Otjari tja Ndjambi pu Israel
1 Nu nambano ami me pura: “Indu nai Ndjambi wa imbirahi otjiwaṋa tje omuini are?” Kako! Ami omuini owami Omuisrael, ondekurona ya Abraham, ngu mba zire momuhoko wa Benjamin. 2 Ndjambi ke na pa imbirahire otjiwaṋa tje, ihi tja toororere okuza korukuru. Kamu nokutjiwa kutja omatjangwa maye tja vi indu Elia tjaa unaunine Ndjambi motjimbe tjOvaisrael a tja: 3 “Muhona, owo va zepa ovaprofete voye nu va haṋa ovipunguhiro vyoye; nu owami erike porwandje ngu mba sewa po, nowo mave vanga okundjizepa.” 4 Nu Ndjambi we mu pa eziriro riṋe? “Ami mbe rihupisira ovarumendu omayovi hambombari mbe he rikotamenene komukuru wotjisenginina Baal.” 5 Notjinga ape ri nao ndinondi: Pe notjihupe tjaimba Ndjambi mba toorora motjimbe tjotjari tje. 6 Ondyero ye ya zire motjari tje, nu kai zire mu imbi ovandu mbi va tjita. Orondu andakuzu ondyero ya Ndjambi ya zira mu imbi ovandu mbi ve tjita, otjari tje ka tja tji rira otjari katjotjiri.
7 Nu tjike? Otjiwaṋa tja Israel ka tji mwine ko ihi tji yave paha. Nu imba Ndjambi mba toorora porwe ombe tji muna, nu imba ovakwao kave zuvire omaisaneno wa Ndjambi, 8 otja omatjangwa punga amaye hee: “Ndjambi we ve pa ombepo yozomboṱu kokutja ave ha munu nomeho nave ha zuu nomatwi nga ku ndinondi.” 9 Nu David ma tja:
“Omariro wozombunguhiro zawo
ngaye rire ongwehe nomawiro ku wo,
nu wina ngaye rire ombutarisiro nomberero ku wo.
10 Omeho wawo ngaye potuparisiwe
kokutja ave ha munu;
nu peta omatambo wawo kehi
yomahuuriro woukarere nga ko nga aruhe.”
11 Nambano ami me pura rukwao: Indu ombutarero yOvajuda ye ve pa ombandjarero yaaruhe are? Kako! Owo tjinga ava tjita ouvi, ondjamo otjinga aye ya ku imba mbe he ri Ovajuda, kokutja Ovajuda ve ṱeruru na vyo. 12 Ouvi wOvajuda wa eta ozondaya ozengi kouye, nomaherengisiro wotjivaro tjawo ya eta ozondaya ozengi ku imba mbe he ri Ovajuda. Nozondaya maze rire ozonene pu pe ṱeki pi, Ovajuda avehe tji ve ritanaurire ku Jesus Kristus!
Ondjamo ya imba mbe he ri Ovajuda
13 Ami nambano me hungire na eṋe mbu mu he ri Ovajuda. Nu ngunda ambi ri omuapostele wa imba mbe he ri Ovajuda, ami me rihivire oviungura vyandje. 14 Nani movandu vomuhoko wandje omuini me yenene okupendura eruru mu wo kutja mbi yame tjiva vawo. 15 Orondu omaimbirahiro wawo tji ye ri ohanganisiro youye, indu nai omayakuriro wawo wina kaye nakukarira otja ombendukiro yovakoke are?
16 Okarutau okatenga komboroto tji ka yapurirwa Ndjambi, okutja omboroto aihe ya yapurirwa ye; nomize vyomuti tji vya yapurirwa Ndjambi, okutja otutavi wina twa yapurirwa ye. 17 Otutavi tjiva twomuṋinga omukunwa twa porwa, norutavi rwomuṋinga womokuti aru tuwa mba pupa porwa orutavi romuṋinga omukunwa; eṋe mba mbu mu he ri Ovajuda, mwa sana nomuṋinga womokuti mbwi. Nu nambano eṋe mu norupa moruaze orunamuinyo rwomuṋinga imbwi omukunwa. 18 Eṋe otji mu hi nokusokunyengura imba mba porwa otja otutavi. Mamu rihivire tjike? Oweṋe otutavi uriri; eṋe kamu toora omize, nungwari omize ombi toora eṋe!
19 Nambano eṋe tjapo mamu tja: “Otutavi twa porwa kokutja eṱe tu tuwe moruveze rwatwo.” 20 Nu ouatjiri! Owo va porwa tjinga ave ha kamburire; neṋe mwa tuwa moruveze rwawo, tjinga amwa kambura. Amu rihivire otjiṋa hi, nungwari tireye! 21 Ndjambi ka yamene Ovajuda nandarire kutja owo otutavi otukwatera. Mamu tjangovasi eye me mu yama are? 22 Eṱe nai matu munu kutja Ndjambi u notjari nokutja omukukutu. Eye omukukutu ku imba mba poka ku ye, nu u notjari ku eṋe indu tji mamu panḓere potjari tje. Nungwari tji mu hi nokutjita nai, mamu kewa wina. 23 Nu Ovajuda tji va isa okuhakambura kwawo, mave yarurwa mo rukwao. Orondu Ndjambi u nomasa okutjita nao. 24 Neṋe mbu mu he ri Ovajuda, mu ri otja otutavi twomuṋinga womokuti tu twa porwa, nu mwa tuwa komuṋinga omukunwa ku ku he ri momuhingo mbwa sokukara po. Ovajuda va sana nomuṋinga omukunwa mbwi; nu ma rire oupupu tjinene ku Ndjambi okuyarura ko otutavi tu twa porwa twi momuti watwo otuini rukwao.
Otjari tja Ndjambi ku avehe
25 Pe notjiundikwa, vakwetu, tji me vanga kutja mu tjiwe, kokutja amu he rivara oveni kutja oweṋe ozonongo. Notjo okongwi okutja omakukutisiro womitima vyOvaisrael tjiva kaye nakukarerera, nungwari maye kara uriri nga otjivaro okuura tjaimba mbe he ri Ovajuda tji tja hiti mouhona wa Ndjambi. 26 Nu komuhingo mbwi Israel atjihe otji matji yamwa otja omatjangwa punga amaye hee:
“Omukuture ma zu mOsion,
neye ma isa po omaurunde aehe
wozondekurona za Jakob.
27 Ami me tjiti omerikutiropamwe nga puna wo,
tji me isa po ourunde wawo.”
28 Ovajuda va rira ovanavita na Ndjambi kokutja eṋe mba mbu mu he ri Ovajuda mu zuve Ombuze Ombwa. Nungwari Ndjambi tjinga a toororere ooihe mukururume, Ovajuda otjinga ava rira omapanga we. 29 Nu Ndjambi tja yandja otjiyandjewa tjotjari tje kovandu ne ve isana, kamaa rundurura ko ondyero ye. 30 Rukuru eṋe mbu mu he ri Ovajuda mwa ri ovahazuva ku Ndjambi, nungwari nambano Ovajuda tjinga ave hi nonḓuviro, Ndjambi otjinga e tjariparera eṋe. 31 Nu momuhingo tjingewo mena rokutja Ndjambi we mu tjariparera, Ovajuda nambano kave nonḓuviro ku Ndjambi, kokutja nambano wina owo ve tjariparerwe. 32 Ndjambi ovandu avehe we ve yandja kutja ave ha kara nonḓuviro ku ye, kokutja eye e ve tjariparere avehe.
Ndjambi nga yozikwe!
33 Outumbe wotjari tja Ndjambi ounene tjinene, nu tjiri, ouhasanekwa! Ounongo nondjiviro ya Ndjambi, tjiri ovihavazewa! Owaṋi ngu ma sora okuteza ozombanguriro ze? 34 Omatjangwa ma e tja:
“Owaṋi ngu tjiwa ouripura wa Muhona?
Owaṋi ngu ma yenene okumupa ozondunge?
35 Owaṋi ngwa rorere okumupa otjiṋa,
kokutja eye e mu kotorere otja otjisuta?”
36 Orondu oviṋa avihe vya utwa i ye nu vya za mu ye nu mavi yaruka ku ye. Ndjambi nga yozikwe aruhe nga ko nga aruhe. Amen!
God's Mercy on Israel
1 I ask, then: Did God reject his own people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning. You know what the scripture says in the passage where Elijah pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.” 4 What answer did God give him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not worshiped the false god Baal.” 5 It is the same way now: there is a small number left of those whom God has chosen because of his grace. 6 His choice is based on his grace, not on what they have done. For if God's choice were based on what people do, then his grace would not be real grace.
7 What then? The people of Israel did not find what they were looking for. It was only the small group that God chose who found it; the rest grew deaf to God's call. 8 As the scripture says, “God made their minds and hearts dull; to this very day they cannot see or hear.” 9 And David says,
“May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;
may they fall, may they be punished!
10 May their eyes be blinded so that they cannot see;
and make them bend under their troubles at all times.”
11 I ask, then: When the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? By no means! Because they sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous of them. 12 The sin of the Jews brought rich blessings to the world, and their spiritual poverty brought rich blessings to the Gentiles. Then, how much greater the blessings will be when the complete number of Jews is included!
The Salvation of the Gentiles
13 I am speaking now to you Gentiles: As long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I will take pride in my work. 14 Perhaps I can make the people of my own race jealous, and so be able to save some of them. 15 For when they were rejected, all other people were changed from God's enemies into his friends. What will it be, then, when they are accepted? It will be life for the dead!
16 If the first piece of bread is given to God, then the whole loaf is his also; and if the roots of a tree are offered to God, the branches are his also. 17 Some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been broken off, and a branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to it. You Gentiles are like that wild olive tree, and now you share the strong spiritual life of the Jews. 18 So then, you must not despise those who were broken off like branches. How can you be proud? You are just a branch; you don't support the roots—the roots support you.
19 But you will say, “Yes, but the branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid. 21 God did not spare the Jews, who are like natural branches; do you think he will spare you? 22 Here we see how kind and how severe God is. He is severe toward those who have fallen, but kind to you—if you continue in his kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off. 23 And if the Jews abandon their unbelief, they will be put back in the place where they were; for God is able to do that. 24 You Gentiles are like the branch of a wild olive tree that is broken off and then, contrary to nature, is joined to a cultivated olive tree. The Jews are like this cultivated tree; and it will be much easier for God to join these broken-off branches to their own tree again.
God's Mercy on All
25 There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. 26 And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says,
“The Savior will come from Zion
and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob.
27 I will make this covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 Because they reject the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies for the sake of you Gentiles. But because of God's choice, they are his friends because of their ancestors. 29 For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. 30 As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past; but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient. 31 In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received, the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy. 32 For God has made all people prisoners of disobedience, so that he might show mercy to them all.
Praise to God
33 How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? 34 As the scripture says,
“Who knows the mind of the Lord?
Who is able to give him advice?
35 Who has ever given him anything,
so that he had to pay it back?”
36 For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.
