ wĩtigĩri Ngai maitho-inĩ mao.”
They absolutely refuse to fear/reverence God [SYN]!
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.
Furthermore, we know that it is to [Jewish] people, [who are] required to obey [God’s] laws, that Moses wrote those laws [PRS]. [We can infer from this that] there are no [Jews or non-Jews] [SYN] who are able to say anything [in reply to God’s saying that he will punish them for having sinned]. God has declared everyone in the world [MTY] guilty!
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.
It is not because people have done the things that God’s laws [require] that [God] will (erase the record of their sins/declare them no longer guilty for sin), [because no one has done those things completely]. In fact, the result of [our knowing God’s] laws is that we know clearly that we have sinned (OR, are sinful).
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 God’s (erasing the record of our sins/declaring us no longer guilty) does not depend on [our obeying] the laws [that he gave Moses]. It has now been {[God] has now} revealed [to us] how he erases the record of our sins [by a different way]. It was written about [by Moses] {[Moses] wrote about it} in the laws [PRS] [God gave] him, and it was also written about by the prophets {the prophets also wrote about it}.
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,
God erases the record of our sins because we trust in [what] Jesus Christ [has done for us]. God does this for every person who trusts [in Christ], because [he considers] that there is no difference [between Jews and non-Jews].
23 nĩgũkorwo andũ othe nĩmehĩtie na makanyiihĩrwo nĩ riiri wa Ngai,
All people have done evil, and all people have failed to accomplish the glorious [goals] that God [set for them].
24 na nĩ ũndũ wa wega wa Ngai magatuuo athingu o ũguo tũhũ, nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa maakũũrirwo nĩ Kristũ Jesũ.
Our record of sins has been erased {God erased the record of our sins} by God acting kindly [to forgive our sins], without our doing anything to earn it. Christ Jesus accomplished this [by dying for us].
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,
God showed that Christ was the one who would atone for (OR, forgive) our sins [with the] blood [that flowed from his body when he died. God redeems/forgives] us because of our trusting [in Christ’s having died for us. God wanted] to show that he acts justly. [He wanted to do that] because, before [Jesus came, God] did not punish [everyone who sinned. So it seemed as though he was not being just]. But he was overlooking people’s sins during [that time],
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.
because he is patient. [God arranged for Jesus to die for us]. By doing that, God now shows that he is just, and he shows that he is justly able to erase the record of sins for everyone who trusts/believes 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.
It is not at all [RHQ] because of [our obeying the] laws [of Moses that God erases the record of our sins]. So, (there is no way that we can boast [that God does that because of our obeying those laws]./how can we boast [about God erasing the record of our sins because of our obeying those laws]?) [RHQ] Instead, [it is because of our] believing/trusting [in Christ that God erases the record of our sins].
28 Nĩgũkorwo nĩtũrũmĩtie atĩ mũndũ atuagwo mũthingu na ũndũ wa gwĩtĩkia no ti ũndũ wa gwathĩkĩra watho.
[We cannot boast about that], because we conclude that the record of our sins is erased {God erases the record of our sins} because of our trusting [in Christ]. God does not erase the record of our sins because of our obeying the laws [that he gave to Moses, because it is impossible for us to completely obey them].
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,
(You who are Jews certainly should not [think that you] are the only ones whom God [will accept]!/Do you Jews [think it is you] alone whom God [will accept]?) [RHQ] You certainly should [realize that he will accept] non-Jews, too. [RHQ] Of course, [he will accept] non-Jews also,
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.
because, [as you firmly believe], there is only one God, who will erase the record of Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in what Christ has done], and who will similarly erase the record of non-Jews’ [MTY] sins if they trust [in Christ].
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.
So, [if someone should ask concerning the laws that God gave Moses], “By saying [that God erases the record of our sins because of our] trusting [in Christ], does that mean that those laws now are useless?”, [I would reply], “Certainly not. Instead, we truly fulfill the laws [that God gave Moses].”
