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]
Pho sizakuthi kuyini u-Abhrahama, ukhokho wethu, akufumanayo ngokwenyama kule indaba na?
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].
Nxa, ngempela, u-Abhrahama walungisiswa ngemisebenzi, wayelakho okokuzincoma ngakho, kodwa hatshi phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
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}.
Kanje umbhalo uthini na? Uthi, “U-Abhrahama wakholwa uNkulunkulu, njalo kwabalwa kuye njengokulunga.”
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].
Nxa umuntu esebenza, umholo wakhe kawubalwa kuye njengesipho, kodwa njengomlandu.
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].
Ikanti emuntwini ongasebenziyo kodwa ethemba uNkulunkulu owenza ababi balunge, ukukholwa kwakhe kubalwa njengokulunga.
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]:
UDavida utsho okufanayo lapho ekhuluma ngokubusiseka komuntu uNkulunkulu ambalela ukulunga ngaphandle kwemisebenzi, esithi:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
“Babusisiwe labo oziphambeko zabo zithethelelwe, ozono zabo zisibekelwe.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Ubusisiwe lowo ongasoze abalelwe isono sakhe yiNkosi.”
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].
Ukubusiseka lokhu ngokwabasokileyo kuphela, kumbe njalo lakwabangasokanga na? Kade sisithi ukukholwa kuka-Abhrahama kwabalwa kuye njengokulunga.
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.
Kwabalelwa kusiphi isimo na? Kwakungemva kokuba esesokile, loba ngaphambilini na?
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.
Wamukela isibonakaliso sokusoka, uphawu lokulunga abalalo ngokulunga engakasoki. Ngakho-ke, unguyise wabo bonke abakholwayo, kodwa bengasokanga, ukuze ukulunga kubalelwe kubo.
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.
Njalo unguyise wabasokileyo futhi, abangasokanga nje kuphela, kodwa abahamba ezinyathelweni zokholo ubaba u-Abhrahama ayelalo engakasoki.
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.
Akuzanga ngomthetho ukuthi u-Abhrahama lenzalo yakhe amukele isithembiso sokuthi uzakuba yindlalifa yomhlaba, kodwa kweza ngokulunga okuza ngokukholwa.
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].
Ngoba nxa labo abaphila ngomthetho bezindlalifa, ukukholwa kakulasizo lesithembiso siyize,
ngoba umthetho uletha ulaka. Njalo lapho okungelamthetho khona akukho ukona.
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].
Ngakho, isithembiso siza ngokukholwa, ukuze sifike ngomusa njalo siqiniseke kuyo yonke inzalo ka-Abhrahama, hatshi kulabo abangabomthetho kuphela, kodwa njalo lakulabo abangabokholo luka-Abhrahama. Ungubaba wethu sonke.
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],
Njengoba kulotshiwe ukuthi, “Sengikwenze waba nguyise wezizwe ezinengi.” Ungubaba emehlweni kaNkulunkulu akholwa kuye, yena onika abafileyo ukuphila njalo enze izinto ebezingekho zibe khona.
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.
Kungekho themba, u-Abhrahama ngethemba wakholwa waba nguyise wezizwe ezinengi, njengoba kwakutshiwo kuye ukuthi, “Izakuba njalo inzalo yakho.”
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],
Engekethisanga ekukholweni kwakhe, wamelana lobuqotho bokuthi umzimba wakhe wawusufana lofileyo, njengoba wayeseleminyaka ephosa ibe likhulu ubudala kanye lokuthi isibeletho sikaSara laso sasesifile.
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].
Waqiniswa ekukholweni kwakhe, wapha udumo kuNkulunkulu,
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
ekholwe ngokupheleleyo ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayelamandla okwenza lokho ayekuthembisile.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Yikho-nje “kwabalelwa kuye njengokulunga.”
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.
Amazwi athi “kwabalelwa kuye” kawalotshelwanga yena yedwa,
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.
kodwa lathi futhi, uNkulunkulu azabalela ukulunga kwethu, thina esikholwa kuye, yena owavusa uJesu iNkosi yethu kwabafileyo.
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.
Wanikelwa ekufeni ngenxa yezono zethu njalo wavuselwa ekuphileni ukuze silungisiswe.
