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]
Ɛdeɛn na yɛbɛka afa yɛn tete agya Abraham ho? Osuahunu bɛn na ɔnyaeɛ?
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].
Sɛ wɔnam nneɛma a ɔyɛeɛ so buu no bem a, anka ɔwɔ biribi a ɔde bɛhoahoa ne ho. Nanso, ɔrentumi nhoahoa ne ho Onyankopɔn anim.
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}.
Atwerɛsɛm no kyerɛ yɛn sɛ, “Abraham gyee Onyankopɔn diiɛ; na ɛno so na ɛnam maa Onyankopɔn gyee no sɛ ɔteneneeni no.”
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].
Onipa a ɔyɛ adwuma no fata nʼakatua; ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔbu nʼakatua no sɛ akyɛdeɛ, na mmom, ɛyɛ biribi a wayɛ ho adwuma anya.
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].
Ɛnyɛ nnwuma bi a onipa yɛ na ɛbɛma Onyankopɔn abu no bem. Onyankopɔn gye nnebɔneyɛfoɔ to mu ɛfiri sɛ wɔwɔ gyidie wɔ ne mu.
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]:
Dawid ka asɛm korɔ no ara sɛ, nhyira a ɛfiri Onyankopɔn nkyɛn ba onipa a Onyankopɔn agye no ato mu so. Saa nhyira yi mfiri nnipa nnwuma mu. Ɛno enti Dawid kaa sɛ:
7 [God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].
“Nhyira ne wɔn a wɔde wɔn amumuyɛ akyɛ wɔn, na wɔakata wɔn bɔne so.
8 [God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.
Nhyira nka onipa a AWURADE mmu ne bɔne nngu ne so da.”
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].
Saa anigyeɛ a Dawid ka ho asɛm no wɔ hɔ ma twetiatwafoɔ nko anaa? Dabi. Ɛwɔ hɔ ma wɔn nso a wɔntwaa twetia no; ɛfiri sɛ, yɛakenkan afiri Atwerɛsɛm no mu sɛ, “Abraham gyee Onyankopɔn diiɛ, na ɛsiane ne gyidie enti, Onyankopɔn gyee no sɛ ɔteneneeni.”
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.
Ɛberɛ bɛn na saa asɛm yi siiɛ? Ɛsiiɛ ansa na wɔretwa Abraham twetia anaa Abraham twetiatwa no akyi na ɛsiiɛ? Ɛsiiɛ ansa, na ɛnyɛ twetiatwa no akyi na ɛsiiɛ.
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.
Akyire no na wɔtwaa no twetia, na ne twetiatwa no yɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ a ɛkyerɛ sɛ, Onyankopɔn gyee no sɛ ɔteneneeni ansa na wɔretwa no twetia. Enti Abraham yɛ Honhom mu agya ma wɔn a wɔgye Onyankopɔn di nyinaa na wɔagye wɔn sɛ ateneneefoɔ a nso wɔntwaa wɔn twetia.
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.
Saa ara nso na Abraham yɛ agya ma obiara a wɔatwa no twetia na ɔwɔ gyidie sɛdeɛ na Abraham wɔ gyidie ansa na wɔretwa no twetia no.
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.
Ɛnyɛ mmara no so na wɔnam hyɛɛ Abraham ne nʼasefoɔ bɔ sɛ wɔbɛyɛ ewiase adedifoɔ, mmom ɛnam tenenee a ɛfiri gyidie mu so.
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].
Sɛ wɔn a wɔdi Mmara so yɛ adedifoɔ a, ɛnneɛ na gyidie nka hwee, na bɔhyɛ no nso ho nni mfasoɔ,
ɛfiri sɛ mmara de abufuhyeɛ ba. Na sɛ mmara nni hɔ a, mmarato nni hɔ.
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].
Enti bɔhyɛ no firi gyidie mu sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a ɛbɛfiri adom mu na ɛbɛtena hɔ ama Abraham asefoɔ nyinaa; ɛnyɛ wɔn a wɔwɔ mmara no ase nko ara, na mmom wɔn a wɔwɔ gyidie sɛ Abraham nso. Ɔyɛ yɛn nyinaa agya.
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],
Sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ no: “Mayɛ wo aman bebree agya.” Onyankopɔn kaa saa, ɛfiri sɛ, Abraham gyee Onyankopɔn a ɔma awufoɔ nya nkwa, na ɔyɛ nneɛma foforɔ firi deɛ ɛnni hɔ mu diiɛ.
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.
Ɛberɛ a anidasoɔ asa no, Abraham nyaa anidasoɔ gye diiɛ, enti ɔbɛyɛɛ aman bebree so agya, sɛdeɛ na wɔaka akyerɛ no sɛ, “Saa na wʼasefoɔ bɛyɛ” no.
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],
Abraham gyidie anhinhim ɛberɛ a na ɔreyɛ adi mfeɛ ɔha no mpo. Na ɔnim nso sɛ ɔregye nna awu, na ne yere Sara nso rentumi nwo mma.
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].
Nanso ne gyidie anhinhim, na wannye Onyankopɔn bɔhyɛ no ho akyinnyeɛ. Ɔhyɛɛ ne gyidie mu den de animuonyam maa Onyankopɔn.
21 He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.
Na ɔgye dii yie sɛ Onyankopɔn bɛtumi ayɛ deɛ wahyɛ ho bɔ no.
22 And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
Yei enti wɔbuu no sɛ tenenee maa no.
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.
Wɔtwerɛɛ sɛ, “Wɔbuu no sɛ tenenee maa no” no, wɔantwerɛ amma ɔno nko ara.
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.
Na mmom wɔtwerɛ maa yɛn nso a Onyankopɔn bɛbu yɛn sɛ ateneneefoɔ, yɛn a yɛgye deɛ ɔnyanee Yesu, yɛn Awurade, firii awufoɔ mu die no.
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.
Yɛn bɔne enti, wɔyii no maa owuo, na wɔnyanee no maa yɛn bembuo.
