Jake 5
1 Boyoka sik’oyo, bino bazwi: Boyoka mawa mpe bolela mpo na pasi oyo ekokweyela bino.
Now [I have something to say to] the rich people [who do not believe in Christ and who] ([oppress you/cause you to suffer]). Listen [to me], you rich people! You should weep and wail [loudly] [DOU] because you will experience terrible troubles [PRS]!
2 Bomengo na bino esili kopola, mpe mpese esili kolia bilamba na bino;
Your wealth [of various kinds] is [worthless] [MET], [as though it were] rotted. Your fine clothes are [worthless] [MET], [as though] termites had ruined them.
3 wolo mpe palata na bino esili kobeba; mpe libebi na yango ekotatola mabe na bino mpe ekolia banzoto na bino lokola moto. Bozali kobakisa se kobakisa bomengo! Boyebi te ete tokomi na mikolo ya suka?
Your gold and silver are [worthless] [MET], [as though they were] corroded. [When God judges you], this worthless wealth [MTY] of yours will be evidence [PRS] that you are guilty [of being greedy], and as rust and fire [destroy] [MET, SYN] things, [God] will severely punish you [SIM]. You have ([in vain/uselessly]) (stored up/accumulated) [wealth] at a time when [God] is about to [judge you] [MTY].
4 Bozali ata koboya kofuta basali bilanga na bino. Yoka ndenge bazali kolela! Mpe kolela na bango ekomi kino na matoyi ya Nkolo, Mokonzi ya mampinga.
Think [about what you have done]. You have not paid wages to the workmen who have harvested your fields for you, [with the result that] [PRS] those reapers are crying out [to God for him to help them]. [And God], the all-powerful Lord, has heard their loud cries.
5 Awa na mokili, bozali kobika bomoi ya bisengo mpe ya bofuluki, bozali komikomisa nzoto mafuta lokola banyama oyo babongisi mpo na koboma.
You have lived luxuriously, just to have pleasure [here] on earth. [Just like cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that] they will be slaughtered [MET], you have [lived just for pleasure] [MTY], [not realizing that God will severely punish you].
6 Bozali kokatela bato ya sembo etumbu mpe koboma bango, nzokande batelemeli bino te.
You have [arranged for others/judges to] condemn innocent people. You have [arranged for others to kill] some people. [And even though] those people had not done anything wrong, they were not [able to] defend themselves against you. [My fellow believers, that is what I say to the rich people] ([who oppress you/cause you to suffer]).
7 Bandeko, boyika mpiko kino na mokolo oyo Nkolo akoya. Botala ndenge mosali bilanga azelaka bambuma kitoko ya mabele: akangaka motema wuta tango oyo aloni elanga na ye kino na eleko ya kobuka bambuma.
So, my fellow believers, [although rich people cause you to suffer], be patient until the Lord [Jesus Christ] comes [back]. Remember that when farmers [plant a field], they wait for their valuable crops to grow. They must wait patiently for the rain [that comes] at the planting season and for more rain [that comes] just before the harvest season. They wait [for] the crops [to grow and mature before they can harvest them].
8 Bino mpe, bokangaka mitema mpe boyikaka mpiko, pamba te koya ya Nkolo ekomi pene.
[Similarly], you also should [wait] patiently and trust the Lord [Jesus] firmly, because he is coming [back] soon [and will judge all people fairly].
9 Bandeko na ngai, botika kofundana bino na bino, noki te Nzambe akosambisa bino. Botala, Mosambisi azali ya kotelema liboso ya ekuke.
My fellow believers, do not complain about each other, in order that you will not be condemned [and punished by the Lord Jesus] {in order that [the Lord Jesus] will not condemn you}. It is he who will judge us, and he is ready to appear.
10 Bandeko, mpo na oyo etali kokanga motema kati na pasi, bozwa ndakisa ya basakoli oyo basakolaki na Kombo ya Nkolo.
My fellow believers, as an example [of how to be patient], (consider/think about) the prophets whom the Lord [God sent long ago] to speak his messages [MTY]. [Although people caused] the prophets to suffer a lot, they endured it patiently.
11 Ndenge boyebi, tobengaka bato oyo bayikaka mpiko bato ya esengo. Boyokaki sango ya lolenge oyo Yobo akangaki motema kati na pasi, mpe boyebi malamu makambo oyo Nkolo asalaki, na suka, mpo na bolamu na ye; pamba te Nkolo atonda na boboto mpe na mawa.
And we know that [God] (approves of/is pleased with) those who endure [suffering for him]. You have also heard about Job. You know that [although he suffered much], the Lord [God] finally caused things to turn out well [for Job because] he endured [that suffering] (OR, because he continued [to trust God]). [And from that we know] that the Lord is very compassionate and kind.
12 Liboso na nyonso, bandeko na ngai, bolapaka ndayi te, ezala na kombo ya Likolo, ya mokili to mpe ya eloko nini. Tika ete « iyo » na bino etikala « iyo, » mpe « te » na bino etikala « te, » mpo ete bakatela bino etumbu te.
Also, my fellow believers, [I want to say] something important [about how you talk]. [If you say that you will do something], do not say, “If I do not do it, may [God in] heaven [MTY] punish me.” Do not even say, “If I do not do it, may [someone here on] earth [MTY] punish me.” Do not say anything like that. Instead, if you say “Yes,” then [do what you said that you would do]. If you say “No,” then do not [do it]. Otherwise, [God] will condemn you.
13 Soki moko kati na bino azali na pasi, tika ete abondela; soki moko azali na esengo, tika ete ayemba banzembo mpo na kokumisa Nzambe;
Whoever among you is experiencing trouble [RHQ] should pray [that God would help him. Whoever] is cheerful/happy [RHQ] should sing songs of praise [to God].
14 soki mpe mosusu kati na bino azali kobela, tika ete abenga bakambi ya Lingomba mpo ete babondela mpo na ye mpe bapakola ye mafuta na Kombo ya Nkolo,
Whoever among you is sick [RHQ] should call the leaders of the congregation [to come to pray for him]. They should put [olive] oil on him and, with the Lord’s authority [MTY] (OR, calling on the Lord [to heal him]), pray.
15 pamba te libondeli oyo esalemi na kondima ekobikisa mobeli, mpe Nkolo akotelemisa ye. Soki asalaki masumu, Nzambe akolimbisa ye.
And if they truly trust [in the Lord] when they pray [PRS], the sick person will be healed. The Lord will heal him. And if that person has sinned ([in a way that caused him to be/and because of that he became]) [sick, if he] ([confesses what he did/says that he did what is wrong]), he will be forgiven {[the Lord] will forgive him}.
16 Yango wana, tika ete moko na moko ayambola masumu na ye epai ya moninga na ye, mpe tika ete moko na moko abondela mpo na moninga na ye, mpo ete bobikisama na bokono. Libondeli ya moto ya sembo ezali na nguya makasi mpe esalaka makambo ya kokamwa.
So, [because the Lord is able to heal the sick and to forgive sins], tell each other the sinful things that you have done, and pray for each other in order that you may be healed {that [God] may heal you} [physically and spiritually]. If righteous people [pray and] ask fervently [for God to do something, God] will certainly do it in a powerful way.
17 Eliya azalaki moto lokola biso, abondelaki na molende nyonso mpo ete mvula enoka te, mpe mvula enokaki te na mabele mibu misato na basanza motoba;
[Although the prophet] Elijah was (an ordinary person/just a human being) like us, he earnestly prayed that it would not rain. [As a result], it did not rain for three and a half years.
18 abondelaki lisusu, mpe Likolo epesaki lisusu mvula, mpe mabele ebotaki bambuma.
Then he prayed again, [asking God to send rain], and [as a result God] [MTY] sent rain, and plants [grew and] produced crops [again].
19 Bandeko na ngai, soki moko kati na bino apengwi mosika ya bosolo mpe moto mosusu azongisi ye kati na yango,
My fellow believers, if anyone of you stops obeying the true message [from God], someone from among you should persuade that person to once again do [what God has told us to do]. [If he stops doing what is wrong],
20 boyeba ete moto oyo azongisi mopengwi longwa na libunga abikisi ye na kufa mpe asali ete masumu ebele elimbisama.
the one [who persuaded him] should realize that [because] he has enabled the person who was sinning to stop doing what is wrong, [God] will save that person from ([spiritual] death/being separated from him forever), and will forgive [his] many sins.
