Abhagalatia 3
1 Abhagalatia abhamumu, ni lisoki lijabhi linu lyabhanyamuye? Angu Yesu Kristo atelesibhwe lwo mubhambwa mu meso gemwe?
You [fellow believers who live in] Galatia are very foolish! (Someone must have put an evil spell on you!/Did someone put an evil spell on you?) [RHQ] I clearly explained to you [SYN] [what] Jesus Christ [accomplished when] he was crucified {he died on the cross}.
2 Anye enenda okumenya gunu okusoka kwemwe. Angu mwalamiye Omwoyo mu bhikolwa bhye bhilagilo amwi kulwo kwikilisha jinu mwonguwe?
[So], I want you to tell me one thing: [Do you think that] it was because you obeyed the laws God gave Moses that you received the [Holy] Spirit? [Do you not know that] [RHQ] it was because [when you] heard [the good message concerning Christ, you] trusted in him?
3 Angu emwe muli bhamumu kutiki? Emwe mwambile mu mwoyo koleleki mumalishe mu mubhili?
(You are acting so foolishly/Why are you being so foolish?) [RHQ]! You first [became Christians] as a result of God’s Spirit [enabling you]. So, (you should not now think that it is by what you yourselves do that you will continue [to grow spiritually]/do you now think it is by your own human efforts that you will continue [to grow spiritually?]!) [RHQ]
4 Emwe mwanyakile mu misango myanfu kutyela, jakabhee chimali jaliga ja kutyela?
Keep in mind that [if what God has done for you was because of your obeying the laws that God gave to Moses and] not because of trusting in Christ, when others caused you to suffer, you suffered many things needlessly! [RHQ] [I certainly hope that you did not suffer like that] needlessly.
5 Angu oyo kasosha Omwoyo kwemwe no kukola ebhikolwa bhya managa mwimwe kakola mu bhilagilo amwi kulwo kungwa amwi no kwikilisha?
[When God now] generously gives to you his Spirit and performs miracles among you, [do you think that it is] [RHQ] because you obey the laws [that God gave to Moses? Surely you know that] it is because when you heard [the good message about Christ], you trusted in him [RHQ]!
6 Abrahamu “Ekilisishe Nyamuanga nabhalilwa kubha wo bhulengelesi”.
[What you have experienced is] as [Moses wrote in the Scriptures about] Abraham. [He wrote that Abraham] trusted God, and as a result, he was considered as being righteous {[God] erased the record of his sins}.
7 Kulwejo mumenye ati abho abhekilisha ni bhana bha Abrahamu.
You must realize, therefore, that it is those who trust [in what Christ has done who] are [like] Abraham’s descendants [MET] [because they trust in God as Abraham did].
8 Elyandiko lyalotele ati Nyamuanga akabhabhalie obhulengelesi abhanu bha maanga mu njila yo kwikilisha. Iinjili yalasibhwe okwamba ku Abrahamu: “mwawe amaanga gone abhesibhwa amabhando”.
Furthermore, God planned beforehand that it was [when] non-Jews trusted [him] that he would erase the record of their sins. [Moses wrote in] the Scriptures [PRS] this good message that God told Abraham: “Because of [what] you [did], I will bless [people in] [MTY] all nations.”
9 Koleleki mpola abho abhekilisha bhesibhwe amabhando lwa Abrahamu, unu aliga ali no kwikilisha.
So, [we can conclude that] it is those who trust [in what Christ has done] whom [God] blesses. That includes [all non-Jews and Jews who trust him], along with Abraham, the one who trusted him [long ago].
10 Abho abheikanya ebhikolwa bhye bhilagilo bhali emwalo ye chiimo. Kulwo kubha jandikilwe, “Eimilwe bhuli munu unu atagwatene ne misango jinu jandikilwe mu chitabho che bhilagilo, ojikola jone.”
That is, God will eternally punish all those who [mistakenly] think [that God will erase the record of their sins] as a result of their [obeying] the laws [that God gave to Moses]. What is written in the Scriptures is that [God] will eternally punish everyone who does not continuously and completely obey all the laws [that Moses wrote].
11 Wolyanu jili abhwelu ati Nyamuanga atakumubhalila obhulengelesi nolwo umwi kulwe bhilagilo, kwo kubha “Omulengelesi kekala kulwo kwikilisha”.
But God has declared that if he erases the record of anyone’s sins, it will not be as a result of their obeying the laws God gave Moses. [This is evident because the Scriptures say], “Every person whose record of sins God erases because that person trusts God will live [spiritually].”
12 Echilagilo chitakusoka mu likilisha, mbe nawe “Unu kakola emisango ejo mu bhilagilo, kekala mu bhilagilo.”
But [when God gave] his laws [to the Jews, he did] not [say that a person must] trust [him]. Instead, [God said that] it is those who obey [all God’s laws, continuously and completely], who will live.
13 Kristo achigululuye eswe okusoka mu chiimo che bhilagilo mukatungu kanu akolelwe chiimo kulwe swe. Kwo kubha jandikilwe, “Afumilisibhwe bhuli munu unu kabhambwa kwiti.”
Even though we humans have not continuously and completely obeyed God’s laws, Christ rescued us from [God] punishing us eternally. Christ rescued us by his being [the one God condemned] instead of God condemning us. What is written {[someone/Moses] wrote} [in the Scriptures] shows that this is true. It is written {[He] wrote}, “[God] has cursed anyone [whom people have executed for his crimes and whose body they] have hung on a tree.”
14 Okene bhwaliga bhuli ati amabhando ganu galiga gali ku Ibrahimu gakejile ku bhanu bha maanga mu Kristo Yesu, koleleki chitule okulamila omulago gwo Mwoyo mu likilisha.
Jesus Christ rescued us in order that as a result of what he [has done, God might bless the non-Jews, in a way similar to the way] God blessed Abraham. He also desired that as a result of our trusting [Christ], we [all] might receive the Spirit [whom God] promised to [give to] us.
15 Bhaili, eniloma mu chinyamubhili. Nolwo mu katungu kanu omulago gwo chinyamubhili gwamalile okulumatanyibhwa, atalio unu katula okugugaya nolwo okugwongesha.
My fellow believers, I will now [illustrate] by referring to human [relationships. After an agreement is confirmed by two people] {[two people have signed] an agreement}, no one can reject it or add to it.
16 Wolyanu omulago gwaikilwe ku Ibrahimu no lwibhulo lwaye. Itakwaika, “ku nyibhulo,” okwelesha obhwanfu, kulyejo elesha ati ni umwi ela, “kulwo lwibhulo lwao,” unu ali Kristo.
[God] declared to Abraham and his descendant that he was promising [to give blessings to Abraham]. [The words that God spoke were not “and your] descendants.” [He was not] referring to many persons. Instead, he was referring to one person, who is Christ, [because the words that God spoke were], “and your descendant.”
17 Wolyanu enaika ati, echilagilo echo chejile myaka 430 imbele, chitakusoshao lilagano lya inyuma linu lyateyweo na Nyamuanga.
This is what I am saying: [Since God] gave the laws [to the Jews] 430 years after [he declared to Abraham what he was promising to do for Abraham], those laws do not cancel that agreement [with] Abraham that God himself had previously agreed about [PRS].
18 Kwo kubha labha omwandu chibha gwijile mu njila ye bhilagilo, gutakejile lindi mu njila yo mulago. Nawe Nyamuanga agusosishe ku Ibrahimu kwa injila yo mulago.
Remember that if it is because [we obey God’s] laws [that he gives to us] what [he has] promised [to give to us], then it is not [just] because he [has] promised [that he would give those things to us]. God freely gave to Abraham [what he had promised to give to him, just] because [God had] promised [that he would give it to him. Similarly, it is not because we obey God’s laws that God gives to us what he has promised to give to us].
19 Okubhaki woli ebhilagilo bhyasosibhwe? Yaletelwe kulwe bhikayo, kukingila olwibhulo lwa Ibrahimu luje ku bhanu bhaliga bhalagilwe. Ebhilagilo bhyateyweo mu managa mu kubhoko kwo mugwatanya.
So, [if someone should ask], “Why [did God later give] his laws [to Moses?” I would reply that] it was in order that [people might realize] how sinful they were. [Those laws were valid] until [Jesus came. He was] the descendant that God [was referring to when he made] the promises to Abraham. [The laws] were given {[God] gave [his laws]} [to Moses] by God’s causing angels to [speak to him. Moses was the] mediator, [the one who told the laws to the people].
20 Wolyanu omugwatanya eyelesha ingulu yo munu umwi, mbe nawe Nyamuanga ni umwi enyele ela.
Now, [when] a mediator [functions], one [person] is not [speaking with another] directly; but God himself [made his promises directly to Abraham].
21 Kulwejo angu ebhilagilo bhitasikene no mulago gwa Nyamuanga? Na katyali uli! Lwa kutyo ebhilagilo bhyaliga bhisosibhwe bhwaliga no bhutulo bhwo kuleta obhuanga, obhulengelesi bhwakabhonekene mu bhilagilo.
[If someone should ask, “When God gave his] laws [to Moses] long [after he told Abraham] what he was promising [to give to him, was he] changing his mind?” [I would reply that God] certainly did not [change his mind when he did that]! If God had given a law that could enable people to live [eternally], then it actually would be because of people [obeying that] law that God would erase the record of their sins.
22 Mbe nawe, elyandiko libhoyele amagambo gone emwalo ye bhibhibhi. Nyamuanga akolele ati koleleki omulago gwaye ogwo kuchikisha eswe mu likilisha ku Yesu Kristo itule okubhonekana ku bhanu abhekilisha.
But instead, [what we read in] the Scriptures [PRS] is that God [caused all people to be unable to escape being punished for] their [sins] [MET], just like [people] in prison [are unable to escape] [PRS, MET]. [God did that in order that he might give what he promised to those who trust Jesus Christ, just] because they trust him.
23 Mbe nawe anu elikilisha lyaliga lichali kuja elya Kristo, chaliga chibhoyelwe chili emwalo ye bhilagilo kukingila okuja kwe likilisha.
Before [God revealed the good message about] trusting [in Christ], the laws [PRS] that God gave to Moses were [confining/imprisoning us Jews] [MET], [as] a prisoner [in jail is] confined. [We] were unable to escape [obeying those] [MET] [laws]. This happened in order that [we might believe] the good message [concerning Christ, the message that God would] reveal [later].
24 Ku lwejo ebhilagilo bhyakolelwe mutangasha weswe kukingila Kristo anu ejile, koleleki chibhalilwe obhulengelesi kulwo kwikilisha.
[Like a father supervises his immature son by appointing a] servant to take care of him [MET], [God] was supervising us [by] his laws [MET, PRS] until Christ came. [He did this] in order that he might erase the record of our sins [only] because we trust [Christ].
25 Mbe woli kwo kubha elikilisha lyejile, chitachali emwalo yo mwangalisi.
But [now that God] has revealed the message [about trusting in Christ], the laws [that God gave to Moses] are no longer supervising us [Jews] [PRS, MET].
26 Kwo kubha emwe bhone muli bhana bha Nyamuanga mu kwikilisha mu njila ya Kristo Yesu.
Now all of you [Jews and] non-Jews are [as though you are] God’s children because you trusted Christ Jesus.
27 Bhone bhanu mubhatijibhwe mu Kristo mwifafishe Kristo.
That is, you who [began a relationship] with Christ when you were baptized identified yourselves [MET] with Christ.
28 Atalio Muyaudi nolwo Muyunani, mugaya nolwo huru, mulume nolwo mugasi, kwo kubha emwe bhone muli umwi mu Kristo Yesu.
[If you are believers, it does] not [matter to God if you are] Jews or non-Jews; slaves or ones [who are] not slaves; males or females, because all of you are [as] one [sort of person because of your relationship] with Christ Jesus.
29 Labha emwe muli bha Kristo, mbe muli lwibhulo lwa Ibrahimu, abhali bhwo mwandu lwa kutyo omulago ogwaika.
Furthermore, since you belong to Christ, you are [like] Abraham’s descendants [because you trust God as Abraham did], and you will possess/receive all that God has promised [MET].
