Abaruumi 4
1 Kale kiki kye tunaayogera ku jjajjaffe Ibulayimu ku bikwata ku by’omubiri?
Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
2 Singa Ibulayimu yaweebwa obutuukirivu lwa bikolwa, yandyenyumirizza, naye si eri Katonda.
If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
3 Ebyawandiikibwa bitugamba bitya? Ibulayimu yakkiriza Katonda ne kimubalirwa okuba obutuukirivu.
[Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
4 Omuntu bw’akola omulimu, asasulwa empeera ye. Empeera gy’aweebwa, teba kirabo.
If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
5 Katonda tayinza kukusembeza olw’ebikolwa byo. Katonda asembeza aboonoonyi olw’okukkiriza kwe balina mu ye.
But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
6 Kabaka Dawudi naye yayogera kye kimu ku muntu ono Katonda gw’awa obutuukirivu obutavudde mu bikolwa bye ng’agamba nti:
Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
7 “Baweereddwa omukisa, abasonyiyiddwa ebyonoono byabwe, ne baggyibwako ebibi byabwe.
[God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
8 Aweereddwa omukisa omuntu, Mukama gw’atalibalira kibi.”
[God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
9 Kale omukisa guno, gw’abakomole bokka oba n’abatali bakomole? Ebyawandiikibwa bitugamba nti okukkiriza kwa Ibulayimu kwamubalirwa okuba obutuukirivu.
As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
10 Kale, kwamubalirwa kutya? Ng’akomolebbwa oba nga tannakomolebwa? Nedda si ng’akomolebbwa naye nga tannakomolebwa.
([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
11 Akabonero ke yafuna ak’okukomolebwa, ye nvumbo ku butuukirivu olw’okukkiriza kwe, nga tannakomolebwa, alyoke abeere jjajja w’abo bonna abakkiriza nga si bakomole, nabo balyoke babalirwe obutuukirivu.
[Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
12 Ate era ye jjajja w’abantu bonna, abakomole, era abatambulira mu kkubo ery’okukkiriza, jjajjaffe Ibulayimu kwe yalina nga tannakomolebwa.
Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
13 Ibulayimu n’ezzadde lye tebaaweebwa kisuubizo eky’okulya ensi yonna, ng’omugabo gwe, lwa kukwata mateeka. Katonda, ensi yagimusuubiza lwa butuukirivu obwamuweebwa olw’okukkiriza.
God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
14 Kale obanga baweebwa obusika lw’amateeka, okukkiriza kuba tekugasa, era nga n’ekisuubizo tekirina makulu.
If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
15 Katonda anyiiga Amateeka ge bwe gatagonderwa. Naye bwe wataba mateeka, tewaba mateeka ga kujeemera.
16 Noolwekyo ekisuubizo kijja lwa kukkiriza, kiryoke kiweebwe lwa kisa, eri ezzadde lyonna, so si ezzadde erigondera amateeka lyokka naye n’eri ezzadde erya Ibulayimu olw’okukkiriza; era oyo ye jjajjaffe ffenna.
So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
17 Kyawandiikibwa nti, “Nkufudde jjajja w’amawanga amangi.” Ye jjajjaffe mu maaso g’oyo gwe yakkiriza, Katonda azuukiza abafu, era alaba ebitaliiwo ng’ebiriwo, era atonda ebintu ebiggya.
What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
18 Katonda yasuubiza Ibulayimu abazzukulu bangi. Ne bwe kyalabika ng’ekitasoboka, Ibulayimu yalina okukkiriza mu Katonda, n’oluvannyuma n’abeera jjajja w’amawanga mangi, okusinziira ku ekyo ekyayogerwa nti, “Ezadde lyo bwe liriba.”
even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
19 Teyatendewererwa mu kukkiriza, newaakubadde nga yali wa myaka nga kikumi, nga n’omubiri gwe munafu nnyo, ate nga ne Saala mugumba.
He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
20 Teyabuusabuusa kisuubizo kya Katonda mu butakkiriza, naye yaweebwa amaanyi lwa kukkiriza; n’agulumiza Katonda.
he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
21 Yakakasiza ddala nti Katonda kye yasuubiza asobola okukituukiriza,
He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
22 era bwe kityo ne kimubalirwa okuba obutuukirivu.
And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
23 Naye tekyawandiikibwa ku lulwe yekka nti, “Kyamubalirwa okuba obutuukirivu;”
The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
24 naye era naffe, abakkiririza mu oyo eyazuukiza Yesu Mukama waffe mu bafu.
They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
25 Kristo yaweebwayo okuttibwa olw’ebibi byaffe, n’azuukizibwa tulyoke tuweebwe obutuukirivu.
Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
