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.
Oshiholelwa shoondjokana
1 Aamwameme, one omu uvite ko shoka nda hala okutya, oshoka ompango omu yi shi. Ompango otayi pangele owala omuntu, manga e na omwenyo. 2 Omukiintu ngoka e li moondjokana, ompango otayi mu mangele owala komulumentu gwe, manga omulumentu e na omwenyo. Ihe omulumentu ngele a si, nena omukiintu okwa manguluka mompango ya tya ngaaka. 3 Onkee ngele omukiintu ota kala nomulumentu gulwe, manga omulumentu gwe e na omwenyo, nena oti ithanwa ohonda. Ihe ngele omulumentu gwe okwa si, nena omukiintu ngoka okwa manguluka pampango noita talwa we ta hondele, ngele ta hokanwa komulumentu gulwe. 4 Osho nane wo aamwameme, omwa kwatunuka mo mompango, oshoka one iilyo yolutu lwaKristus. Ngashingeyi otse oyaanguka a yumudhwa kuusi, opo tu kale tu na okukalamwenyo kwo opalela Kalunga. 5 Oshoka manga twa li tatu landula omadhiladhilo getu yene, uuhalu wuulunde wa penduthwa kompango owa kala tau longo mutse. Okukala kwa tya ngeyi otaku fala meso. 6 Ihe ngashingeyi otwa manguluka mompango notwa kwatunuka mo mushoka sha li she tu ninga oonkwatwa. Onkee ihatu longo we pamukalo omukulu gwompango ndjoka ya nyolwa, ihe ohatu longele Kalunga muupe wOmbepo.
Ompango nuulunde
7 Otatu ti ngiini ano? Ompango yo yene oyi na uulunde? Aawe, itashi vulika! Ihe ompango oya tseyithile ndje kutya uulunde oshike. Oshoka ando inandi tseya kutya okuhaluka oshike, ngele ompango inayi tya: “Ino haluka.” 8 Uulunde owa mono ihe ompito mokulongitha oshipango nowa pendutha uuhalu wi ili nowi ili mungame. Oshoka uulunde otau kala wa sa, ngele kaku na ompango. 9 Mokukala kwandje nale onda li inaandi tseya ompango, ihe oshipango sho she ya, uulunde owa ningi omwenyo, 10 ngame e tandi si. Ano oshipango shoka sha li shi na okupa ndje omwenyo, oshe etele ndje eso. 11 Onkee ano uulunde owa mono ihe ompito okufundja ndje mokulongitha oshipango e tau dhipagitha ndje oshipango.
12 Ompango yo yene oyo ondjapuki niipango yamo oyo iiyapuki, yi li mondjila niiwanawa. 13 Ano shoka oshiwanawa oshe etele ndje eso? Aawe, itashi vulika! Eso olye etwa kuulunde. Uulunde owa longitha shoka oshiwanawa nowe etele ndje eso, opo u holoke puuyelele kutya owo uulunde. Ano mokulongitha oshipango uulunde owa holola kutya owo uulundelela.
Uukwatya wopaali momuntu
14 Otse otu shi shi kutya ompango oyopambepo, ihe ngame omuntu tandi ka sa, nda landithwa po ndi kale omupika guulunde. 15 Kandi shi shi shoka tandi shi longo, oshoka ihandi longo shoka nda hala oku shi longa, ihe ohandi longo shoka ndi tonde. 16 Ngele ano ohandi longo shoka inaandi shi hala, nena otandi zimine kutya ompango oyi li mondjila. 17 Ano hangame we handi longo ngeyi, ihe uulunde mbuka wa kala mungame. 18 Oshoka ondi shi shi kutya mungame, nokutya muuntu wandje kamu na nando uuwanawa washa. Oshoka nonando mungame omu na ehalo okulonga uuwanawa, itandi shi vulu. 19 Uuwanawa mboka nda hala oku u ninga, ihandi u longo, ihe uuwinayi mboka inaandi u hala, owo he longo. 20 Ngele ohe longo shoka inaandi shi hala, nena otashi ti kutya hangame we handi shi longo, ihe uulunde mbuka wa kala mungame.
21 Onkee ano mokukala kwandje ondi wete ompango ndjika kutya nando ndi kale nda hala okulonga uuwanawa, uuwinayi auke he longo. 22 Meni lyandje onda hokwa ompango yaKalunga. 23 Ihe ondi wete ompango onkwawo yi li molutu lwandje tayi kondjitha ndjoka ya ziminwa komadhiladhilo gandje. Oyo oya kwata ndje, ndi kale omupika gwompango yuulunde yi li molutu lwandje. 24 Ongame omuntu omukweyi! Olye ta mangulula ndje molutu nduka talu etele ndje eso? 25 Kalunga na hambelelwe omolwaJesus Kristus, Omuwa gwetu!
Onkee ano ngame mwene ohandi longo owala pampango yaKalunga nomadhiladhilo gandje, ihe nuuntu wandje ohandi longo pampango yuulunde.
