The Example of Abraham
1 What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience? 2 If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about—but not in God's sight. 3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 4 A person who works is paid wages, but they are not regarded as a gift; they are something that has been earned. 5 But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself. 6 This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:
7 “Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven,
whose sins are pardoned!
8 Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of!”
9 Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 10 When did this take place? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? It was before, not after. 11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of faith that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.
God's Promise Is Received through Faith
13 When God promised Abraham and his descendants that the world would belong to him, he did so, not because Abraham obeyed the Law, but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God. 14 For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then faith means nothing and God's promise is worthless. 15 The Law brings down God's anger; but where there is no law, there is no disobeying of the law.
16 And so the promise was based on faith, in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all; 17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is good in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist. 18 Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping, and so became “the father of many nations.” Just as the scripture says, “Your descendants will be as many as the stars.” 19 He was then almost one hundred years old; but his faith did not weaken when he thought of his body, which was already practically dead, or of the fact that Sarah could not have children. 20 His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God's promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. 21 He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why Abraham, through faith, “was accepted as righteous by God.” 23 The words “he was accepted as righteous” were not written for him alone. 24 They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from death. 25 Because of our sins he was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.
Otjihorera tja Abraham
1 Nu ngatu tje pa ri vi natate mukururume Abraham? 2 Eye andakuzu wa varerwe kutja omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi mena rovitjitwa vye atja kara notjiṋa okurihivira tjo, nungwari ketje rihivira komurungu wa Ndjambi. 3 Omatjangwa maye tja: “Abraham wa kambura mu Ndjambi, nu mena rongamburiro ye Ndjambi e mu vara otja omusemba.” 4 Omuungure ondjambi ye kai varerwa ye otja otjiyandjewa, nungwari i varwa otja otjiṋa tje sokusutwa. 5 Nu omundu ngu he riyameke kokuyenenisa Omatwako, nungwari ngu kambura mu ingwi ngu isira omunandjo okurira omuhinandjo, ma varwa otja omusemba mena rongamburiro ye. 6 David wina otji ma hee kutja omundu ngwi ngu ma varwa kutja omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi nokuhinoviungura vye, eye omuṋingandu:
7 “Ovaṋingandu imba mbe havererwa ozongatukiro zawo,
nu mbe isirwa ourunde wawo.
8 Omuṋingandu ingwi ngu ha varerwa ourunde we i Muhona!”
9 Ouṋingandu mbwi David mbu ma hee owaimba mba sukara poo wina owaimba mbe ha sukarere? Neṱe matu tja nai rukwao: “Abraham wa kambura mu Ndjambi, nu mena rongamburiro ye Ndjambi e mu vara otja omusemba.” 10 Otjiṋa hi tja tjitwa ruṋe? Tja tjitwa ngunda e hiya sukarekwa poo tja tjitwa tjaza nokusukarekwa? Otjiṋa hi tja tjitwa ngunda e hiya sukarekwa. 11 Omasukarekero we eye we ye pewa otja otjiraisiro. Owo otjihako tjokuraisa kutja Ndjambi we mu vara otja omusemba, tjinga a ri nongamburiro ngunda e hiya sukara. Abraham opa ririra ihe yaavehe mbe kambura mu Ndjambi, nandarire kutja kaveya sukara. Owo wina otji ve varwa otja ovasemba komurungu wa Ndjambi motjimbe tjokutja va kambura. 12 Tate mukururume Abraham kaihe ya imba mbe ha sukarere porwe, nungwari wina oihe ya imba mba kambura, otja eye tjinga a ri nongamburiro ngunda e hiya sukara.
Omakwizikiro wa Ndjambi ye zira mongamburiro
13 Ndjambi punga a kwizikira Abraham nozondekurona ze kutja ouye mau rire ouini we, opunga a tjita, nu kamena rokutja Abraham wa yenenisa inga Omatwako, nungwari omena rokutja Ndjambi we mu vara otja omusemba tjinga a ri nongamburiro. 14 Omakwizikiro wa Ndjambi andakuzu maye yandjwa ku imba mbe yenenisa Omatwako, ongamburiro yomundu itjai rira omungandjo, nomakwizikiro wa Ndjambi katjaye tji kara nomasa. 15 Omatwako ye pendura omazenge wa Ndjambi, nungwari pu pe hi nomatwako kape nokukara omakatukiro womatwako.
16 Omakwizikiro nga ye ya ku Abraham mena rongamburiro, nu komuhingo mbwi ye ya otja otjiyandjewa tjotjari, kokutja ye karerere aruhe mozondekurona ze azehe. Nozondekurona ze kawo mba porwe mbe ṱakamisa omatwako, nungwari wina owo mba mbe nongamburiro otja Abraham tja ri nongamburiro. Orondu Abraham otate yetu atuhe, 17 otja omatjangwa punga amaye hee: “Ami mbe ku isa po ihe yoviwaṋa ovingi.” Omakwizikiro otji ye ri omasemba komurungu wa Ndjambi, ingwi Ndjambi Abraham me nongamburiro, nu ngu kotora ovaṱi komuinyo, nu ngu uta nembo re imbi mbi he ri ko. 18 Nandarire kutja kapa ri omaundjiro, Abraham wa kambura na kara nomaundjiro, notja rira “ihe yoviwaṋa ovingi.” Otja omatjangwa punga amaye hee: “Ozondekurona zoye maze rire ozengi nai tjimuna ozonyose.”
19 Abraham wa ri notjiwondo tjozombura mangara esere rimwe, nu nandarire kutja aa tjiwa nawa kutja eye omuini wa kurupa tjinene, nokutja Sara wina ke tji nokusora okukara norukwato rukwao, ongamburiro ye kai na pu ya ngundipara. 20 Eye wa panḓera pongamburiro, nu ka ivaivire momakwizikiro wa Ndjambi, nungwari eye wa zeupara mongamburiro na yozike Ndjambi. 21 Eye, tjiri tjiri, aa tjiwa kutja Ndjambi ma sora okuyenenisa imbi mbya kwizikire. 22 Abraham opa za okuvarwa otja omusemba komurungu wa Ndjambi mena rongamburiro. 23 Omambo nga “eye wa varwa otja omusemba,” kaye tjangererwe ye porwe, 24 owo ya tjangerwa eṱe wina mbu matu varwa kutja oweṱe ovasemba, nu mbu tu kambura mu Ndjambi ngwa pendura Jesus oMuhona wetu movakoke. 25 Motjimbe tjourunde wetu eye wa yandjwa kokuṱa, neye wa pendurwa komuinyo kokutja eṱe tu varwe otja ovasemba komurungu wa Ndjambi.
