Abrahammi di aiǁgaus
1 Tare-e da ǁnâi Abrahammi sada aboxab ge khoeb ase hōǃân xa a mî ǁkhā? 2 Abrahammi ga ǁîb sîsengu ǃnâ-u ǂhanu-ai kaihe hâ, ob ge koasenūb nî xū-e ūhâ, xawe Elob aiǃâs ose. 3 Tare-es ra Xoasa mî? “Abrahammi ge Elob ǃnâ ge ǂgom tsî ǁîb di ǂgoms ǃaroma ge ǂhanu-ai kaihe.” 4 Khoe-i ga sîsen, os ge ǁî-i di mataresa mās ǁgui-ais ase mûhe tama hâ, xawes ge a ǁî-i di ǃoaǂui. 5 Xawe ǁnā-i sîsen tama, xawe ǁnāb eloxoresana ra ǂhanu-ai kaib ai ra ǂgomǃgâ-eb ge ǁî-i di ǂgoms ǃaroma ra ǂhanu-ai kai. 6 ǁNā-amagab ge Davida ǁnā khoe-i ǁî-i di sîsenga xus ose, xawe Elob xa ǂhanu-aise ra ǀkhaehe-i di ǃgâiaǂgaob xa nēti ra mî:
7 “ǀKhaehen ge hâ ǁnān ǃûǂamde ǀûbahe tsî ǁoren âna ǃgū-aibahe hâna;
8 ǀKhaeheb ge hâ ǁnā khoeb, Elob xa ǁîb di ǁore-i xare-e ǃgôabahe tamaba.”
9 Nēsisa nē ǀkhaeba ǃgaosa khoen ǃaroma ǀguib hâ tamas ka io ǃgaosa tama khoen tsîna a ǃkhōǂgāsa? Elob ge Abrahamma ǁîb di ǂgoms ǃaroma ǂhanu-ai kai, ti da ra mî xui-ao. 10 Mâǁaes nēsa ge ī? ǃGaohes* aiǃâsa tamas ka io ǃgaohes khaoǃgâ ge isa? ǃGaoheb nîs aiǃâ ge is ge, ǃgaohes khaoǃgâs ose. 11 Ega ǀguib ge ge ǃgaohe tsî nē ǃgaohes ǁîb dis ge Elob ge ǁîba ǂgoms âb ǃaroma ǃgaoheb nîs aiǃâ ǃkhōǃoa ǃkhais di ǁgauǁgaus ase ī. ǁNā-amagab ge Abrahamma hoan Elob ǃnâ ra ǂgom tsî ǂhanu-ai kaihen di ǁgû, nēsin ga ǃgaohe tama i xawe. 12 ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti ǁnān hîa ǃgaohes ǀguisa hî tama i tsî xawe Abrahammi ǃgaohe tamab hâ hîa gere ǂgom khami ra ǂgomn di ǁgû.
Elob mîmâis ge ǂgoms ǃnâ-u ge ǃkhōǃoahe
13 ǂHanub ǃnâ-u tamas ge Abrahammi tamas ka io ǁîb di surib ge ǃhūbaiba ǀumis di mîmâisa māsa, xawe ǂgoms ǃnâ-u Elob ǀkha ǂhanu-ai kaihesa xu. 14 ǀUmi-aosis ga ǂHanuba xu hâ io, os ge ǂgomsa a ǁau tsîs ge mîmâisa harebeoǃnâ. 15 ǂHanub ge Elob ǁaiba ra hā-ū, xawe ǂhanu-i a ǀkhaipa, i ge ǂhanu-i nî ǃûǂamhe ǀgau-e a ǀkhai.
16 ǁNā-amagas ge mîmâisa ǂgoms ai a ǃgaoǃgaosa Elob di ǀkhommi ǃoas nî hâse tsîs ge Abrahammi surib hoaba ǁaposase nî hâba. ǁNān hîa ǂhanub din ǀguin ose, xawe ǁkhāti Abrahammi ge ǂgom hâ i khami ǂgom hâna, ǁîb a sada hoada gagasi ǁgû xui-ao. 17 Xoas ra mî khami: “Tita ge satsa ǂgui ǁaedi di îse ge mâi.” ǁÎb ge Elob, ǁîbab ra ǂgomǃgâb, ǁō hâna ûi-ûi tsî ǀkhai ge ī xūna hâ an ase ra dīb aiǃâ mîmâisa ge ǃkhōǃoa. 18 Abrahammi ge ǃâubasens tsî ǂgoms ǃnâ ǁîb ǃâubasensa mâtib ga mâsiba ǃâubasen-e ūhâ tama khami ī, xawe ge ǁgui. ǁNā-amagab ge ǂgui ǁaede ǁgûse ge ība. Xoas ra mî xui-ao: “Nētib ge sa suriba ǀgamiron khami nî ǂgui.” 19 Abrahammi ǂgoms ge ǁaubexab ge ǀguikaidisi kurixa i tsîb soros âba ǁōs hâse gere ǃgapaǀî, tsîs ge Sarasa ǀgôa-e ge hō ǁoa i, xawe tātsēs tsîna ǂkhabu tama ge i. 20 ǁÎb ge tātsēs tsîna Elob mîmâisa îganǀgē tamas ka io ǂgomoǃnâ tama ge i, xaweb ge ǂgoms di ǀgaiba xu Eloba ǂkhaisiba gere mā. 21 ǁÎb ge ǀoasase a ǂan, Elob mîmâib gena dīsa a ǁkhā ǃkhaisa. 22 ǁNā-amagas ge “Elob ge Abrahamma ǂhanu-ai kaisa.” 23 Tsî di ge mîdi “Elob ge Abrahamma ǂhanu-ai kai” ti ra mîde ǁîb ǃaroma ǀgui ge xoahe tama hâ i, 24 xawe sada hîa nî ǂhanu-ai kaihe da ǃaromas tsîna. Sada hîa ǁnāb, Jesub sada ǃKhūba ǁō hâna xu ge ǂkhaiǂkhaib ǃnâ ra ǂgomda. 25 ǁÎb ge sada dīsādi ǃaroma ge māǁnâhe tsîb ge sada ǂhanu-ai kaihes ǃaroma ge ǂkhaiǂkhaihe.
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.
