Jakobho 2
1 Hama dzangu, savatendi muna Ishe wedu wokubwinya iye Jesu Kristu, musava vatsauri vavanhu.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 Kana mumwe munhu akauya akapinda mumusangano wenyu akapfeka mhete yegoridhe nenguo dzakaisvonaka, uye murombo akapfeka mamvemve akapindawo,
Suppose a visitor should enter your synagogue, with gold rings and in grand clothes, and suppose a poor man should come in also, in shabby clothes,
3 kana mukaremekedza munhu akapfeka nguo dzakaisvonaka muchiti, “Hechi chigaro chenyu chakanaka,” asi kumurombo mukati, “Iwe mira apo,” kana kuti “Gara pasi, patsoka dzangu,”
and you show more respect to the visitor who is wearing grand clothes, and say – “There is a good seat for you here,” but to the poor man – “You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool,”
4 hamuna kutsaura here pakati penyu uye mukava vatongi vane ndangariro dzakaipa?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Inzwai, hama dzangu dzinodikanwa: Ko, Mwari haana kusarudza varombo venyika ino kuti vave vapfumi mukutenda uye kuti vagare nhaka youmambo hwaakavimbisa avo vanomuda here?
Listen, my dear friends. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich through their faith, and to possess the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?
6 Asi imi makazvidza varombo. Ko, havasi vapfumi vanokubirai here? Havazi ivo vanokuendesai kumatare edzimhosva here?
But you – you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you? Isn’t it they who drag you into law courts?
7 Havazi ivo vanomhura zita rinokudzwa raiye wamuri vake here?
Isn’t it they who malign that honorable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 Kana muchichengeta muchokwadi murayiro woushe unowanikwa muRugwaro, unoti: “Ida muvakidzani wako sezvaunozvida iwe,” munoita zvakanaka.
If you keep the royal law which runs – ‘You must love your neighbor as you love yourself,’ you are doing right;
9 Asi kana muchitsaura vanhu, muri kutadza uye munotongwa nomurayiro savadariki vomurayiro.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 Nokuti ani naani anochengeta murayiro wose asi achigumburwa pachinhu chimwe chete ane mhosva yokuputsa murayiro wose.
For a person who has laid the Law, as a whole, to heart, but has failed in one particular, is accountable for breaking all its provisions.
11 Nokuti iye akati, “Usaita upombwe,” ndiyewo akati, “Usauraya.” Kana usingaiti upombwe asi uchiuraya, wava mudariki womurayiro.
He who said ‘You must not commit adultery’ also said ‘You must not murder.’ If, then, you commit murder but not adultery, you are still an offender against the Law.
12 Taurai uye muchiita saavo vachazotongwa nomurayiro unopa rusununguko,
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the ‘Law of freedom.’
13 nokuti kutonga kusinganzwiri ngoni kucharatidzwa kumunhu upi zvake akanga asinganzwiri ngoni. Ngoni dzinokunda kutonga!
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 Zvinobatsirei, hama dzangu, kana munhu achiti ano kutenda asi asina mabasa? Kutenda kwakadaro kungamuponesa here?
My friends, what good is it if someone claims that they have faith, but they do not prove it by actions? Can such faith save them?
15 Kana hama kana hanzvadzi ikashayiwa zvokufuka nezvokudya zvezuva rimwe nerimwe,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 uye mumwe wenyu akati, “Endai henyu, mufambe zvakanaka; mudziyirwe uye mugute,” asi asina chinhu chaamuitira chinodikanwa nomuviri wake, zvakanaka here izvozvo?
and one of you says to them – “Go, and peace be with you; keep warm and eat well!” and yet you do not actually give them the necessities of life, what good would it be to them?
17 Saizvozvowo, kutenda kwoga, kana kusina basa, kwakafa.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 Asi mumwe achati, “Iwe une kutenda; ini ndine mabasa.” Ndiratidze kutenda kwako kusina mabasa, uye ini ndichakuratidza kutenda kwangu nezvandinoita.
Someone, indeed, may say – “You are a man of faith, and I am a man of action.” “Then show me your faith,” I reply, “apart from any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.”
19 Iwe unotenda kuti kuna Mwari mumwe. Zvakanaka! Kunyange madhimoni anotenda izvozvo, uye achidedera.
It is a part of your faith, is it not, that there is one God? Good; yet even the demons have that faith, and tremble at the thought.
20 Iwe benzi, unoda kuona kuti kutenda kusina mabasa hakuna maturo here?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Tateguru wedu Abhurahama haana kunzi akarurama here nokuda kwezvaakaita paakapa mwanakomana wake Isaka paaritari?
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Unoona kuti kutenda kwake uye namabasa ake zvaibata pamwe chete, uye kutenda kwake kukazadziswa nezvaakaita.
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 Uye Rugwaro rwakazadziswa runoti, “Abhurahama akatenda Mwari zvikaverengerwa kwaari kuti ndiko kururama,” uye akanzi shamwari yaMwari.
and that in this way the words of scripture came true – “Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness,” and “He was called the friend of God.”
24 Unoona kuti munhu anoruramisirwa nokuda kwezvaanoita, kwete nokutenda bedzi.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 Saizvozvowo, Rahabhi chifeve haana kunzi akarurama nokuda kwezvaakaita paakapa vasori imba uye akazovaendesa neimwe nzira here?
Wasn’t it the same with the prostitute, Rahab? Was she not justified by her actions, after she had welcomed the messengers and helped them escape by another road?
26 Sezvo muviri usina mweya wakafa, saizvozvo kutenda kusina mabasa kwakafa.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
