KwabaseRoma 11
1 Ngakho ngithi: UNkulunkulu ubalahlile yini abantu bakhe? Phinde! Ngoba lami ngingumIsrayeli, owenzalo kaAbrahama, wesizwe sikaBhenjamini.
I ask then, has God rejected his people? Certainly not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant 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. Do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 Nkosi, babulele abaprofethi bakho, badilizile amalathi akho; mina-ke ngisele ngedwa, sebedinga umphefumulo wami.
“Lord, they have killed yoʋr prophets and demolished yoʋr altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life”?
4 Kodwa impendulo kaNkulunkulu yathini kuye? Yathi: Ngizitshiyele amadoda azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, angaguqanga ngedolo kuBhali.
But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed down to Baal.”
5 Kunjalo-ke kukhona langalesisikhathi insali ngokukhetha komusa.
So then, in the present time also there is a remnant chosen by grace.
6 Kodwa uba kungomusa, kakusayi ngemisebenzi; uba kungenjalo umusa kawuseyiwo umusa. Kodwa aluba kusiya ngemisebenzi, kakuseyiwo umusa; uba kungenjalo umsebenzi kawusengumsebenzi.
Now if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. But if it is by works, it is no longer grace, otherwise work would no longer be work.
7 Pho-ke? Lokhu uIsrayeli ayekudinga, lokho kakutholanga, kodwa abakhethiweyo bakuthola, labanye benziwa baba lukhuni;
What then? Israel did not obtain what it was seeking. The chosen obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
8 njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: UNkulunkulu wabanika umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, amehlo ukuze bangaboni, lendlebe ukuze bangezwa, kuze kube lusuku lwalamuhla.
as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes not to see and ears not to hear, down to this very day.”
9 LoDavida uthi: Itafula labo libe ngumjibila lesifu, lesikhubekiso, lempindiselo kubo;
And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 amehlo abo kafiphazwe ukuze bangaboni, njalo ugobise umhlana wabo njalonjalo.
Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent.”
11 Ngakho ngithi: Bakhubeka ukuze bawe yini? Phinde! Kodwa ngesiphambeko sabo usindiso lufikile kwabezizwe, ukubavusela umona.
I ask then, did the Israelites stumble so as to fall? Certainly not! Rather, by their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke Israel to jealousy.
12 Kodwa uba isiphambeko sabo siyinotho yomhlaba, lokwehluleka kwabo kuyinotho yabezizwe, kakhulu kangakanani ukugcwala kwabo?
Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will it mean when their full number is included?
13 Ngoba ngikhuluma lani bezizwe, njengalokho mina ngingumphostoli wabezizwe; ngikhulisa inkonzo yami;
Now I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry
14 ukuthi mhlawumbe ngibavusele umona abenyama yami, ngisindise abanye babo.
if somehow I provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them.
15 Ngoba uba ukulahlwa kwabo kuyikubuyiswa komhlaba, kungaba yini ukwemukelwa, ngaphandle kokuthi kuyimpilo kwabafileyo?
For if their rejection means reconciliation for the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
16 Njalo uba izithelo zokuqala zingcwele, lenhlama injalo; uba-ke impande ingcwele, lengatsha zinjalo.
If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Kodwa uba kwephulwe ezinye ingatsha, lawe ongumhlwathi weganga waxhunyelelwa phakathi kwazo, uhlanganyele lazo impande lamafutha omhlwathi,
Now if some of the branches have been broken off, and yoʋ, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in among them and have become a fellow partaker of the root and richness of the olive tree,
18 ungazincomi phezu kwengatsha; kodwa uba uzincoma phezu kwazo, kayisuwe othwele impande, kodwa impande wena.
do not boast against the branches. But if yoʋ do boast against them, remember that yoʋ do not sustain the root, but the root sustains yoʋ.
19 Uzakuthi-ke: Ingatsha zephulwa, ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe.
Yoʋ will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”
20 Kulungile; zephulwa ngokungakholwa, wena-ke umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba;
Right! They were broken off because of unbelief, but yoʋ stand because of faith. So do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
21 ngoba uba uNkulunkulu engayekelanga ingatsha zemvelo, hlezi lawe kayikukuyekela.
For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare yoʋ either.
22 Khangela-ke ububele lobukhali bukaNkulunkulu; ubukhali, kulabo abawayo; kodwa kuwe, ububele, uba uhlala ebubeleni; uba kungenjalo uzaqunywa lawe.
Consider therefore the kindness and severity of God: to those who have fallen, severity; but to yoʋ, kindness, if yoʋ continue in his kindness; otherwise yoʋ too will be cut off.
23 Lalabo futhi, uba bengahlali ekungakholweni, bazaxhunyelwa, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulamandla okubuya abaxhume.
And if they do not continue in unbelief, they will 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 yoʋ were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will the natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
25 Ngoba ngithanda ukuthi lingabi ngabangaziyo, bazalwane, ngalimfihlo, hlezi lizitshaye abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi ubulukhuni sebehlele uIsrayeli nganxanye, kuze kungene ukugcwala kwabezizwe;
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come in,
26 ngokunjalo-ke uIsrayeli wonke uzasindiswa; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kuzavela eSiyoni uMkhululi, asuse ukungabi loNkulunkulu kuJakobe;
and in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion and will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 njalo yilesi isivumelwano sami kubo, lapho ngizasusa izono zabo.
“And this will be my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”
28 Ngokwevangeli bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokukhetha bangabathandiweyo ngenxa yabobaba;
With respect to the gospel, the Israelites are enemies for your sake; but with respect to being chosen, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 ngoba izipho zomusa lokubiza kukaNkulunkulu kakulakuphenduka.
For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.
30 Ngoba njengalokhu lani kade lingamlaleli uNkulunkulu, kodwa khathesi selihawukelwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo;
Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
31 ngokunjalo lalabo khathesi kabalalelanga, ukuze ngesihawu senu bahawukelwe labo;
so they too have now become disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they also may receive mercy.
For God has confined all in disobedience so that he might have mercy on all. (eleēsē g1653)
33 Yeka ukujula kwenotho, kokubili eyenhlakanipho leyolwazi lukaNkulunkulu! Kakuphenyeki kangakanani ukwahlulela kwakhe, lendlela zakhe kazilandeleki!
Oh the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and untraceable his ways!
34 Ngoba ngubani owazi ingqondo yeNkosi? Kumbe ngubani owaba ngumeluleki wayo?
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor?”
35 Kumbe ngubani owamnika kuqala, njalo kubuyiselwe kuye?
“Or who has first given to God, that he should be repaid?”
