KwabaseRoma 11
1 Ngakho ngithi: UNkulunkulu ubalahlile yini abantu bakhe? Phinde! Ngoba lami ngingumIsrayeli, owenzalo kaAbrahama, wesizwe sikaBhenjamini.
I say, then, Has God rejected his people? It can not be. For I am an Israelite, of the posterity of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 UNkulunkulu kabalahlanga abantu bakhe abazi ngaphambili. Kumbe kalazi yini kuElija ukuthi umbhalo uthini? Ukuthi walabhela njani kuNkulunkulu emelene loIsrayeli, esithi:
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Know you not what the scripture says, in regard to Elijah? how he intercedes with God against Israel, saying:
3 Nkosi, babulele abaprofethi bakho, badilizile amalathi akho; mina-ke ngisele ngedwa, sebedinga umphefumulo wami.
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thy altars, and I am left alone, and they seek: my life.
4 Kodwa impendulo kaNkulunkulu yathini kuye? Yathi: Ngizitshiyele amadoda azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, angaguqanga ngedolo kuBhali.
But what says the answer of God to him? I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
5 Kunjalo-ke kukhona langalesisikhathi insali ngokukhetha komusa.
Thus, then, at the present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 Kodwa uba kungomusa, kakusayi ngemisebenzi; uba kungenjalo umusa kawuseyiwo umusa. Kodwa aluba kusiya ngemisebenzi, kakuseyiwo umusa; uba kungenjalo umsebenzi kawusengumsebenzi.
And if the election is by grace, it is no longer by works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 Pho-ke? Lokhu uIsrayeli ayekudinga, lokho kakutholanga, kodwa abakhethiweyo bakuthola, labanye benziwa baba lukhuni;
What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks; but the chosen have obtained it, and the rest have been hardened to this day,
8 njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: UNkulunkulu wabanika umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, amehlo ukuze bangaboni, lendlebe ukuze bangezwa, kuze kube lusuku lwalamuhla.
as it is written: God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes with which they can not see, and ears with which they can not hear.
9 LoDavida uthi: Itafula labo libe ngumjibila lesifu, lesikhubekiso, lempindiselo kubo;
And David says: Let their table become a trap, and a net, and a snare, and a recompense to them;
10 amehlo abo kafiphazwe ukuze bangaboni, njalo ugobise umhlana wabo njalonjalo.
let their eyes be darkened, so that they may not see, and let them bow down their back always.
11 Ngakho ngithi: Bakhubeka ukuze bawe yini? Phinde! Kodwa ngesiphambeko sabo usindiso lufikile kwabezizwe, ukubavusela umona.
I say, then, Have they stumbled, in order that they may fall? It can not be. But rather, through their fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to excite them to jealousy.
12 Kodwa uba isiphambeko sabo siyinotho yomhlaba, lokwehluleka kwabo kuyinotho yabezizwe, kakhulu kangakanani ukugcwala kwabo?
Now, if their fall be the riches of the world, and their loss be the riches of the Gentiles, how much more shall their full acceptance be the riches of the world?
13 Ngoba ngikhuluma lani bezizwe, njengalokho mina ngingumphostoli wabezizwe; ngikhulisa inkonzo yami;
For I speak to you, Gentiles; inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I do honor to my ministry,
14 ukuthi mhlawumbe ngibavusele umona abenyama yami, ngisindise abanye babo.
if, by any means, I may excite to jealousy those who are my flesh, and save some of them.
15 Ngoba uba ukulahlwa kwabo kuyikubuyiswa komhlaba, kungaba yini ukwemukelwa, ngaphandle kokuthi kuyimpilo kwabafileyo?
For, if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the reception of them be, but life from the dead?
16 Njalo uba izithelo zokuqala zingcwele, lenhlama injalo; uba-ke impande ingcwele, lengatsha zinjalo.
Now, if the first fruit is holy, the mass is holy also: and if the root is holy, the branches are holy also.
17 Kodwa uba kwephulwe ezinye ingatsha, lawe ongumhlwathi weganga waxhunyelelwa phakathi kwazo, uhlanganyele lazo impande lamafutha omhlwathi,
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, have been grafted in among them, and partake with them of the root and fatness of the olive,
18 ungazincomi phezu kwengatsha; kodwa uba uzincoma phezu kwazo, kayisuwe othwele impande, kodwa impande wena.
boast not against the branches; but if you boast, boast not that you bear the root, but that the root bears you.
19 Uzakuthi-ke: Ingatsha zephulwa, ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe.
You will say then: The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
20 Kulungile; zephulwa ngokungakholwa, wena-ke umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba;
Well; on account of unbelief they were broken off; but you stand by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear.
21 ngoba uba uNkulunkulu engayekelanga ingatsha zemvelo, hlezi lawe kayikukuyekela.
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he spare not you.
22 Khangela-ke ububele lobukhali bukaNkulunkulu; ubukhali, kulabo abawayo; kodwa kuwe, ububele, uba uhlala ebubeleni; uba kungenjalo uzaqunywa lawe.
Behold, then, the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell; severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise, you also shall be cut off.
23 Lalabo futhi, uba bengahlali ekungakholweni, bazaxhunyelwa, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulamandla okubuya abaxhume.
And they, also, if they continue not in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
24 Ngoba uba wena waqunywa emhlwathini weganga ngemvelo, wasuxhunyelelwa ngokuphambene lemvelo emhlwathini ohlanyelweyo, kakhulu kangakanani labo, abazingatsha ngemvelo, bazaxhunyelelwa esihlahleni sakibo somhlwathi?
For if you were cut out from an olive-tree that is wild by nature, and were grafted, against nature, into a good olive, how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive?
25 Ngoba ngithanda ukuthi lingabi ngabangaziyo, bazalwane, ngalimfihlo, hlezi lizitshaye abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi ubulukhuni sebehlele uIsrayeli nganxanye, kuze kungene ukugcwala kwabezizwe;
For I do not wish you, brethren, to be ignorant of this mystery―lest you be wise in your own conceit―that blindness has happened to Israel in part, till the full number of the Gentiles shall have come in.
26 ngokunjalo-ke uIsrayeli wonke uzasindiswa; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kuzavela eSiyoni uMkhululi, asuse ukungabi loNkulunkulu kuJakobe;
And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
27 njalo yilesi isivumelwano sami kubo, lapho ngizasusa izono zabo.
And this is my covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 Ngokwevangeli bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokukhetha bangabathandiweyo ngenxa yabobaba;
As it respects the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sakes; but as it respects their election, they are beloved for the fathers sakes:
29 ngoba izipho zomusa lokubiza kukaNkulunkulu kakulakuphenduka.
for God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable.
30 Ngoba njengalokhu lani kade lingamlaleli uNkulunkulu, kodwa khathesi selihawukelwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo;
For as you formerly did not believe God, but now have obtained mercy through their unbelief;
31 ngokunjalo lalabo khathesi kabalalelanga, ukuze ngesihawu senu bahawukelwe labo;
so, also, these have not now believed, that through the mercy shown to you, they also may obtain mercy.
For God has delivered them all over to unbelief, that he may have mercy on them all. (eleēsē g1653)
33 Yeka ukujula kwenotho, kokubili eyenhlakanipho leyolwazi lukaNkulunkulu! Kakuphenyeki kangakanani ukwahlulela kwakhe, lendlela zakhe kazilandeleki!
O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 Ngoba ngubani owazi ingqondo yeNkosi? Kumbe ngubani owaba ngumeluleki wayo?
For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or, who has been his counsellor?
35 Kumbe ngubani owamnika kuqala, njalo kubuyiselwe kuye?
Or, who has first given to him, and received from him a recompense?
