Romans 4
1 Abraham is the [revered] ancestor of us [Jews]. So think about what we can conclude [from what happened to Abraham about how God can erase the record of our sins]. [RHQ]
He aha ra, ki ta tatou, te mea i riro i a Aperahama, i to tatou tupuna i runga i te kikokiko?
2 If it was because of Abraham’s doing [good] things that the record of his sins was erased {that [God] erased the record of his sins}, Abraham could then have been able to boast [about that to people], but he would not have [had any basis to] boast to God [about it].
Mehemea hoki na nga mahi i tika ai a Aperahama, he mea tana e whakamanamana ai ia; otira kahore ki te Atua.
3 [Remember that] in the Scriptures it is written {someone wrote} [PRS] that Abraham believed what God [promised] [RHQ], and as a result the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
E pehea ana oti ta te karaipiture? I whakapono a Aperahama ki te Atua, a whakairia ana hei tika mona.
4 If we receive wages for work that we do, those wages are not considered to be a gift. Instead, they [are considered] to be what we have earned. [Similarly, if God erases the record of our sins because we did things to earn God’s favor], we would not consider that [God’s erasing the record of our sin] was [a gift. Instead, we would consider it as what we had earned].
Na he tangata e mahi ana, e kore e kiia te utu mona he mea aroha noa, engari he mea mo tana.
5 But suppose that we do not do things [to gain God’s acceptance]. Suppose that we instead trust [in God], who erases the record of sins of wicked people. Then the erasing of the record of our sins because of our trusting [in Christ] is considered to be a gift to us, [not something that we earned].
Otira ko te tangata kahore e mahi, engari e whakapono ana ki te kaiwhakatika i te tangata karakiakore, ka whakairia tona whakapono hei tika mona.
6 Similarly, it is as David wrote [in the Psalms] about people being happy whose record of sins God has erased even though they have not done things [to earn it. David wrote]:
Pera hoki me ta Rawiri korero i te manaaki ki te tangata, ka whakairia nei e te Atua he tika ki a ia, motu ke i nga mahi,
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
I ki ai ia, Ka hari te hunga kua oti a ratou mahi tutu te muru, o ratou hara te hipoki:
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Ka hari te tangata e kore nei e whakairia e te Ariki he hara ki a ia.
9 As for our being happy [because God has erased the record of our sins], (it is not something that [only] we Jews [can experience]./is it [MTY] something that [only] we Jews [can experience]?) [RHQ] [No, it is] also something that non-Jews [can experience] [MTY]. [What is written in the Scriptures], that it was because Abraham trusted [in God] that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}, [also shows that this is true].
E korerotia ana ranei tenei haringa mo te kotinga, mo te kotingakore ano ranei? e mea ana hoki tatou, I whakairia tona whakapono hei tika mo Aperahama.
10 ([Think about] when [God erased the record of Abraham’s sins]./When did [God erase the record of Abraham’s sins]?) [RHQ] (Consider whether [it happened] after someone circumcised [Abraham to mark him as one who belonged to God], or before someone circumcised him./[Did it happen] after [Abraham was] circumcised [to be marked as one who belonged to God], or before he was circumcised?) [RHQ] It happened before he was circumcised, not after he was circumcised.
He pehea ra te whakairinga? i a ia i te kotinga, i te kotingakore ranei? He teka i a ia i te kotinga, engari i te kotingakore:
11 [Many years later, God commanded that] Abraham [be] circumcised. Abraham’s accepting that ritual simply showed [that he knew that God had accepted him]. [He knew that God] had [erased the record of his sins] because he trusted [in God] while he was still, [in effect, a non-Jew because] he had not been circumcised. [So we can understand that] Abraham became (a spiritual ancestor/like an ancestor) to [all] of us whose record of sins has been erased {whose sins [God] has erased the record of} because we believe [in God’s promise, even though some of us] are not circumcised.
A riro ana i a ia te kotinga hei tohu, hei hiri mo te tika o tona whakapono, i a ia i te kotingakore: kia waiho ai ia hei matua ki te hunga katoa e whakapono ana, ahakoa kahore ratou i kotia, kia whakairia ai te tika ki a ratou;
12 Likewise, Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all us Jews who are not merely circumcised but who, more importantly, [believe in God’s promise] as our ancestor Abraham did, even before he was circumcised.
Hei matua ano mo te kotinga ki te hunga ehara i te mea no te kotinga anake, engari e takahi ana hoki i runga i nga tapuae o taua whakapono o to tatou matua, o Aperahama, i a ia kahore ano i kotia.
13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would receive [the blessings that he promised to give to the people in] the world. But when he promised that, it was not because Abraham [obeyed] the laws [that God later gave to Moses]. Instead, it was because Abraham believed [that God would do what he promised that he would do]. As a result, God erased the record of his sins.
Ehara i te mea i na runga mai i te ture te kupu ki a Aperahama ratou ko ona uri mo te ao ka riro i a ia; engari i na runga mai i te tika o te whakapono.
14 If [we think that] it is those who [obey God’s] laws who will receive [what he has promised], it is useless [for us to trust in him. And what he] promised is worthless. [Remember that] it is [stated] in God’s law [PRS] [that] he will punish [people who do not perfectly obey them], and remember that wherever [MTY] laws exist, [people] disobey them [LIT].
Mehemea hoki ka riro i te hunga ture, kua tikangakore te whakapono, kua taka te kupu whakaari:
Ko ta te ture hoki e mahi ai, he riri; engari ki te kahore he ture, kahore hoki he hara.
16 So it is because [we] trust [in God that we will receive the things that he has promised]. [It is not because we perfectly obey God’s laws. He wants] (to [erase the record of our sins/to declare us no longer guilty]) without our earning it. As a result, what God now promises, he guarantees to give to all people who are [Abraham’s spiritual] descendants. [He promises to do that not only for us Jewish believers], who [have] God’s laws [and trust in him as Abraham did], but also for those [non-Jews who do not have God’s laws but] who trust [in him] as Abraham did. Abraham is the [spiritual] ancestor of all of us [believers].
Koia i na rototia ai i te whakapono, kia waiho ai ma te aroha noa; kia u ai te kupu whakaari ki te whanau katoa; ehara i te mea ki to te ture anake, engari ki to te whakapono ano o Aperahama, ko ia nei hoki te matua o tatou katoa,
17 What is written {What [Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures about what God promised Abraham shows that this is true]. [God said to him], “It is in order that you [(sg)] may be the ancestor of many ethnic groups that I have chosen you.” Romans 4:17b-22 God [guaranteed that he would give Abraham many descendants]. Abraham confidently believed that God [would do that],
Ko te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia, Kua waiho koe e ahau hei matua ki nga iwi maha, he matua i te aroaro o tana i whakapono ai, ara o te Atua, e whakaora nei i nga tupapaku, e karanga nei i nga mea kua kahore me te mea kei konei nei ano.
18 even though there was no physical reason for him to hope [that he would have descendants, because he and his wife were too old to bear children]. But God is the one who causes dead people to live again, and who talks about things that do not yet exist as already existing. [God said to Abraham], “You will have so many descendants that they will be [as impossible to count as the stars].” And Abraham believed that, and he believed that he would become the ancestor of many ethnic groups.
Ahakoa kahore he rawa, u tonu tona manakonako ki a ia, kia meinga ai ia hei matua mo nga iwi maha, pera me te mea i korerotia, Ka penei tau whanau.
19 He did not doubt [that God would do what he promised], even though he knew that his body was already [as incapable of begetting children as if he were] dead [MET] because he was about 100 years old. And [even though he realized that] Sarah had never been able to become pregnant [IDM],
Kihai ano i ngoikore tona whakapono, i mahara iho ia ki tona tinana, he penei me te mea kua tupapakutia, wahi iti hoki kua kotahi rau ona tau, ki te tupapakutanga hoki o te kopu o Hera:
20 he did not doubt at all that God [would do what he had] promised. Instead, he trusted [in God] more/very strongly, and he thanked God [for what God was going to do].
Ae, i titiro ia ki te kupu whakaari a te Atua, kihai ia i ruarua i runga i te whakaponokore, engari ka kaha tonu tona whakapono, me te whakakororia ki te Atua,
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
U tonu hoki tona whakaaro e taea e ia te mea tana i korero ai.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Koia hoki i whakairia ai ki a ia hei tika.
23 The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.
Otira ehara i te mea he whakaaro ki a ia anake i tuhituhia ai taua whakairinga ki a ia;
24 They were also written {[They] also wrote that} for us whose record of sins would be erased {[God] would erase}. They were written {[They] wrote it} for us who believe [God], the one who caused our Lord Jesus to become alive again after he died.
Engari he whakaaro ki a tatou ano hoki; ka whakairia ki a tatou e whakapono nei ki te kaiwhakaara i a Ihu, i to tatou Ariki, i te hunga mate:
25 Jesus allowed [men] to execute [MTY] him so that [God could forgive] our evil deeds. And [God] caused Jesus to live again because [God wanted to show that because of the death of Jesus he was able to] erase the record of our sins.
I tukua nei mo o tatou he, i whakaarahia mo tatou kia whakatikaia.
