KwabaseRoma 1

1 UPawuli, inceku kaJesu Kristu, ebizelwe ukuba ngumphostoli, ehlukaniselwe ivangeli likaNkulunkulu,

From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, who has been called to become an apostle, and has been set apart to tell God’s good news.

2 (alithembisa ngaphambili ngabaprofethi bakhe emibhalweni engcwele),

This good news God promised long ago through his prophets in the sacred scriptures,

3 mayelana leNdodana yakhe, eyavela enzalweni kaDavida ngokwenyama,

concerning his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord; who, as to his human nature, was descended from David,

4 eyabonakaliswa ukuba yiNdodana kaNkulunkulu ngamandla, ngokukaMoya wobungcwele, ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, uJesu Kristu iNkosi yethu;

but, as to the spirit of holiness within him, was miraculously designated Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

5 esemukela ngaye umusa lobuphostoli ukuthi kube yikulalela kokholo phakathi kwezizwe zonke, ngenxa yebizo lakhe,

Through him we received the gift of the apostolic office, to win submission to the faith among all nations for the glory of his name.

6 elikuzo lani, babiziweyo bakaJesu Kristu:

And among these nations are you – you who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 Kubo bonke abaseRoma, abathandiweyo bakaNkulunkulu, ababizelwe ukuba ngabangcwele: Kakube kini umusa lokuthula okuvela kuNkulunkulu uBaba wethu leNkosini uJesu Kristu.

To all in Rome who are dear to God and have been called to become Christ’s people, may God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

8 Kuqala-ke ngibonga uNkulunkulu wami ngoJesu Kristu ngani lonke, ukuthi ukholo lwenu lumenyezelwa emhlabeni wonke.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because the report of your faith is spreading throughout the world.

9 Ngoba uNkulunkulu ungumfakazi wami, engimkhonza emoyeni wami ngevangeli leNdodana yakhe, ukuthi kangiyekeli ukulikhumbula,

God, to whom I offer the worship of my soul as I tell the goodness of his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you when I pray,

10 ngesikhathi sonke emikhulekweni yami ngicela, ukuthi nxa kusenzeka ngentando kaNkulunkulu, ngiphumelele ukuza kini ekucineni.

asking that, if he be willing, I may some day at last find the way open to visit you.

11 Ngoba ngilangatha ukulibona, ukuze ngiliphe isipho esithile somoya, ukuze liqiniswe,

For I long to see you, in order to impart to you some spiritual gift and so give you fresh strength –

12 okuyikuthi, siduduzeke ndawonye phakathi kwenu ngokholo olukomunye lomunye, olwenu kanye lolwami.

or rather that both you and I may find encouragement in each other’s faith.

13 Kanti angithandi ukuthi kungaziwa kini, bazalwane, ukuthi ngazimisela kanengi ukuza kini (ngasengibambeka kuze kube khathesi), ukuze ngizuze esinye isithelo laphakathi kwenu, lanjengaphakathi kwezinye izizwe.

I want you to know, my friends, that I have many times intended coming to see you – but until now I have been prevented – that I might find among you some fruit of my labours, as I have already among the other nations.

14 Ngilomlandu kumaGriki kanye lakwabezizwe, kwabahlakaniphileyo kanye lakwabangahlakaniphanga;

I have a duty to both the Greek and the barbarian, to both the cultured and the ignorant.

15 ngokunjalo njengokukimi ngilungele ukutshumayela ivangeli lakini abaseRoma.

And so, for my part, I am ready to tell the good news to you also who are in Rome.

16 Ngoba kangilanhloni ngevangeli likaKristu; ngoba lingamandla kaNkulunkulu kube lusindiso kuye wonke okholwayo, kumJuda kuqala lakumGriki.

For I am not ashamed of the good news; it is the power of God which brings salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, but also to the Greek.

17 Ngoba ukulunga kukaNkulunkulu kwembulwa kilo kusukela kukholo kusiya kukholo; njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Kodwa olungileyo uzaphila ngokholo.

For in it there is a revelation of the divine righteousness resulting from faith and leading on to faith; as scripture says – “Through faith the righteous will find life.”

18 Ngoba ulaka lukaNkulunkulu luyabonakaliswa luvela ezulwini phezu kwakho konke ukungakhonzi uNkulunkulu lokungalungi kwabantu abavimbela iqiniso ngokungalungi;

So, too, there is a revelation from heaven of the divine wrath against every form of ungodliness and wickedness on the part of those people who, by their wicked lives, are stifling the truth.

19 ngoba lokho okwaziwayo ngoNkulunkulu kusobala phakathi kwabo; ngoba uNkulunkulu ukubonakalisile kubo.

This is so, because what can be known about God is plain to them; for God himself has made it plain.

20 Ngoba okungabonwayo kwakhe, selokhu kwadatshulwa umhlaba, kuzwisiseka ngezinto ezenziweyo, kubonakaliswa obala, ngitsho amandla akhe aphakade kanye lobuNkulunkulu bakhe, kuze kuthi kabalakuzivikela; (aïdios g126)

For ever since the creation of the universe God’s invisible attributes – his everlasting power and divinity – are to be seen and studied in his works, so that people have no excuse; (aïdios g126)

21 ngoba kuthe bemazi uNkulunkulu, kabamdumisanga njengoNkulunkulu kabambonga, kodwa baba yize kumicabango yabo, lenhliziyo yabo engaqondiyo yenziwa yaba mnyama.

because, although they learned to know God, yet they did not offer him as God either praise or thanksgiving. Their speculations about him proved futile, and their undiscerning minds were darkened.

22 Bezitshaya abahlakaniphileyo baba yizithutha,

Professing to be wise, they showed themselves fools;

23 lenkazimulo kaNkulunkulu ongabhubhiyo bayiphendulela ekufananeni lomfanekiso womuntu obhubhayo, lowezinyoni, lowezidalwa ezilenyawo ezine, lowokuhuquzelayo.

and they transformed the glory of the immortal God into the likeness of mortal humans, and of birds, and beasts, and reptiles.

24 Ngalokho-ke uNkulunkulu wabanikela emanyaleni, enkanukweni zenhliziyo zabo, ukuthi badumaze imizimba yabo phakathi kwabo;

Therefore God abandoned them to impurity, letting them follow the cravings of their hearts, until they dishonoured their own bodies;

25 abaphendulela iqiniso likaNkulunkulu emangeni, basebedumisa bekhonza okudaliweyo kuloMdali, ongobongekayo kuze kube phakade. Ameni. (aiōn g165)

for they had substituted a lie for the truth about God, and had reverenced and worshiped created things more than the Creator, who is to be praised for ever. Amen. (aiōn g165)

26 Ngenxa yalokho uNkulunkulu wabanikela enkanukweni ezilihlazo; ngoba labesifazana babo baphendula ukwenza kwemvelo kwaba ngokuphambene lemvelo;

That, I say, is why God abandoned them to degrading passions. Even the women among them perverted the natural use of their bodies to the unnatural;

27 langokunjalo labesilisa bayekela ukwenza kwemvelo kowesifazana, batsha ngokukhanukana kwabo, abesilisa labesilisa benza okulihlazo, bemukeliswa phakathi kwabo umvuzo ofanele ukuduha kwabo.

while the men, disregarding that for which women were intended by nature, were consumed with passion for one another. Men indulged in vile practices with men, and incurred in their own persons the inevitable penalty for their perverseness.

28 Njalo njengalokhu bengavumanga ukuba lolwazi ngoNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu wabanikela ukuthi babe lengqondo ebolileyo, eyokwenza izinto ezingafanelanga;

Then, as they would not keep God before their minds, God abandoned them to depraved thoughts, so that they did all kinds of shameful things.

29 begcwaliswe konke ukungalungi, ukuphinga, ububi, umhawu, inzondo; begcwele umona, ukubulala, inkani, inkohliso, ulunya; abahlebayo,

They revelled in every form of wickedness, evil, greed, vice. Their lives were full of envy, murder, quarrelling, treachery, malice.

30 abanyeyayo, abazonda uNkulunkulu, abangelamakhanda, abazigqajayo, abazikhukhumezayo, abaqambi bezinto ezimbi, abangalaleli abazali,

They became back-biters, slanderers, impious, insolent, boastful. They devised new sins. They disobeyed their parents.

31 abangelangqondo, abephula izithembiso, abalolunya, abangelakuxoliswa, abangelasihawu;

They were undiscerning, untrustworthy, without natural affection or pity.

32 abathi besazi umlayo wokulunga kaNkulunkulu, ukuthi abenza izinto ezinjalo bafanele ukufa, kungesikuthi bayazenza kuphela, kodwa futhi bevumelana labazenzayo.

Well aware of God’s decree, that those who do such things deserve to die, not only are they guilty of them themselves, but they even applaud those who do them.