Aroma 7
1 Atĩrĩrĩ, ariũ na aarĩ a Ithe witũ (nĩgũkorwo ndĩraaria na inyuĩ mũrĩ andũ arĩa mooĩ watho), kaĩ mũtooĩ atĩ watho wathaga mũndũ o rĩrĩa arĩ muoyo?
Surely, Brothers, you know (for I am speaking to men who know what Law means) that Law has power over a man only as long as he lives.
2 Nĩ ũndũ mũtũmia ũrĩ na mũthuuri aikaraga ohanĩtio na mũthuuriwe nĩ watho ihinda rĩrĩa rĩothe mũthuuriwe arĩ muoyo; no mũthuuriwe angĩkua-rĩ, mũtumia ũcio ti muohe nĩ watho ũcio wa ũhiki.
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband while he is living; but, if her husband dies, she is set free from the law that bound her to him.
3 Tondũ mũtumia ũcio angĩhikĩra mũndũ ũngĩ rĩrĩa mũthuuriwe arĩ muoyo, atuĩkaga mũtharia. No mũthuuriwe angĩkua, mũtumia ũcio ti muohe nĩ watho ũcio, na ndangĩtuĩka gĩtharia o na angĩhikio nĩ mũndũ ũngĩ.
If, then, during her husband’s lifetime, she unites herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but, if her husband dies, the law has no further hold on her, nor, if she unites herself to another man, is she an adulteress.
4 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, ariũ na aarĩ a Ithe witũ, o na inyuĩ nĩmwakuire ũhoro-inĩ wa watho nĩ ũndũ wa mwĩrĩ wa Kristũ, nĩguo mũtuĩke a mũndũ ũngĩ, o we ũrĩa wariũkirio akiuma kũrĩ arĩa akuũ, nĩgeetha tũciaragĩre Ngai maciaro.
And so with you, my Brothers; as far as the Law was concerned, you underwent death in the crucified body of the Christ, so that you might be united to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that our lives might bear fruit for God.
5 Nĩgũkorwo hĩndĩ ĩrĩa twathagwo nĩ mwĩrĩ ũyũ wa mehia-rĩ, merirĩria ma mehia marĩa maarahũragwo nĩ watho nĩmarutaga wĩra thĩinĩ wa mĩĩrĩ iitũ, magaciaragĩra gĩkuũ maciaro.
When we were living merely earthly lives, our sinful passions, aroused by the Law, were active in every part of our bodies, with the result that our lives bore fruit for Death.
6 No rĩu, nĩtuohoretwo tũkoima watho-inĩ, tondũ nĩtũkuĩte ũhoro-inĩ ũrĩa watuohete nĩgeetha tũtungatage na mũtungatĩre mwerũ wa Roho, no ti mũtungatĩre ũrĩa mũkũrũ wa watho ũrĩa mwandĩke.
But now we are set free from the Law, because we are dead to that which once kept us under restraint; and so we serve under new, spiritual conditions, and not under old, written regulations.
7 Rĩu rĩ, tũkiuge atĩa? Watho ũkĩrĩ wĩhia? Aca ti ũguo! Ti-itherũ tiga nĩ ũndũ wa watho ndingĩamenyire wĩhia nĩ kĩĩ. Nĩgũkorwo ndingĩamenyire ũhoro wa gũcumĩkĩra korwo watho ndwoigĩte, “Ndũkanacumĩkĩre kĩndũ kĩene.”
What are we to say, then? That Law and sin are the same thing? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, I should not have learned what sin is, had not it been for Law. If the Law did not say ‘Thou shalt not covet,’ I should not know what it is to covet.
8 No wĩhia, tondũ wa kuona kamweke karĩa kaaheanĩtwo nĩ rĩathani rĩu, ũgĩtũma ngĩe na merirĩria ma mĩthemba yothe thĩinĩ wakwa. Nĩgũkorwo hatarĩ watho, wĩhia nĩ mũkuũ.
But sin took advantage of the Commandment to arouse in me every form of covetousness, for where there is no consciousness of Law sin shows no sign of life.
9 Kũrĩ hĩndĩ niĩ ndaarĩ muoyo itanamenya watho; no hĩndĩ ĩrĩa rĩathani rĩokire, wĩhia ũkĩgĩa muoyo na niĩ ngĩkua.
There was a time when I myself, unconscious of Law, was alive; but when the Commandment was brought home to me, sin sprang into life, while I died!
10 Ngĩmenya atĩ rĩathani o rĩu rĩarĩ rĩa gũtũma mũndũ atũũre muoyo-rĩ, norĩo rĩarehire gĩkuũ.
The very Commandment that should have meant Life I found to result in Death!
11 Nĩgũkorwo rĩrĩa wĩhia wonire kamweke karĩa kaaheanĩtwo nĩ rĩathani rĩu-rĩ, nĩ kũũheenia waheenirie, na ũkĩnjũraga narĩo.
Sin took advantage of the Commandment to deceive me, and used it to bring about my Death.
12 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, watho nĩ mũtheru, o na rĩathani no rĩtheru, na nĩ rĩa kĩhooto na nĩ rĩega.
And so the Law is holy, and each Commandment is also holy, and just, and good.
13 Kaĩ ũndũ ũcio mwega ũgĩcookete gũtuĩka gĩkuũ harĩ niĩ? Gũtikanatuĩke ũguo! No nĩgeetha wĩhia ũkũũrĩkane atĩ nĩ wĩhia, nĩwarehire gĩkuũ thĩinĩ wakwa na ũndũ wa kũhũthĩra ũndũ ũcio mwega, nĩguo wĩhia ũtuĩke wĩhia kũna.
Did, then, a thing, which in itself was good, involve Death in my case? Heaven forbid! It was sin that involved Death; so that, by its use of what I regarded as good to bring about my Death, its true nature might appear; and in this way the Commandment showed how intensely sinful sin is.
14 Nĩtũũĩ atĩ watho uumanĩte na Roho; no niĩ ndĩ mũndũ ũrĩ na mwĩrĩ wendetio agatuĩka ngombo ya wĩhia.
We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am earthly — sold into slavery to Sin.
15 Ndimenyaga maũndũ marĩa njĩkaga. Nĩgũkorwo ũrĩa nyendaga gwĩka tiguo njĩkaga, no ũndũ ũrĩa thũire nĩguo njĩkaga.
I do not understand my own actions. For I am so far from habitually doing what I want to do, that I find myself doing the very thing that I hate.
16 O na ingĩtuĩka njĩkaga ũrĩa itekwenda gwĩka-rĩ, nĩnjĩtĩkĩrĩte atĩ watho nĩ mwega.
But when I do what I want not to do, I am admitting that the Law is right.
17 Tondũ ũcio nĩngũũranĩte atĩ ti niĩ mwene njĩkaga maũndũ macio, no nĩ wĩhia ũrĩa ũtũũraga thĩinĩ wakwa wĩkaga ũguo.
This being so, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.
18 Nĩnjũũĩ atĩ gũtirĩ ũndũ mwega ũtũũraga thĩinĩ wakwa, ũguo nĩ kuuga thĩinĩ wa mwĩrĩ ũyũ wakwa wĩhagia. Nĩgũkorwo nĩndĩriragĩria gwĩka wega, no hinya wa gwĩka ũguo nĩguo itarĩ.
I know that there is nothing good in me — I mean in my earthly nature. For, although it is easy for me to want to do right, to act rightly is not easy.
19 Nĩgũkorwo wega ũrĩa nyendaga gwĩka tiguo njĩkaga, no ũũru ũrĩa itendaga gwĩka nĩguo thiiaga na mbere gwĩka.
I fail to do the good thing that I want to do, but the bad thing that I want not to do — that I habitually do.
20 Na rĩrĩ, ingĩkorwo nĩnjĩkaga ũrĩa itekwenda gwĩka-rĩ, ti niĩ mwene njĩkaga maũndũ macio, no nĩ wĩhia ũrĩa ũtũũraga thĩinĩ wakwa wĩkaga ũguo.
But, when I do the very thing that I want not to do, the action is no longer my own, but that of Sin which is within me.
21 Ũndũ ũyũ nĩũtũmaga nyone atĩ watho ũyũ nĩguo ũrutaga wĩra thĩinĩ wakwa: Rĩrĩa ngwenda gwĩka wega-rĩ, ũũru ũkoragwo o hamwe na niĩ.
This, then, is the law that I find — when I want to do right, wrong presents itself!
22 Nĩgũkorwo ngoro-inĩ yakwa thĩinĩ, nĩngenagĩra watho wa Ngai;
At heart I delight in the Law of God;
23 no nĩnyonaga watho ũngĩ ũkĩruta wĩra thĩinĩ wa ciĩga cia mwĩrĩ wakwa, ũkarehaga mbaara, na ũkarũaga na watho wa meciiria makwa, na ũkandua mũndũ muohe nĩ watho wa wĩhia ũrĩa ũrutaga wĩra thĩinĩ wa ciĩga ciakwa.
but throughout my body I see a different law, one which is in conflict with the law accepted by my reason, and which endeavours to make me a prisoner to that law of Sin which exists throughout my body.
24 Kaĩ niĩ ndĩkĩrĩ mũndũ mũthĩĩnĩku-ĩ! Nũũ ũkũũhonokia harĩ mwĩrĩ ũyũ wa gĩkuũ?
Miserable man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body that is bringing me to this Death?
25 Nĩndacookeria Ngai ngaatho nĩ ũndũ wa Jesũ Kristũ Mwathani witũ! Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, niĩ mwene thĩinĩ wa meciiria makwa ndĩ ngombo ya watho wa Ngai, no ha ũhoro wa mwĩrĩ ũyũ wa wĩhia, niĩ ndĩ ngombo ya watho wa wĩhia.
Thank God, there is deliverance through Jesus Christ, our Lord! Well then, for myself, with my reason I serve the Law of God, but with my earthly nature the Law of Sin.
