KwabaseRoma 11
1 Ngakho ngithi: UNkulunkulu ubalahlile yini abantu bakhe? Phinde! Ngoba lami ngingumIsrayeli, owenzalo kaAbrahama, wesizwe sikaBhenjamini.
I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also 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 didn’t reject his people, whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel:
3 Nkosi, babulele abaprofethi bakho, badilizile amalathi akho; mina-ke ngisele ngedwa, sebedinga umphefumulo wami.
“Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have broken down your altars. I am left alone, and they seek my life.”
4 Kodwa impendulo kaNkulunkulu yathini kuye? Yathi: Ngizitshiyele amadoda azinkulungwane eziyisikhombisa, angaguqanga ngedolo kuBhali.
But how does God answer 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.
Even so too at this 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 by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
7 Pho-ke? Lokhu uIsrayeli ayekudinga, lokho kakutholanga, kodwa abakhethiweyo bakuthola, labanye benziwa baba lukhuni;
What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.
8 njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: UNkulunkulu wabanika umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, amehlo ukuze bangaboni, lendlebe ukuze bangezwa, kuze kube lusuku lwalamuhla.
According as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.”
9 LoDavida uthi: Itafula labo libe ngumjibila lesifu, lesikhubekiso, lempindiselo kubo;
David says, “Let their table be made a snare, 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, that they may not see. Always keep their backs bent.”
11 Ngakho ngithi: Bakhubeka ukuze bawe yini? Phinde! Kodwa ngesiphambeko sabo usindiso lufikile kwabezizwe, ukubavusela umona.
I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Kodwa uba isiphambeko sabo siyinotho yomhlaba, lokwehluleka kwabo kuyinotho yabezizwe, kakhulu kangakanani ukugcwala kwabo?
Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 Ngoba ngikhuluma lani bezizwe, njengalokho mina ngingumphostoli wabezizwe; ngikhulisa inkonzo yami;
For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry,
14 ukuthi mhlawumbe ngibavusele umona abenyama yami, ngisindise abanye babo.
if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them.
15 Ngoba uba ukulahlwa kwabo kuyikubuyiswa komhlaba, kungaba yini ukwemukelwa, ngaphandle kokuthi kuyimpilo kwabafileyo?
For if the rejection of them is the reconciling of the world, what would their acceptance be, but life from the dead?
16 Njalo uba izithelo zokuqala zingcwele, lenhlama injalo; uba-ke impande ingcwele, lengatsha zinjalo.
If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. 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,
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in amongst them and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree,
18 ungazincomi phezu kwengatsha; kodwa uba uzincoma phezu kwazo, kayisuwe othwele impande, kodwa impande wena.
don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you.
19 Uzakuthi-ke: Ingatsha zephulwa, ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe.
You will say then, “Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.”
20 Kulungile; zephulwa ngokungakholwa, wena-ke umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba;
True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear;
21 ngoba uba uNkulunkulu engayekelanga ingatsha zemvelo, hlezi lawe kayikukuyekela.
for if God didn’t spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
22 Khangela-ke ububele lobukhali bukaNkulunkulu; ubukhali, kulabo abawayo; kodwa kuwe, ububele, uba uhlala ebubeleni; uba kungenjalo uzaqunywa lawe.
See then the goodness and severity of God. Towards those who fell, severity; but towards you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 Lalabo futhi, uba bengahlali ekungakholweni, bazaxhunyelwa, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulamandla okubuya abaxhume.
They also, if they don’t continue in their unbelief, 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 you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted 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;
For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,
26 ngokunjalo-ke uIsrayeli wonke uzasindiswa; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kuzavela eSiyoni uMkhululi, asuse ukungabi loNkulunkulu kuJakobe;
and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, “There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
27 njalo yilesi isivumelwano sami kubo, lapho ngizasusa izono zabo.
This is my covenant with them, when I will take away their sins.”
28 Ngokwevangeli bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokukhetha bangabathandiweyo ngenxa yabobaba;
Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.
29 ngoba izipho zomusa lokubiza kukaNkulunkulu kakulakuphenduka.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 Ngoba njengalokhu lani kade lingamlaleli uNkulunkulu, kodwa khathesi selihawukelwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo;
For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
31 ngokunjalo lalabo khathesi kabalalelanga, ukuze ngesihawu senu bahawukelwe labo;
even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy.
For God has bound all to disobedience, 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 both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past tracing 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 it will be repaid to him again?”
