2 Abhakorintho 3
1 Mbe, echamba okwikumaga abhene lindi? chitakwenda jinyalubha ejokumwenda okusoka kwimwe ya bhanu, mbe echenda?
[As I write these things about myself], I am [RHQ] not [doing it] to boast about how good I am, [as some of you say I do]. Some people always carry letters with them that tell how well they work, [that other people] have [written]. But I do not [RHQ] need [to bring] letters like that [when I come to you]. Nor do I need to ask you [to write] letters like that [for me when I go to other congregations].
2 Emwe abhene ni inyalubha eswe inu yandikilwe mu mwoyo jeswe, inuimenyelwe no kusomwa na bhanu bhona.
You yourselves are [MET] [like a] letter that recommends my work [for God to everyone]. People see [how Christ changed] your [lives when you believed the message that I taught you]. Everyone [who knows you] can see [the result of my work for God].
3 No mwelesha ati emwe ni nyalubha okusoka ku Kristo, inu isosibwe neswe. Inuyandikilwe atali kwo bwino nawe kwo Mwoyo gwa Nyamuanga unu ali muanga. Itandikilwe ingulu ya mabhao ga mabhui, nawe ingulu ya mabhao ge mitima ja bhana munu.
You are [MET] [like] a letter that Christ himself [has written] that says good things about [my work for God in your lives]. You show [people by the way you now conduct your lives that God has changed your lives] as a result of my work [among you. People did] not [find out about you by] reading [a letter that was written to them on paper] with [pen and] ink. Instead, [they saw how] the Spirit of the all-powerful God [has changed your lives]. Nor [did people find out about you by reading] a letter that was carved on stone slabs [like the stone slabs that God gave to Moses]. Instead, [it was the change that God’s Spirit made in] your lives [MET] [that they saw].
4 Niko kutyo echiikanya ku Nyamuanga okulabhila ku Kristo. Chitakwiikanya abhene chonachona okusoka kweswe.
I [can very] confidently [write these things about the work that Silas, Timothy, and I did among you, because God knows that what I write is true. We(exc) are true workers] for God [because of what] Christ [has done for us].
5 Okwiikanya kweswe okusoka ku Nyamuanga.
We [(exc)], by ourselves, do not have the ability [to do this work]. None of us [apostles] can say, “[I have changed the lives of these people].” God is the one [who has given us this ability].
6 Ni Nyamuanga unu achikolele kubha bhakosi bha indagano inyaya. Inu ni ndagano itali nyalubha nawe ni ya Mwoyo. Kwo kubha inyalubha eita, nawe omwoyo oguleta obhuanga.
He is the one who enables us [(exc)] to be his messengers. [He has enabled us to tell people the message] about the new agreement [that he is making with them]. This is not a [message about obeying all the] written laws [of his old agreement that he made with the Jewish people]. Instead, [it is a message about God giving us his] Spirit. [Previously, God condemned people to be] separated from him forever [if they did not obey his laws]. But by [God’s new agreement] his Spirit enables people to live [eternally].
7 Woli omulimu gwo kufwa gwaliga kusong'owe ingulu ya mabhui yejile kwa likusho ati abhanu bha Israeli bhatalolele kubwambilo obhusu bwa Musa. Inu ni kwo kubha likusho lyo bhusu bwae, likusho linu lyaliga elyo kuwao.
[Moses] taught [the people that if they did not obey God’s laws completely they would be] separated from God forever. [God] wrote [his laws] on stone [slabs. Then he gave them to Moses to teach them to the people. Although God’s laws condemned the people] to die, [when Moses brought those laws down from Sinai Mountain, God caused Moses’ face to shine] Moses’ face to shine radiantly [to show the people that these laws were God’s laws. It shone]. so brightly that the people of Israel could not keep looking at Moses’ face. [They had to look away]. But the brightness was slowly fading away.
8 Mbe, emilimu jo mwoyo itakubha na likusho?
[So], [since God showed in such a wonderful way that those laws that condemned the people to die were from him], surely when we [(exc)] teach [people about how God’s] Spirit will [change their lives], [God will show] in an even more wonderful way [that] it is [his message.] [RHQ]
9 Kwo kubha okulamula kwaliga na likusho, ni lwakalinga nisakila muno kwa likusho!
The message [that Moses taught them was wonderful, but when people heard] that message, [they realized that they were sinners and that God] would punish them. But God’s message that we [(exc) teach is a] much more wonderful message. We teach people that God will (erase the record of/declare people no longer guilty for) [the sinful things that they have done].
10 Ni chimali ati, chiliya echochakolelwe likusho kwamba chitana likusho lindi lisima linu, kwo kubha likusho eliyongesha.
[The truth is that, although the work of teaching the people to obey God’s laws] was once important, it is not as important now, because [the work of teaching people that God will forgive them and] enable them to live to please him is far more important.
11 Kwo kubha chiliya chinu chaliga nichilabha chaliga na likusho, chiliya chinu ni cho kusakila echibha na likusho!
Furthermore, [the message that Moses taught was not a lasting message, just like] the brightness on his face was not lasting and soon faded away. But [when God gives his Spirit to people], the wonderful work that [God’s Spirit does in their lives] is much greater [because] it lasts forever.
12 Kwo kubha chili no bwiikanyo eyo, chili no bwiikanyo muno.
We [(exc)] know that the message that we teach is a [much more wonderful message than the message that Moses taught]. So we [can preach] boldly.
13 Obhusoka lya Musa atulileo ingulu yo bhusu base, koleleki abhanu bha Israeli bhatatula okulola kubwambilo na kubhutelo kwa likusho linu elibhula.
We do not [need to put a veil over our faces when we teach people], as Moses did. Moses put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not see that the radiance [on his face] soon faded away. [Similarly, the glory of the old agreement has also faded away].
14 Nawe amenge gebwe galiga gegawe. Nolwo olusiku lunu olusigala ingulu yo kusomwa indagano ya kala. Ichali kutulwa abwelu, kwo kubha Kristo umwila kasosibwao kula.
But the Israelis stubbornly refused to [understand that the old agreement would end]. Even now, when they read the old agreement, [they still do not realize that it has ended. It is as if] [MET] that same veil [that Moses put on his face] is now over their [minds, keeping them from understanding God’s true message]. They will [understand that message] only when [they come to trust] in Christ. Then [it will be as though God] has removed the veil.
15 Nawe nolwo lelo, omwanya gwona gwona Musa kasomwao, kayanja ingulu ye mitima jebwe.
[Throughout all these years], even until now, when [the Israelis] read what Moses [write, it is as though] a veil is covering their minds.
16 Nawe omunu awo kageuka ku Lata bhugenyi, echisosibwao.
But when any of them believes in the Lord [Jesus], [God] removes that veil from them.
17 Woli Lata bhugenyi ni Mwoyo. anu kabha Mwoyo wa Lata bhugenyi, nuwo obhufule.
[It is by the power of his] Spirit that the Lord [works in our lives], and the Lord’s Spirit has set us free [from trying to obey all the rules and rituals that God gave Moses].
18 Woli eswe bhona, amwi no bhusu bhutaswikiwe, obhulola likusho lya Lata bhugenyi echiingisibwa munda yo kulolya guli guli kwa likusho okusoka mu likusho okugenda andi, kutyo okusoka ku Lata bhugenyi, unu ni Mwoyo.
[It is as though God] has removed the veil from our faces [MET]. We realize how awesome Jesus is. As we realize that, we are continually being changed {[the Holy Spirit is] continually changing us} to become more and more like Jesus, [so that people can see], more and more, how awesome [Jesus is]. It is the Spirit of the Lord who does [this].
