KwabaseRoma 4
1 Pho-ke sizakuthi uAbrahama ubaba wethu wazuzani ngokwenyama?
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has discovered according to the flesh?
2 Ngoba uba uAbrahama walungisiswa ngemisebenzi, ulokuzincoma, kodwa kungekho phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 Ngoba umbhalo uthini? Uthi: Kodwa uAbrahama wakholwa kuNkulunkulu, kwasekubalelwa kuye ukuthi yikulunga.
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
4 Kodwa kulowo osebenzayo kabalelwa iholo ngokomusa, kodwa ngokomlandu.
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as something owed to him.
5 Kodwa kulowo ongasebenziyo, kodwa ekholwa kuye olungisisa oweyisa uNkulunkulu, ukholo lwakhe lubalelwa ukuthi yikulunga.
However, to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
6 Njengoba laye uDavida ekhuluma ngokubusiswa komuntu, uNkulunkulu ambalela ukulunga ngaphandle kwemisebenzi esithi:
just as David also speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 Babusisiwe abaziphambeko zabo zithethelelwe labazono zabo zisitshekelwe.
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
8 Ubusisiwe umuntu iNkosi engasoze yambalela isono.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will never count sin.”
9 Ngakho lokhukubusiswa kuphezu kokusoka yini, kumbe laphezu kokungasoki? Ngoba sithi: Ukholo lwabalelwa kuAbrahama ukuthi luyikulunga.
Is this blessedness then only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, “Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.”
10 Pho lwabalelwa njani? Lapho esekusokeni yini, kumbe ekungasokini? Kungekho ekusokeni, kodwa ekungasokini.
How then was it counted? When he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not when he was circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised.
11 Wasesemukela isibonakaliso sokusoka, uphawu lokulunga kokholo ayelakho ekungasokini; ukuze abe nguyise wabo bonke abakholwayo lanxa bengasokanga, ukuze ukulunga kubalelwe lakibo;
He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe when they are uncircumcised, so that righteousness might be counted to them as well,
12 loyise wokusoka kulabo abangayisibo bokusoka kuphela, kodwa futhi abahamba ezinyathelweni zokholo lukababa wethu uAbrahama ayelalo engakasokwa.
and so that he might be the father of those who are not only circumcised in the flesh, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had when he was uncircumcised.
13 Ngoba kasingomlayo isithembiso kuAbrahama kumbe kunzalo yakhe, ukuthi uzakuba yindlalifa yomhlaba, kodwa ngokulunga kokholo.
For the promise to Abraham, or to his offspring, that he would be the heir of the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14 Ngoba uba labo abomlayo beyizindlalifa, ukholo lwenziwe ize, lesithembiso senziwa ize;
For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith has been made void and the promise has been invalidated,
15 ngoba umlayo ubanga ulaka; ngoba lapho okungekho khona umlayo, kakukho lokweqa.
because the law brings wrath; for where there is no law, there is no transgression.
16 Ngakho kungokholo, ukuze kube ngokomusa; ukuze isithembiso siqiniseke kuyo yonke inzalo; kungeyisiyo engeyomlayo kuphela kodwa lakuyo engeyokholo lukaAbrahama, ongubaba wethu sonke,
For this reason the promise comes by faith, so that it may be according to grace and be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring, not only to the one who is of the law, but also to the one who is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17 (njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Ngikumisile ukuthi ube nguyise wezizwe ezinengi) phambi kwakhe akholwa kuye, uNkulunkulu, ophilisa abafileyo, lobiza izinto ezingekho ngokungathi zikhona.
(just as it is written, “I have made yoʋ the father of many nations”). He is our father in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not yet exist.
18 Owathi emelane lethemba wakholwa ngethemba, ukuze abe nguyise wezizwe ezinengi, njengalokho okwatshiwoyo ukuthi: Izakuba njalo inzalo yakho.
Against all hope Abraham believed in hope that he would become the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: “So shall yoʋr offspring be.”
19 Njalo kabanga buthakathaka ekholweni, kanakananga umzimba wakhe uqobo owawusufile, ngoba wayesengaba leminyaka elikhulu, lokufa kwesizalo sikaSara;
Because he was not weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, now as good as dead (since he was somewhere around a hundred years old), or the deadness of Sarah's womb.
20 njalo kathandabuzanga ngesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu ngokungakholwa, kodwa waqiniswa ekholweni, enika uNkulunkulu udumo,
And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God
21 njalo eqinisekile ngokupheleleyo ukuthi lokho ayekuthembisile, ulamandla ngitsho okukwenza.
and being fully assured that God was able to do what he had promised.
22 Ngalokho-ke kwabalelwa kuye ukuthi yikulunga.
Therefore, “it was counted to him as righteousness.”
23 Kakubhalwanga-ke ngenxa yakhe yedwa, ukuthi kwabalelwa kuye;
Now the statement “it was counted to him” was not written only for Abraham's sake,
24 kodwa langenxa yethu, esizabalelwa khona, thina esikholwa kuye owavusa uJesu iNkosi yethu kwabafileyo,
but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 owanikelwa ngenxa yeziphambeko zethu, wavuswa ngenxa yokulungisiswa kwethu.
who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
