< KwabaseRoma 7 >

1 Kalazi yini, bazalwane (ngoba ngikhuluma lalabo abawaziyo umlayo), ukuthi umlayo ubusa umuntu selokhu esaphila?
Or don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?
2 Ngoba umfazi owendileyo ubotshelwe ngomlayo endodeni ephilayo; kodwa uba indoda isifile, ukhululiwe emlayweni wendoda.
For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.
3 Ngakho uba indoda isaphila, uzathiwa yisifebe uba esiba ngowenye indoda; kodwa uba indoda isifile, ukhululekile emlayweni, ukuze angabi yisifebe uba esiba ngowenye indoda.
So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.
4 Ngakho, bazalwane bami, selenziwe lafa lani emlayweni ngomzimba kaKristu, ukuze libe ngabomunye, ngabalowo owavuswa kwabafileyo, ukuze sithelele uNkulunkulu izithelo.
Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Messiah, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God.
5 Ngoba sathi sisenyameni, inkanuko zezono ezingomlayo zasebenza ezithweni zethu ukuthelela ukufa izithelo.
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit to death.
6 Kodwa khathesi-ke sesikhululiwe emthethweni, sifile mayelana lalokho esasibanjwe yikho, ukuze sikhonze ngobutsha bomoya, njalo kungeyisikho ngobudala bokulotshiweyo.
But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
7 Pho-ke sizakuthini? Umthetho uyisono yini? Phinde! Kodwa bengingasazi isono, ngaphandle ngomthetho; ngoba bengingawazi umhawu futhi, uba umthetho ubungatshongo ukuthi: Ungabi lomhawu.
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
8 Kodwa isono, sizuze ithuba ngomthetho, sasebenza kimi umhawu wonke; ngoba ngaphandle komlayo isono sifile.
But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9 Mina-ke ngake ngaphila ngaphandle komlayo; kodwa kwathi sekufike umthetho, isono savuka, njalo ngafa mina;
I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
10 njalo umthetho ongowempilo, wona waficwa yimi ungowokufa;
The commandment which was for life, this I found to be for death;
11 ngoba isono, sizuze ithuba ngomthetho, sangikhohlisa, sangibulala ngawo.
for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.
12 Ngakho umthetho ungcwele, lomlayo ungcwele njalo ulungile, futhi muhle.
Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, righteous, and good.
13 Ngakho okulungileyo kwaba yikufa kimi yini? Phinde! Kodwa isono, ukuze sibonakaliswe ukuthi siyisono, sisebenza ukufa kimi ngokulungileyo; ukuze isono ngomthetho sibe yikonakala okukhulu kakhulu.
Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, was producing death in me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceedingly sinful.
14 Ngoba siyazi ukuthi umthetho ungowomoya; kanti mina ngingowenyama, ngithengisiwe ngaphansi kwesono.
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.
15 Ngoba lokhu engikwenzayo, angivumelanilakho; ngoba kakusikho engikuthandayo, lokho engikwenzayo; kodwa lokho engikuzondayo, yikho engikwenzayo.
For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
16 Uba ngisenza lokho engingakuthandiyo, ngiyawuvumela umthetho ukuthi ulungile.
But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.
17 Kodwa khathesi-ke kakuseyimi engikwenzayo, kodwa yisono esihlala kimi.
So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi kimi, lokhu kuyikuthi enyameni yami, kakuhlali okuhle; ngoba kukhona ukuthanda kimi, kodwa ukwenza okuhle kangikutholi.
For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.
19 Ngoba okuhle engikuthandayo, kangikwenzi; kodwa okubi engingakuthandiyo, yikho engikwenzayo.
For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.
20 Kodwa uba ngisenza lokho mina engingakuthandiyo, kakuseyimi engikwenzayo, kodwa yisono esihlala kimi.
But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 Ngakho ngithola umthetho wokuthi lapho ngithanda ukwenza okuhle, okubi kukhona kimi.
I find then the law that, while I desire to do good, evil is present.
22 Ngoba ngiyathokoza emthethweni kaNkulunkulu ngomuntu ophakathi;
For I delight in God’s Torah after the inward person,
23 kodwa ngibona ezithweni zami omunye umthetho olwa lomthetho wengqondo yami, longithumbela emthethweni wesono osezithweni zami.
but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Mina muntu olusizi! Ngubani ozangikhulula kulumzimba walokhukufa?
What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?
25 Ngiyabonga uNkulunkulu ngoJesu Kristu iNkosi yethu. Ngalokho-ke mina ngokwami ngikhonza umthetho kaNkulunkulu ngengqondo, kodwa ngenyama umthetho wesono.
I thank God through Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s Torah, but with the flesh, sin’s law.

< KwabaseRoma 7 >