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.
The Example of Abraham
1 Well then, what can we say about our ancestor Abraham? 2 If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God. 3 The Scriptures say, “God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him.”
4 Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. 5 But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him. 6 In the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these blessings. David says,
7-8 “What a blessing
when God forgives our sins
and our evil deeds.
What a blessing
when the Lord erases our sins
from his book.”
9 Are these blessings meant for circumcised people or for those who are not circumcised? Well, the Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him. 10 But when did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? Of course, it was before.
11 Abraham let himself be circumcised to show he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. 12 This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised.
The Promise Is for All Who Have Faith
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. 14 If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.
15 God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken. 16 Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his gift of undeserved grace. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all. 17 The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.
18 God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. 19 Abraham's faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20 But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.
21 Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. 22 So God accepted him, 23 just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. 24 They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. 25 God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.
