1 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? 2 It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. 3 It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? 4 No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,
“Your words
will be proven true,
and in court
you will win your case.”
5 If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. 6 But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. 8 You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 They don't even fear God.”
19 We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. 20 God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
God's Way of Accepting People
21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26 God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.
27 What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. 28 We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. 29 Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! 30 There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. 31 Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.
Aajuda oye vule tuu aapagani?
1 Ano Aajuda oye vule aapagani mushike? Efukaleko oli na tuu ekwatho lyasha? 2 Eeno, Aajuda oye na oshindji pamikalo odhindji. Shotango, oya pewa oohapu dhaKalunga. 3 Ongiini ano, yamwe yomuyo sho inaa itaala? Okwaaitaala kwawo otaku ningi tuu, Kalunga a kale kee shi omwiinekelwa? 4 Itashi vulika! Kalunga oye omunashili, nonando omuntu kehe oye omufundja. Ngaashi enyolo tali ti:
“Ngele to popi, aluhe ou li mondjila.
Ngele to tamanekwa, ongoye to sindana.”
5 Ihe ongiini ano, omayono getu ngele otaga holola kutya Kalunga oye omuyuuki? Otatu ti ngiini ano? Otatu ti, Kalunga oha longo epuko, ngele te tu geele? Mpaka ote popi pantu. 6 Aawe, hasho! Kalunga ota vulu ngiini okupangula uuyuni, ngele ke shi omuyuuki?
7 Ihe ongiini, oshili yaKalunga, ndjoka tayi mu simanekitha, ngele otayi hololwa nawa kiifundja yandje? Omolwashike ndi na okupangulwa natango ndi li omulunde? 8 Omolwashike itaandi ti: “Tu longeni uuwinayi, opo mu ze uuwanawa?” Oshoka aantu yamwe oya sheke ndje nokulundila ndje kutya onda popi ngeyi. Oyo otaa ka pangulwa, ngaashi ye shi ilongele.
Kaku na omuntu omuyuuki
9 Ongiini ano? Tse Aajuda otu li nawa ando tu vule aapagani? Aawe, hasho! Oshoka onde shi ulike nale kutya Aajuda naapagani ayehe oye li kohi yoonkondo dhuulunde. 10 Ongaashi kwa nyolwa taku tiwa:
“Kaku na nande omuntu gumwe omuyuuki.
11 Kaku na nando ogumwe u uvite ko,
kaku na nando ogumwe ta kongo Kalunga.
12 Aantu ayehe oye etha Kalunga. Ayehe oya puka.
Kaku na nando ogumwegumwe ta longo uuwanawa.
13 Omiligu dhawo odha fa ombila ye ekama.
Omalaka gawo ogu udha oohapu dhomakoto.
Omilungu dhawo otadhi popi oohapu oombwinayi dha fa uuzigo wontoka.
14 Omakana gawo ogu udha omatukano omadhigu.
15 Oyo otaa matuka, ya ka dhipage omuntu.
16 Eyonuuko niiponga otayi kala mpoka ye enda.
17 Oyo inaa tseya ondjila yombili,
18 yo inaa ilonga okutila Kalunga.”
19 Ngashingeyi otu shi shi kutya ashihe shoka sha nyolwa mompango, otayi shi lombwele mboka ye li kohi yoonkondo dhompango, opo omuntu kehe a mutikwe, nuuyuni auhe u tompwe kutya ou na oondjo koshipala shaKalunga. 20 Oshoka kaku na nando omuntu ta ningi omuyuuki koshipala shaKalunga, sho a gwanitha shoka tashi pulwa kompango; oshoka ompango oyi lile po okutseyithila omuntu kutya oye omulunde.
Uuyuuki womeitaalo
21 Ihe ngashingeyi Kalunga okwa holola po ondjila yokuninga aantu aayuuki koshipala she kaayi na sha nompango. Ompango naahunganeki oye shi popi kutya 22 Kalunga ota ningi aantu aayuuki, sho yi itaala Jesus Kristus. Oye ote shi ningile aantu ayehe mboka yi itaala pwaa na eyooloko. 23 Oshoka aantu ayehe oya yona, kaye na oonkondo dhoku ya hupitha. 24 Ihe molwomagano gesilohenda lye Kalunga ote ya ningi aayuuki, oshoka Jesus Kristus okwe ya kulila. 25 Kalunga okwa gandja Jesus, opo mokusa kwe a ninge iikulila, moka aantu mboka ye mu itaala, taa dhiminwa po oondjo dhawo. Kalunga okwe mu gandja, opo a ulike, nkene ta ningi aantu aayuuki koshipala she. Nale Kalunga okwa li i idhidhimikile nokwe etha oondjo dhaantu, inee ya geela omolwadho. 26 Ngashingeyi Kalunga ota holola kutya oye oku li mondjila, sho ta ningi omuntu kehe ngoka i itaala Jesus, omuyuuki koshipala she.
27 Otatu vulu natango tuu okwiitanga? Aawe, itashi vulika we! Omolwashike? Omolwaashoka omuntu ta gwanitha ompango? Aawe, omolwaasho i itaala. 28 Ano otatu ti kutya omuntu ota ningi owala omuyuuki koshipala shaKalunga, sho i itaala, ihe hamolwaasho ta gwanitha shoka tashi pulwa kompango. 29 Nenge Kalunga okAajuda ayeke? Ke shi nani Kalunga kaapagani wo? Eeno, okaapagani wo. 30 Kalunga gumwe awike, ngoka ta ningi Aajuda aayuuki koshipala she omolweitaalo lyawo nosho wo aapagani omolweitaalo lyawo. 31 Ano ompango otatu yi dhimi po molweitaalo? Aawe, hasho; ihe otatu yi koleke.
