KwabaseRoma 4
1 Pho-ke sizakuthi uAbrahama ubaba wethu wazuzani ngokwenyama?
What, then, will we say Abraham our father to have found, according to flesh?
2 Ngoba uba uAbrahama walungisiswa ngemisebenzi, ulokuzincoma, kodwa kungekho phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has to boast—but not before God;
3 Ngoba umbhalo uthini? Uthi: Kodwa uAbrahama wakholwa kuNkulunkulu, kwasekubalelwa kuye ukuthi yikulunga.
for what does the writing say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness”;
4 Kodwa kulowo osebenzayo kabalelwa iholo ngokomusa, kodwa ngokomlandu.
and to him who is working, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt;
5 Kodwa kulowo ongasebenziyo, kodwa ekholwa kuye olungisisa oweyisa uNkulunkulu, ukholo lwakhe lubalelwa ukuthi yikulunga.
and to him who is not working, and is believing on Him who is declaring righteous the impious, his faith is reckoned for righteousness—
6 Njengoba laye uDavida ekhuluma ngokubusiswa komuntu, uNkulunkulu ambalela ukulunga ngaphandle kwemisebenzi esithi:
even as David also speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:
7 Babusisiwe abaziphambeko zabo zithethelelwe labazono zabo zisitshekelwe.
“Blessed [are] they whose lawless acts were forgiven, And whose sins were covered;
8 Ubusisiwe umuntu iNkosi engasoze yambalela isono.
Blessed [is] the man To whom the LORD may not reckon sin.”
9 Ngakho lokhukubusiswa kuphezu kokusoka yini, kumbe laphezu kokungasoki? Ngoba sithi: Ukholo lwabalelwa kuAbrahama ukuthi luyikulunga.
[Is] this blessedness, then, on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision—for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness?
10 Pho lwabalelwa njani? Lapho esekusokeni yini, kumbe ekungasokini? Kungekho ekusokeni, kodwa ekungasokini.
How then was it reckoned? He being in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision;
11 Wasesemukela isibonakaliso sokusoka, uphawu lokulunga kokholo ayelakho ekungasokini; ukuze abe nguyise wabo bonke abakholwayo lanxa bengasokanga, ukuze ukulunga kubalelwe lakibo;
and he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith in the uncircumcision, for his being father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for the righteousness also being reckoned to them,
12 loyise wokusoka kulabo abangayisibo bokusoka kuphela, kodwa futhi abahamba ezinyathelweni zokholo lukababa wethu uAbrahama ayelalo engakasokwa.
and father of circumcision to those not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of faith, that [is] in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham.
13 Ngoba kasingomlayo isithembiso kuAbrahama kumbe kunzalo yakhe, ukuthi uzakuba yindlalifa yomhlaba, kodwa ngokulunga kokholo.
For not through law [is] the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, of his being heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith;
14 Ngoba uba labo abomlayo beyizindlalifa, ukholo lwenziwe ize, lesithembiso senziwa ize;
for if they who are of law [are] heirs, faith has been made void, and the promise has been made useless;
15 ngoba umlayo ubanga ulaka; ngoba lapho okungekho khona umlayo, kakukho lokweqa.
for the Law works wrath; for where law is not, neither [is] transgression.
16 Ngakho kungokholo, ukuze kube ngokomusa; ukuze isithembiso siqiniseke kuyo yonke inzalo; kungeyisiyo engeyomlayo kuphela kodwa lakuyo engeyokholo lukaAbrahama, ongubaba wethu sonke,
Because of this [it is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace, for the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that which [is] of the Law only, but also to that which [is] of the faith of Abraham,
17 (njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Ngikumisile ukuthi ube nguyise wezizwe ezinengi) phambi kwakhe akholwa kuye, uNkulunkulu, ophilisa abafileyo, lobiza izinto ezingekho ngokungathi zikhona.
who is father of us all (according as it has been written: “A father of many nations I have set you,”) before Him whom he believed—God, who is quickening the dead, and is calling the things that are not as being.
18 Owathi emelane lethemba wakholwa ngethemba, ukuze abe nguyise wezizwe ezinengi, njengalokho okwatshiwoyo ukuthi: Izakuba njalo inzalo yakho.
Who, against hope, believed in hope, for his becoming father of many nations according to that spoken: “So will your seed be”;
19 Njalo kabanga buthakathaka ekholweni, kanakananga umzimba wakhe uqobo owawusufile, ngoba wayesengaba leminyaka elikhulu, lokufa kwesizalo sikaSara;
and having not been weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already become dead (being about one hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb,
20 njalo kathandabuzanga ngesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu ngokungakholwa, kodwa waqiniswa ekholweni, enika uNkulunkulu udumo,
and at the promise of God did not stagger in unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God,
21 njalo eqinisekile ngokupheleleyo ukuthi lokho ayekuthembisile, ulamandla ngitsho okukwenza.
and having been fully persuaded that what He has promised He is also able to do:
22 Ngalokho-ke kwabalelwa kuye ukuthi yikulunga.
for this reason also it was reckoned to him for righteousness.
23 Kakubhalwanga-ke ngenxa yakhe yedwa, ukuthi kwabalelwa kuye;
And it was not written on his account alone that it was reckoned to him,
24 kodwa langenxa yethu, esizabalelwa khona, thina esikholwa kuye owavusa uJesu iNkosi yethu kwabafileyo,
but also on ours, to whom it is about to be reckoned—to us believing on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord out of the dead,
25 owanikelwa ngenxa yeziphambeko zethu, wavuswa ngenxa yokulungisiswa kwethu.
who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.
