1 Do the Jews then have any advantage over the Gentiles? Or is there any value in being circumcised? 2 Much, indeed, in every way! In the first place, God trusted his message to the Jews. 3 But what if some of them were not faithful? Does this mean that God will not be faithful? 4 Certainly not! God must be true, even though all human beings are liars. As the scripture says,
“You must be shown to be right when you speak;
you must win your case when you are being tried.”
5 But what if our doing wrong serves to show up more clearly God's doing right? Can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (This would be the natural question to ask.) 6 By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world?
7 But what if my untruth serves God's glory by making his truth stand out more clearly? Why should I still be condemned as a sinner? 8 Why not say, then, “Let us do evil so that good may come”? Some people, indeed, have insulted me by accusing me of saying this very thing! They will be condemned, as they should be.
No One Is Righteous
9 Well then, are we Jews in any better condition than the Gentiles? Not at all! I have already shown that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say:
“There is no one who is righteous,
11 no one who is wise
or who worships God.
12 All have turned away from God;
they have all gone wrong;
no one does what is right, not even one.
13 Their words are full of deadly deceit;
wicked lies roll off their tongues,
and dangerous threats, like snake's poison, from their lips;
14 their speech is filled with bitter curses.
15 They are quick to hurt and kill;
16 they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go.
17 They have not known the path of peace,
18 nor have they learned reverence for God.”
19 Now we know that everything in the Law applies to those who live under the Law, in order to stop all human excuses and bring the whole world under God's judgment. 20 For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned.
How We Are Put Right with God
21 But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. 22 God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: 23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. 24 But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. 25-26 God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus.
27 What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe. 28 For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands. 29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Of course he is. 30 God is one, and he will put the Jews right with himself on the basis of their faith, and will put the Gentiles right through their faith. 31 Does this mean that by this faith we do away with the Law? No, not at all; instead, we uphold the Law.
1 Hapo Ovajuda tji ve na tjo okukapita imba mbe he ri Ovajuda otjikwatjike? Nomasukarekero hapo ye nonḓengu yatjike? 2 Ii, owo ye nonḓengu onene tjinene momuhingo auhe. Rutenga Ndjambi wa yandja embo re kOvajuda. 3 Nungwari tjiva vawo kava ri ovaṱakame. Okuhinouṱakame kwawo indu nai maku yandisa ouṱakame wa Ndjambi are? 4 Kako ka tjiperi nao! Ndjambi omunauatjiri, nomundu auhe omunavizeze otja punga amwa tjangwa momatjangwa:
“Oove omusemba momambo woye,
nu u kara noutoṋi tji mo pangurwa.”
5 Nu hapo ourunde wetu tji mau raisa poruhaera ousemba wa Ndjambi, ngatu tje vi? Ngatu tje, Ndjambi ma tjiti ouhasemba tji me tu vere are? Indi ondi ri epuriro ovandu ndi ve pura. 6 Kako! Ndjambi atja pangura vi ouye ndovazu eye kamusemba?
7 Nungwari ovizeze vyandje tji mavi raisa ongahukiro imbwi ouṱakame wa Ndjambi nokuneneparisa ondjozikiro ye, nu me pangurirwa tjike otja omunauvi? 8 Okutjavi tji tu hi nakutja: “Ngatu tjite ouvi kokutja ouwa a rire tji weya?” Tjiri, pe novandu mbe ndji yamburura mokundjikuminina kutja ami mbi hungira omambo tjingewo nga! Owo mave pangurwa i Ndjambi punga apa pwira wo.
Kape nomundu omusemba
9 Nu pe ri vi? Eṱe Ovajuda oweṱe ovasemba pu imba mbe he ri Ovajuda? Kako ka tjiperi! Ami mba raisa rukuru kutja Ovajuda na imba mbe he ri Ovajuda, avehe pamwe ve ri kehi youvara wourunde. 10 Orondu omatjangwa maye tja:
“Kape nomundu nangarire umwe ngu ri omusemba,
11 kape nomundu omunazondunge
nu ngu paha ombango ya Ndjambi.
12 Avehe va poka ku Ndjambi;
avehe va zunḓaka;
kape na umwe ngu tjita ouwa,
nangarire umwe ke po.
13 Omiriu vyawo vi ri ohamukwao
neyendo ndi ri kamwaha,
nu ve hungira ovineya nomaraka wawo.
Omambo womiṋa vyawo ye
ri otja ouzuwo wozonyoka,
14 ovinyo vyawo vye ura nomasengiro omazeu.
15 Ozombaze zawo ze hakahana
okukahihamisa nokuzepa,
16 akuhe ku mave i, ve isa
omanyoneno nomahahauriro.
17 Nondjira yohange kave na pu ve i tjivirwe.
18 Nu kave na indu va karere nondira ku Ndjambi.”
19 Neṱe matu tjiwa kutja avihe, mbi ri mOmatwako wa Ndjambi vi hungirirwa imba mbe ri kehi yOmatwako nga. Kape nomundu ngu ma sora okutja eye ke nondjo, nouye auhe wa pwa okuverwa i Ndjambi. 20 Punao, kape nomundu ngu ma varwa otja omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi mokuyenenisa inga omaheero wOmatwako. Nu otjiṋa Omatwako tji ye tjita, ye raisa ourunde wovandu.
Okuvarwa omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi mena rOngamburiro
21 Nungwari nambano imbwi omuhingo Ndjambi ovandu meve vara kutja ovasemba wa raisiwa. Owo kau notjiṋa nomatwako, nandarire kutja owo wa hongononwa i Omatwako wa Moses novaprofete. 22 Ndjambi ovandu u ve vara otja ovasemba mena rongamburiro yawo mu Jesus Kristus. Ndjambi u tjita nai ku avehe mbe kambura mu Kristus, tjinga ape hi nombangu oparukaze pokati kawo. 23 Avehe ovarunde nu va humburuka kokure na Ndjambi. 24 Nungwari owo avehe ve varwa kutja ovasemba komurungu wa Ndjambi motjimbe tjonguturiro, ndji ri otjiyandjewa tjotjari tje mu Kristus Jesus. 25-26 Ndjambi we mu yandja okurira ombunguhiro, ndji mai eta ohanganisiro mokutirahi ombinḓu ye ku imba mbe kambura mu ye. Ndjambi wa tjita nai a raise kutja eye omusemba. Oruveze orukuru eye wa ri nomuretima kourunde wovandu ne ve isire. Nungwari momayuva wa nambano u raisa kutja omusemba: Eye u pangura osemba, nu auhe ngu kambura mu Kristus u mu vara kutja omusemba.
27 Nu hapo otjiṋa eṱe oveni tji tu rihivira tji pi? Katji po! Nu omena ratjike? Omena rokutja tu nonḓuviro komatwako poo? Kako! Omena rongamburiro. 28 Nu, tjiri, matu tjiwa nawa kutja omundu u varwa otja omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi mena rongamburiro porwayo, nu kamena rokuṱakamisa inga Omatwako. 29 Poo Ndjambi eye oNdjambi wOvajuda porwe are? Eye ka Ndjambi wa imba mbe he ri Ovajuda wina are? Ii, eye owoviwaṋa vyarwe wina. 30 Ndjambi iumwe uriri, neye, imba Ovajuda naimba mbe he ri Ovajuda meve vara otja ovasemba komurungu we motjimbe tjongamburiro. 31 Nu nambano indu matu isa po Omatwako mena rongamburiro are? Kako! Inga Omatwako matu ye zikamisa.
