Barome 7
1 Bandeko—nazali koloba na bato oyo bayebi Mobeko— bobosani ete Mobeko ezalaka na nguya likolo ya moto kaka na tango oyo azali na bomoi?
My fellow believers, you know about laws. So you certainly know (OR, I want you to remember) that people have to obey laws [PRS] [only] while [they are] alive. [RHQ]
2 Ndakisa: Mobeko ekangisaka mwasi ya libala na mobali na ye, wana mobali yango azali na bomoi. Kasi soki mobali akufi, mwasi akangolami na mobeko oyo ezalaki kokangisa ye na mobali.
For example, a woman is required by the law {the law requires a woman} [to obey and be faithful to her husband] as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, she is freed [from having to] {[no longer has to]} [obey] the law about [remaining married to] her husband.
3 Boye soki, wana mobali na ye azali nanu na bomoi, akomi mwasi ya mobali mosusu, bakoloba ete asali ekobo. Kasi soki mobali na ye akufi, akangolami libela na mobeko yango mpe akoki kokoma mwasi ya mobali mosusu; boye bakoloba te ete asali ekobo.
Therefore, a woman will be called {people will call a woman} an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she no longer [has to obey] that law. Then she will not be an adulteress if she marries another man.
4 Ndenge wana mpe mpo na bino bandeko na ngai: bosila mpe kokufa mpo na Mobeko na nzela ya nzoto ya Klisto mpo ete bokoma bato ya moto mosusu, ya Ye oyo asekwaki kati na bakufi, mpo ete tobota bambuma mpo na Nzambe.
Likewise, my fellow believers, [just like people are free from having to obey any law after they die] [MET], you [and I] have been freed {[God] has freed you [and me]} from having [to obey] all the Jewish rituals and laws [MET]. [That is because it is as though] we died with Christ [when he was crucified]. Now you [and I] belong to someone else [MET], [like a woman who marries again after her husband dies belongs to another man]. Specifically, you [and I] belong to [Christ], who has come back to life {whom [God] has caused to live again after he died}, in order that we may live righteously [IDM] to [honor] God.
5 Pamba te wana tozalaki nanu kotambola kolanda baposa ya nzoto, Mobeko ezalaki kotindika biso na baposa ya mabe oyo ezalaki kosala mosala na yango kati na biteni ya banzoto na biso mpo ete tobota bambuma oyo ememaka na kufa.
When our self-directed nature [controlled] us, desires [that led us to] sin were acting in our bodies. [Those desires were increased because of our knowing God’s] laws [PRS]. As a result [we did evil things] [IDM] [that] caused us to be separated from God.
6 Kasi sik’oyo, lokola tokufi mpo na nguya oyo ezalaki kokanga biso na bowumbu, tokangolami na nguya ya Mobeko mpo ete tosalela Nzambe na lolenge ya sika ya Molimo, kasi na lolenge ya kala ya mokanda ya Mobeko te.
But now we are freed {free} from [having to obey all the Jewish] rituals— [it is as though] we have died. The result is that now we are not controlled by those rituals {those rituals do not control us now}. So we serve God, not by [having to obey] those rituals, which is the old way, but in the new way, as [God’s] Spirit [helps us to serve him].
7 Boye toloba nini? Mobeko ekomi nde lisumu? Soki moke te! Soki Mobeko ezalaki te, nalingaki mpe koyeba lisumu te. Pamba te soki Mobeko elobaki te: « Okolulaka te, » nalingaki mpe koyeba te soki kolula ezali penza nini.
[Someone might object], saying, “(The laws [that God gave Moses] must be evil [if our sinful desires] are increased because of our knowing those laws. [MTY]/Are not the laws [that God gave Moses] evil [if they stir up our sinful desires]?)” [MTY, RHQ] [I would reply] that they certainly are not [evil, even though our sinful desires are increased]. What I would reply is that I, [for example], realized that [what I was doing] was sinful only because [of what is written] {[Moses wrote]} [in] those laws. For example, I realized that coveting [is sinful] only because he wrote in those laws [PRS], “You must not covet.”
8 Nzokande, lokola lisumu ezwaka nguya na esika oyo mitindo ezali, lisumu ebotaki kati na ngai lolenge nyonso ya baposa ya mabe. Pamba te soki Mobeko ezali te, lisumu mpe ezali na nguya te.
And because of what that commandment [stated], my sinful [desire to have things that belong to others] [PRS] caused me to covet in many ways. [Our desire to] sin is not stimulated [MET] when there is no law [that prohibits our doing sinful things].
9 Na kala, tango Mobeko ezalaki te, nazalaki na bomoi; kasi tango mitindo eyei, lisumu mpe ezwi nguya, mpe ngai nakufi.
Formerly, when I did not [know] what God’s laws [required], I used to live [without worrying about what I was doing]. But when I [became aware that God] commanded, [“You must not covet],” I suddenly realized [PRS] that I was sinning,
10 Bongo mitindo oyo esengelaki komema na bomoi ememi ngai na kufa.
and [I realized that] I was separated from God. The laws that [I thought would enable me to] live [eternally as a result of my obeying them] caused me [to realize that] I was separated from God!
11 Pamba te lokola lisumu ezwaka nguya na esika oyo mitindo ezali, lisumu ekosaki ngai mpe ememaki ngai na kufa na nzela ya mitindo.
[My desire to] sin found a way [PRS] to deceive me [by making me think wrongly that] I could keep [on sinning and at the same time obey] those laws [enough so that I would live eternally], and [thus it] caused me to be separated from God [PRS].
12 Boye, Mobeko ezali bule, mpe mitindo ezali bule, sembo mpe malamu.
So [we conclude that] the laws [that God gave to Moses] are holy. What God commanded [about not coveting, along with all the other things that he commanded], is also holy, and it is just and good.
13 Boni, eloko ya malamu ekoki solo komemela ngai kufa? Soki moke te! Nzokande, mpo ete lisumu eyebana ete ezali lisumu, mpe mpo ete elakisa mabe na yango na nzela ya mitindo, esalelaki eloko oyo ezali malamu mpo ete lisumu yango epesa ngai kufa.
So, [if someone were to object] saying, “[The laws that God gave Moses], which are good, (resulted in my being separated from God!/did they result in my being separated from God?) [RHQ]” [I would reply], “Certainly they did not [do that]!” But instead, those [laws], which are good, stimulated [my desire to] sin. I knew that the result was that I was separated from God. And also, because I [learned what God had] commanded, [I knew that] what I was doing was [truly] sinful.
14 Toyebi ete Mobeko epesamaki na nzela ya Molimo na Nzambe; kasi ngai nazali kaka moto, natekama mpo na kozala mowumbu ya lisumu.
We know that the laws [that God gave Moses came from God’s] Spirit. But as for me, I am [influenced by my] self-directed nature. [It is as though] I have been forced to become a slave of [my desire to] sin [MET].
15 Nasosolaka te makambo oyo nasalaka: oyo nalingaka kosala, nasalaka yango te; kasi oyo nayinaka, yango nde nasalaka.
The things that I do, I [often] [HYP] do not understand. That is, [sometimes] [HYP] it is [the good things] that I want [to do] that I do not do. [And sometimes] [HYP] it is the [evil] things that I detest that I do.
16 Mpe soki nasalaka makambo oyo naboyaka kosala, wana nandimi ete Mobeko ezali malamu.
Since I [do] the [evil] things that I do not want [to] do, I agree that the laws [of God] are good.
17 Lokola ezali bongo, emonani ete ezali ngai te moto nasalaka yango, kasi ezali nde lisumu oyo evandaka kati na ngai.
So, it is not that I do [evil things because I wish to do them]. Instead, [what happens is that] I do sinful things because the desire to sin [causes me to do them]. The [desire to] sin (is within/permeates) me [PRS].
18 Pamba te nayebi malamu ete bolamu evandaka kati na ngai te, elingi koloba: evandaka kati na nzoto na ngai te. Nazalaka na posa ya kosala bolamu, kasi nazangaka nguya ya kokokisa yango.
I know that my self-directed nature will not [let me] [PRS] [do] anything that is good. I know this because I want [to do what is good], but I do not do what is good.
19 Nasalaka te bolamu oyo nalingaka kosala, kasi nasalaka nde mabe oyo naboyaka kosala.
I do not do the good things that I want to do. Instead, it is evil things that I do not want to do that I do.
20 Soki sik’oyo nasali makambo oyo naboyaka kosala, ezali lisusu ngai te moto nasali yango, kasi ezali nde lisumu oyo evandaka kati na ngai.
Because I do [evil things] that I do not want to do, it is not that I do [evil things because I want to]. Instead, [I do them because] my self-directed nature, which permeates me [PRS], [causes me to do them].
21 Boye, namonaka mobeko oyo kosala kati na ngai: soki nalingi kosala bolamu, ezali mabe kaka nde nakosala.
I find, then, that what always happens is that when I want to do what is good, there is an evil [desire] present within me that [PRS] [prevents me from doing good].
22 Pamba te kati na motema na ngai, nasepelaka na Mobeko ya Nzambe;
With my new inner nature I like the laws of God very much.
23 kasi kati na biteni ya nzoto na ngai, namonaka mobeko mosusu kobundisa mobeko ya makanisi ya motema na ngai mpe kokomisa ngai mowumbu ya mobeko ya lisumu oyo ezali kosala kati na biteni ya nzoto na ngai.
Nevertheless, I sense that there is a different force that is in (my body/me) [PRS, SYN]. It is opposed to what with my mind [I desire to do] [MET], and it puts me inescapably under the control of [MET] the sinful [desires] that I have [SYN].
24 Oh ngai moto na mawa! Nani akokangola ngai na nzoto oyo ya kufa?
[When I consider this], I [feel that I] am a very wretched person. I want someone to set me free from the control of what my body [desires], in order that I might not be separated from God. [RHQ] [I also think that what I have experienced is the same as what all believers experience].
25 Tika ete matondi epesamela Nzambe oyo akangolaka ngai na nzela ya Yesu-Klisto, Nkolo na biso! Na mokuse, nakoki koloba ete, na nzela ya mayele na ngai, nazali mowumbu ya Mobeko ya Nzambe, kasi na nzela ya bomoto na ngai ya masumu, nazali mowumbu ya mobeko ya lisumu.
I thank God that it is by Jesus Christ our Lord [that we can be free from the control of what our bodies desire]. So, [with our minds, you and] I on the one hand want to obey God’s laws. [But also], [you and] I [often let] our sinful [desires control us] because of our self-directed nature.
