Romafoɔ 7
1 Nokorɛm, me nuanom, ɛsiane sɛ mo nyinaa nim Mmara no enti, mote deɛ mepɛ sɛ meka no ase; mmerɛ dodoɔ a onipa te ase no, mmara di ne so.
Brothers and sisters, (I'm speaking here to people who know the law), don't you see that the law has authority over someone only while they're alive?
2 Ɔbaa warefoɔ sei, sɛ ɔte ase nko ara deɛ a, ɔhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase, na sɛ okunu no wu deɛ a, na ɔnhyɛ ne kunu mmara ase bio.
For example, a married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he's alive, but if he dies, she's released from this legal obligation to him.
3 Ɛno enti, sɛ ɔkɔ ɔbarima foforɔ ho ɛberɛ a ne kunu te ase a, wɔfrɛ no ɔwaresɛefoɔ; na sɛ ne kunu no wu a, na ɔnhyɛ saa mmara no ase bio, ɛno enti sɛ ɔware ɔbarima foforɔ a, ɔnyɛ ɔwaresɛefoɔ.
So if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery. However, if her husband dies and then she marries another man, she wouldn't be guilty of adultery.
4 Afei me nuanom, mo nso, Yesu wu a ɔwuiɛ enti moawu afiri mmara no tumi aseɛ. Ne saa enti, mone ɔno a wɔnyanee no firii awufoɔ mu abom sɛdeɛ mobɛtumi asom Onyankopɔn.
In the same way, my friends, you've become dead to the law through the body of Christ, and so now you belong to someone else—Christ, who was raised from the dead so that we could live a productive life for God.
5 Ɛberɛ a na yɛte ase ma yɛn ho no, yɛn bɔnesu nam mmara no so kanyanee yɛn wɔ yɛn mu maa yɛyɛɛ adwuma maa owuo.
While we were controlled by old nature, our sinful desires (as revealed by the law) were at work within us and resulted in death.
6 Afei deɛ, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara ase ɛfiri sɛ, yɛwu firii deɛ ɛkyekyeree yɛn sɛ nneduafoɔ no ase. Afei deɛ, yɛnhyɛ mmara biara a wɔatwerɛ no dada ase bio, na mmom, yɛnam honhom foforɔ kwan so na ɛsom.
But now we've been set free from the law, and have died to what kept us in chains, so that we can serve in the newness of the spirit and not the old letter of the law.
7 Enti, asɛm bɛn na yɛnka? Mmara no yɛ bɔne anaa? Dabi! Mmom, ɛnam mmara so na mehunuu sɛdeɛ bɔne teɛ. Sɛ ɛnyɛ mmara no na ɛkaa sɛ, “Mma wʼani mmere obi adeɛ” a, anka mennim anibereɛ.
So what do we conclude? That the law is sin? Of course not! I wouldn't have known what sin was unless the law defined it. I wouldn't have realized that wanting to have other people's things for myself was wrong without the law that says, “Don't desire for yourself what belongs to someone else.”
8 Bɔne nyaa kwan nam mmaransɛm no so kekaa ne ho wɔ me mu, maa mʼani beree nneɛma ahodoɔ bebree. Sɛ mmara no nni hɔ a, bɔne nso nni tumi.
But through this commandment sin found a way to stir up in me all kinds of selfish desires—for without law, sin is dead.
9 Ansa na mɛhunu mmara no na mewɔ nkwa. Nanso mmaransɛm no baeɛ no, metee bɔne ase, na mewuiɛ.
I used to live without realizing what the law really meant, but when I understood the implications of that commandment, then sin came back to life, and I died.
10 Mehunuu sɛ, mmaransɛm a anka ɛde nkwa bɛba no de owuo baeɛ.
I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life brought death instead,
11 Bɔne nam mmaransɛm no so nyaa ɛkwan daadaa me; ɛnam mmaransɛm no so ma bɔne kumm me.
because sin found a way through the commandment to deceive me, and used the commandment to kill me!
12 Nanso mmara no yɛ kronkron; na mmaransɛm no nso yɛ kronkron. Ɛtene na ɛyɛ nso.
However, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good.
13 Adeɛ a ɛyɛ no bɛyɛɛ owuo maa me anaa? Dabi! Nanso sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a yɛbɛhunu bɔne sɛ bɔne no, ɛfaa deɛ ɛyɛ so de owuo brɛɛ me. Enti bɔne nam mmaransɛm so maa me hunuu sɛ bɔne yɛ adeɛ a ɛyɛ hu.
Now would something that is good kill me? Of course not! But sin shows itself to be sin by using good to cause my death. So by means of the commandment, it's revealed how evil sin really is.
14 Yɛnim sɛ mmara no yɛ honhom mu adeɛ nanso meyɛ ɔhonam muni a wɔatɔn me sɛ akoa ama bɔne.
We realize that the law is spiritual; but I'm all-too-human, a slave to sin.
15 Mente deɛ meyɛ ase; ɛfiri sɛ, menyɛ deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ meyɛ, na mmom, meyɛ deɛ mekyi.
I really don't understand what I'm doing. I do the things I don't want to do, and what I hate doing, that's what I do!
16 Sɛ meyɛ deɛ mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ, mepene so sɛ mmara no yɛ.
But if I'm saying that I do what I don't want to, this shows that I admit the law is good and right.
17 Sɛdeɛ ɛteɛ no, ɛnyɛ mʼankasa na meyɛ yei; na mmom bɔne a ɛte me mu no.
So it's no longer me who does this, but sin living in me—
18 Menim sɛ ade pa biara nte me mu, me bɔne nipasu yi mu. Ɛfiri sɛ, mepɛ sɛ meyɛ deɛ ɛyɛ, nanso mentumi nyɛ.
for I know that there's nothing good in me as far as my sinful human nature is concerned. Even though I want to do good, I'm just not able to do it.
19 Papa mepɛ sɛ meyɛ no, menyɛ; mmom bɔne a mempɛ sɛ meyɛ no na meyɛ.
The good I want to do, I don't do; while the evil I don't want to do, that's what I end up doing!
20 Sɛ meyɛ deɛ mempɛ sɛ meyɛ a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɛnyɛ me na meyɛeɛ, na mmom ɛyɛ bɔne a ɛte me mu no.
However, if I'm doing what I don't want to, then it's no longer me doing it, but sin living in me.
21 Mmara no ama mahunu sɛ biribi te me mu a ɛmma mennyɛ deɛ menim sɛ ɛyɛ.
This is the principle I've discovered: if I want to do what's good, evil is always there too.
22 Mʼakoma nyinaa mu, megye Onyankopɔn mmara to mu.
My inner self is delighted with God's law,
23 Nanso, mefiri mʼakwaa nyinaa mu hunu sɛ biribi ne mʼadwene di apereapereɛ. Ɛma me yɛ bɔne akoa, na ɛno na ɛhyɛ me ma me yɛ biribiara.
but I see a different law at work within me that is at war with the law my mind has decided to follow, making me a prisoner of the law of sin that is within me.
24 Menni ahotɔ! Hwan na ɔbɛgye me afiri saa ɔhonam a ɛde me rekɔ owuo mu yi?
I'm totally miserable! Who will rescue me from this body that's causing my death? Thank God—for he does this through Jesus Christ our Lord!
25 Menam yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo so meda Onyankopɔn ase. Na afei, mʼankasa mʼadwene mu, meyɛ akoa ma Onyankopɔn mmara, nanso bɔne nipasu mu no, meyɛ akoa ma bɔne.
Here's the situation: while I myself choose with my mind to obey God's law, my human nature obeys the law of sin.
