Romafoɔ 3
1 Ɛnneɛ na Yudaniyɛ ho mfasoɔ ne sɛn, anaasɛ twetiatwa ho wɔ mfasoɔ bi?
So does a Jew have any advantage? Does circumcision have any benefits?
2 Aane mfasoɔ wɔ so. Deɛ ɛdi ɛkan no, Onyankopɔn de ne nsɛm ahyɛ wɔn nsa.
Yes, there are many benefits! First of all, God's message was entrusted to them.
3 Na sɛ ebinom nni gyidie ɛ? Gyidie a wɔnni no kyerɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn nyɛ ɔnokwafoɔ anaa?
What if some of them didn't trust in God? Does their lack of trust in God obliterate the trustworthiness of God?
4 Ɛnte saa koraa! Sɛ obiara yɛ ɔtorofoɔ a, Onyankopɔn deɛ, ɔyɛ ɔnokwafoɔ, sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ sɛ, “Wodi bem wɔ wo kasa mu na wotene wɔ wʼatemmuo mu.”
Of course not! Even if everyone else is proved to be lying, God always tells the truth. As Scripture says, “What you say will be proved right, and you will win your case when you are judged.”
5 Na obi bɛka sɛ, “sɛ yɛn bɔne a yɛyɛ no da Onyankopɔn tenenee adi kann a, adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ Onyankopɔn abufuhyeɛ ba yɛn so?” (Merekasa sɛ onipa)
But if the fact that we're wrong helps to show that God is right, what should we conclude? That God is wrong to pronounce judgment on us? (I'm talking from a human perspective here.)
6 Dabi! Sɛ Onyankopɔn nyɛ ɔteneneeni a, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na watumi abu ewiase atɛn?
Of course not! How else could God judge the world?
7 Obi bɛgye akyinnyeɛ aka sɛ, “Sɛ me nkontompo ma Onyankopɔn nokorɛ da adi na nʼanimuonyam boro so a, ɛnneɛ adɛn enti na Onyankopɔn bu me fɔ sɛ ɔdebɔneyɛfoɔ?”
Someone could say, “Why am I still condemned as a sinner if my lies make the truth of God and his glory more obvious in contrast?”
8 Ebinom nso bɛka sɛ, “Ɛnneɛ momma yɛnyɛ bɔne sɛdeɛ biribi pa bɛfiri mu aba!” Nnipa bi mpo ka sɛ saa asɛm yi na yɛka. Onyankopɔn bɛbu wɔn atɛn.
Is it a case of, “Let's sin to bring about good”? That's what some people have slanderously accused us of saying. They should be rightly condemned!
9 Ɛnneɛ, ɛdeɛn na yɛnka? Yɛn Yudafoɔ yɛ nnipa sene amanamanmufoɔ no anaa? Ɛnte saa! Makyerɛ mu dada sɛ Yudafoɔ ne amanamanmufoɔ nyinaa yɛ pɛ wɔ bɔne tumi ase.
So then, are we Jews better than others? Definitely not! Remember that we've already argued that both Jews and foreigners are under the control of sin.
10 Sɛdeɛ Atwerɛsɛm no ka sɛ, “Obiara nyɛ ɔteneneeni;
As Scripture says, “No one does what is right, not even one.
11 obiara nyɛ ɔbadwemma; na obiara nni hɔ a ɔhwehwɛ Onyankopɔn akyiri kwan.
No one understands; no one seeks God.
12 Nnipa nyinaa atwe wɔn ho afiri Onyankopɔn ho; wɔn nyinaa ayɛ bɔne. Obiara nni hɔ a ɔyɛ papa. Ɔbaako mpo nni hɔ.”
Everyone has turned their backs on him; everyone does what is totally wrong. No one does what is good, not a single one.
13 “Wɔn anom te sɛ damena a abue; na wɔn tɛkrɛma ka atorɔsɛm.” “Wɔn anofafa ka nsɛm a ɛte sɛ ɔwɔ ano borɔ.”
Their throats are like an open grave; their tongues spread deceit; their lips ooze with the venom of snakes.
14 “Nnome a ɛyɛ hu na ɛfiri wɔn anom ba.”
Their mouths are full of bitterness and curses,
15 “Wɔnkyɛre opira ne awudie ho;
and they are quick to cause pain and death.
16 baabiara a wɔbɛkɔ no, wɔsɛe hɔ pasaa,
Their way leads to disaster and misery;
17 na wɔnnim asomdwoeɛ kwan.”
they don't know how to live in peace.
18 “Na wɔnnsuro Onyankopɔn.”
They don't care about respecting God at all.”
19 Yɛnim sɛ biribiara a ɛwɔ Mmara no mu no, wɔtwerɛ maa wɔn a wɔhyɛ Mmara no tumi ase. Mmara no ka yeinom sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a obiara rennya anoyie, na ama Onyankopɔn akyerɛ sɛ ewiase nyinaa di fɔ.
It's clear that everything in the law applies to those who live under the law so that no one could have any excuses, and to make sure everyone in the whole world is answerable to God.
20 Ɛfiri sɛ, obiara nni hɔ a sɛ ɔyɛ deɛ Mmara no hyɛ sɛ ɔnyɛ a, Onyankopɔn bɛbu no bem. Deɛ Mmara no yɛ ara ne sɛ, ɛma onipa hunu sɛ wayɛ bɔne.
For no one is made right before God by doing what the law requires. The law only helps us recognize what sin really is.
21 Wɔada teneneeyɛ a ɛfiri Onyankopɔn, na ɛmfiri mmara no adi. Ɛno na Mmara no ne Adiyifoɔ no di ho adanseɛ.
But now God's character of goodness and right has been demonstrated. It has nothing to do with law-keeping, even though it was spoken of by the law and the prophets.
22 Saa teneneeyɛ a ɛfiri Onyankopɔn yi nam gyidie a yɛwɔ wɔ Yesu Kristo mu. Ɛwɔ hɔ ma agyidifoɔ nyinaa. Nsonsonoeɛ biara nni mu.
This character of God that is good and right comes to everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ, those who place their confidence in him. It doesn't matter who we are:
23 Na nnipa nyinaa ayɛ bɔne ama Onyankopɔn animuonyam abɔ wɔn,
We have all sinned, and we fall far short of God's glorious ideal.
24 nanso ɔnam Kristo adom nkwagyeɛ no so abu wɔn nyinaa bem kwa.
Yet through the free gift of his grace God makes us right through Christ Jesus who sets us free.
25 Onyankopɔn somaa Kristo sɛ ɔmfa ne ho mmɛbɔ afɔdeɛ mma yɛn. Kristo de ne mogya maaeɛ, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, gyidie a yɛbɛnya wɔ ne mu enti wɔbɛgye yɛn. Saa afɔdeɛ yi ma yɛhunu sɛ, mmerɛ a atwa mu no, Onyankopɔn nam boasetɔ ne adom so de bɔne kyɛeɛ.
God openly presented Jesus as the gift that brings peace to those trusting in him, the one who shed his blood. God did this to demonstrate he is truly good and right, for previously he would hold back and pass over sins,
26 Ɛfiri sɛ na Onyankopɔn rehwɛ ɛkwan na ɔde wɔn abɛka deɛ ɔreyɛ saa ɛberɛ yi no ho. Onyankopɔn yɛɛ yei de kyerɛɛ ne tenenee, ɛfiri sɛ ɔno ankasa nyɛ nyiyimu, na ɔbu atɛntenenee nso, na sɛ nnebɔneyɛfoɔ gye Yesu di a, ɔbu wɔn sɛ wɔtene wɔ nʼani so.
but now at this present time God proves he is fair and does what is right, and that he makes right those who trust in Jesus.
27 Ɛnneɛ ɛdeɛn na yɛde bɛhoahoa yɛn ho? Biribiara nni hɔ! Na adɛn nti? Mmara no a yɛdi so no enti na wagye yɛn anaa? Dabi. Gye a ɔgye yɛn no nnyina mmara a yɛdi so, na mmom, ɛgyina gyidie a yɛwɔ wɔ Yesu mu.
So do we have anything to boast about then? Absolutely not, there's no place for that! And why's that? Is it because we follow the law of observing requirements? No, we follow the law of trusting in God.
28 Ne tiawatwa ne sɛ, wɔnam gyidie so na wɔbu onipa bem, na ɛnyɛ Mmara a ɔdi so no enti.
We conclude that people are made right with God through their trust in him, and not from legal observance.
29 Onyankopɔn yɛ Yudafoɔ nko ara Onyankopɔn anaa? Ɔnyɛ amanamanmufoɔ nso Onyankopɔn bi anaa? Ɛyɛ nokorɛ turodoo sɛ ɔyɛ amanamanmufoɔ nso Onyankopɔn.
Is God only the God of the Jews? Isn't he the God of other people as well? Of course he is!
30 Onyankopɔn yɛ baako, na ɔnam gyidie nko ara a Yudafoɔ wɔ so bɛbu wɔn bem. Na saa ara nso na ɔnam gyidie nko ara so bɛbu amanamanmufoɔ bem.
There is only one God, and he makes us morally right through our trust in him, whoever we are, Jew or foreigner.
31 Enti, yei kyerɛ sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ yɛfa saa gyidie no so gyae Mmara no so di anaa? Dabi, na mmom, sɛ yɛwɔ gyidie a, yɛfoa Mmara no adanseɛ so.
Does that mean that by trusting in God we do away with the law? Of course not! In fact we affirm the importance of the law.
