Ouyuki waAbraham womeitavelo
1 Ohatu ti ngahelipi hano, tatekulu Abraham okwa mona shike pambelela? 2 Osheshi Abraham ngeenge a yukipalifwa koilonga okwa wana okulitanga, ndele hakoshipala shaKalunga. 3 Osheshi omishangwa otadi ti ngahelipi? “Abraham okwa itavela Kalunga, ndele eitavelo olo le mu valulilwa ouyuki.” 4 Ndele ou ta longo oilonga, ofuto yaye itai valulwa panghenda, ndele opailonga oyo ye e i longa. 5 Ou ita longo oilonga ndele ta itavele ou ta yukipalifa omukehenakalunga, ota valulilwa eitavelo laye ouyuki; 6 ngaashi naDavid yo ta tongo omunhu omunelao, ou Kalunga te mu valulile ouyuki ehe noilonga, ta ti:
7 “Ovanelao ava omanyono avo a dimwa po
nomatimba avo a tuvikwa.
8 Omulumenhu omunelao oye ou,
Omwene ite mu valulile etimba.”
9 Hano elao eli la tongwa, olaava aveke va pita etanda ile naava inave li pita yo? Ndishi ohatu ti: “Abraham okwa valulilwa eitavelo laye ouyuki.” 10 Ole mu valulilwa ngahelipi hano? Ofimbo kwa li a pita etanda ile ofimbo ine li pita? Haleli e li pita, ndelenee fimbo ine li pita. 11 Ndele okwa pewa edidiliko lepitotanda, li ninge oshilimbo shouyuki womeitavelo a li e li kwete fimbo ina pita etanda, opo ye a ninge xe yaaveshe ava hava itavele vehe netanda, opo va valulilwe yo ouyuki; 12 opo a ninge xe yovapiti vetanda, ava vehe netanda ashike, ndelenee hava ende meemhadi deitavelo olo tate yetu Abraham kwa li e li kwete fimbo ina pita etanda.
13 Osheshi eudaneko olo nokutya, Abraham e nokufyuulula ounyuni, inali uya kuye ile koludalo laye komhango, ndelenee omolwouyuki womeitavelo. 14 Osheshi ava vomomhango ngeenge ovo ovafyuululi, opo nee eitavelo ola ninga longaho, neudaneko lihe na vali oshilonga. 15 Osheshi omhango otai pendula ehandu, ndele apa pehe nomhango netauluko yo.
16 Onghee hano okeitavelo, opo shi dje mefilonghenda; eudaneko opo li kale la pama shili, ololudalo alishe ndelenee halaava aveke vomomhango, ndelenee naava vomeitavelo laAbraham, ou tate yetweni atusheni, 17 ngaashi pa shangwa: “Ame onde ku tula po xe yoiwana ihapu okoshipala shaKalunga ou we mu itavela, naau ha nyumuna ovafi, ndele ta ifana oyo ihe po ongaashi ngeno i li po.” 18 Ye okwa li ha diinine eteelelo apa pehe neteelelo, ndele okwa itavela ota ningi xe yoiwana ihapu pandjovo ei: Oludalo loye otali ningi li fike opo, 19 ndele ye ina yululuka meitavelo nande okwa li e liwete olutu laye la kulupa, osheshi okwa li e needula efele nekuko loshidalelo shaSara a li e li shii; 20 ndele eudaneko laKalunga ine li limbililwa mokuhaitavela, ndelenee a li a pama meitavelo ndele okwa pa Kalunga efimano, 21 nokwa li e shi shii shili, eshi Kalunga e shi udaneka, ota dulu yo oku shi wanifa. 22 Molwaasho “le mu valulilwa ouyuki.” 23 Ndelenee hamolwaye aeke pa shangwa, “le mu valulilwa ouyuki,” 24 ndelenee molwetu yo ava hatu li valulilwa ouyuki, ngeenge hatu itavele ou a nyumuna Jesus Omwene wetu movafi, 25 ou a yandjelwa omanyonauno etu ndele okwa nyumuninwa eyukipalifo letu.
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.
