An Example from Marriage
1 My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. 2 For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free 3 to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
The Battle with Sin
7 Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do this. 8 It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.
9 Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10 and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11 Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12 Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.
13 Am I saying something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. 14 We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15 In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16 Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18 I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20 And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21 The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22 With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.
Onguturiro yatjiri i ri mu Kristus
1 Vakwetu, eṋe mamu tjiwa nawa imbi mbi me vanga okuhungira nambano, tjinga amu nondjiviro mOmatwako wa Moses. Omatwako ye honaparera omundu uriri eye ngunda e nomuinyo. 2 Nu ngatu tare kotjihorera hi: Omukazendu ngwa kupwa wa kutwa i Omatwako komurumendu we ngunda e nomuinyo; nungwari omurumendu tja koka, ingwi omukazendu tjandje wa kuturwa kOmatwako nge mu kutire komurumendu we. 3 Nomukazendu ngwi tja rire owomurumendu warwe omurumendu we ngunda e nomuinyo, eye ma varwa otja omukatuke worukupo. Nungwari omurumendu we tja ṱu, eye wa kuturwa kOmatwako, nu ke nokukatuka orukupo tja kupwa i omurumendu warwe. 4 Notjinga ape ri nao na eṋe, vakwetu. Neṋe tjinga amu ri ouṋepo worutu rwa Kristus, otjinga amwa ṱa, nu kamu ri kehi yOmatwako wa Moses. Eṋe nambano oweṋe ova ingwi ngwa pendurwa movakoke. Notji matu sokukara novihape vyongarero yokuungurira Ndjambi. 5 Orondu tjaa tuhupu otja kongaro youndu, ozonḓuma zourunde nḓa pendurwa i Omatwako wa Moses aaze ungura mouṋepo auhe wotutu twetu, kutja tu kare novihape mbi twara konḓiro. 6 Nungwari nambano eṱe twa kuturwa kOmatwako wa Moses, orondu tjinga atwa ṱa nu atu he tji ri kehi yOmatwako nge tu pandekere. Nambano matu sokukarera Ndjambi momuhingo omupe wOmbepo, nungwari katu tji nokumukarera momuhingo omukuru womatjangero womatwako.
Omatwako wa Moses nourunde
7 Nambano ngatu tje vi? Inga Omatwako wa Moses owo ourunde are? Kako ka tjiperi! Ami hitje tjiwa kutja ourunde otjikeṋa andakuzu Omatwako kaye ndji tjivisire. Ami hitje tjiwa kutja okunanukira otjiṋa ondjo, andakuzu Omatwako kaye tjere: “Ko nakunanukira ko otjiṋa tjomukweṋu.” 8 Nungwari otja ketwako ndi ourunde wa muna oruveze okupendura ozonḓuma ngamwa azehe pekepeke mu ami; orondu nokuhinomatwako ourunde kau nomasa. 9 Rukuru ami mba ri nomuinyo, omatwako tji ye ha ri po; nungwari indi etwako tji re ya, ourunde arire tji wa uta okukara nomuinyo, 10 nami e ṱu. Netwako ndi nda sere okundjipa omuinyo re ndji etera onḓiro. 11 Nourunde mbwa muna oruveze mu ami motjimbe tjetwako we ndji wovisa nau ndji zepa. 12 Omatwako otjinga aye ri omayapuke, nomarakiza wawo wina omayapuke nomasemba nomawa. 13 Nu mape hee kutja ihi tji tji ri otjiwa tje ndji etera onḓiro are? Kako ka tjiperi nao! Ourunde ombwe ndji etera onḓiro. Owo we ndji etera onḓiro mokuungurisa ihi tji tji ri otjiwa kokutja imbwi ourunde ouiniuini u horoke otja ourunde, nokutja metwako mu munike kutja ourunde owo ourunde tjinene komeho.
Ongondjero momundu
14 Eṱe matu tjiwa nawa, tjiri, kutja Omatwako ya za ku Ndjambi; nungwari ami owami omundu wonyama uriri, ngu mbi ri kehi youkarere wourunde. 15 Ihi tji me tjiti, hi nondjiviro na tjo; orondu ami hi tjiti ihi tji mbi vanga, nungwari mbi tjita ihi tji mba tonda. 16 Nu tji me tjiti ihi tji mbi ha vanga, okutja mape hee kutja ami mba itavere kutja Omatwako wa Moses ye ri osemba. 17 Nu nambano kawami ngu me tjiti otjiṋa hi, nungwari owo mbwi ourunde mbwa tura mu ami. 18 Ami me tjiwa nawa kutja ouwa mu ami kau tura, me hee kutja mongaro yandje otja ngu mbi ri omundu; orondu nandarire kutja indji ombango yokutjita ouwa mbi na yo, ami hi sora okuutjita! 19 Imbwi ouwa mbu mbi vanga okutjita, hi u tjiti, nungwari imbwi ouvi mbu mbi ha vanga okutjita ombu mbi tjita. 20 Nu tji me tjiti ihi tji mbi ha vanga okutjita, okutja kawami ngu me uhara ame tji tjiti, nungwari owo mbwi ourunde mbwa tura mu ami.
21 Nami opu me zu okurimuna kutja omatwako nga ye ri mu ami: Ami mbi vanga okutjita ouwa, nungwari ihi porwatjo tji mbi tjita owo mbwi ouvi. 22 Moukoto womutima wandje ami mbi muna mo orutjato momatwako wa Ndjambi. 23 Nungwari ami mbi rimuna kutja mouṋepo worutu rwandje mu nomatwako warwe, nge rwisa omatwako nga nge ri momutima wandje. Owo ye ndji isa po omupandekwa womatwako wourunde nge ungura mouṋepo worutu wandje. 24 Tjiri, owami omundu ngu mba ningisa ondjenda! Owaṋi ngu me ndji kutura korutu ndwi ndu maru ndji twara konḓiro? 25 Okuhepa uri ku Ndjambi! Eye u tjita nai mu Jesus Kristus oMuhona wetu!
Notjinga ape ri nao na ami: Nomutima wandje ami mbi karera Ndjambi, nungwari nouṋepo worutu rwandje mbi karera omatwako wourunde.
