VaRoma 4

1 Ko zvino tichati Abhurahama baba vedu wakawanei panyama?

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]

2 Nokuti kana Abhurahama akanzi wakarurama nemabasa, ane kuzvikudza, asi kwete pamberi paMwari.

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].

3 Nokuti rugwaro rwunoti kudini? Rwunoti: Abhurahama wakatenda kuna Mwari, zvikaverengwa kwaari kuti kururama.

[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}.

4 Asi kune anoshanda mubairo hauverengwi sewenyasha, asi sewengava.

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].

5 Asi kune asingashandi, asi anotenda kuna iye anoshaisa mhosva asingadi Mwari, rutendo rwake rwunoverengerwa kuti kururama.

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].

6 Uye sezvo Dhavhidhi achitsanangura kuropafadzwa kwemunhu, Mwari waanoverengera kururama kunze kwemabasa, achiti:

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]:

7 Vakaropafadzwa vane kudarika kwakakanganwirwa, uye vane zvivi zvakafukidzirwa.

[God] is pleased with people whose sins have been {whose sins [he] has} forgiven, and whose sins he [has decided] to forget [DOU].

8 Wakaropafadzwa munhu Ishe waasingatongoverengeri chivi.

[God] causes to be happy the people whose sins he no longer keeps a record of.

9 Naizvozvo kuropafadzwa uku kuri pamusoro pekudzingiswa here, kana pamusoro pekusadzingiswawo? Nokuti tinoti: Rutendo rwakaverengwa kuna Abhurahama kuti kururama.

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].

10 Ko kwakaverengwa sei? Paakange ari mukudzingiswa here, kana mukusadzingiswa? Kwete mukudzingiswa, asi mukusadzingiswa.

([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.

11 Zvino wakagamuchira chiratidzo chekudzingiswa, mucherechedzo wekururama kwerutendo, rwaakange anarwo mukusadzingiswa; kuti ave baba vevese vanotenda mukusadzingiswa, kuti kururama kuverengerwe kwavariwo;

[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.

12 uye baba vekudzingiswa kune avo vasiri vanobva mukudzingiswa chete, asi vanofambawo mumakwara erutendo rwababa vedu Abhurahama kwavaiva nako mukusadzingiswa.

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.

13 Nokuti chivimbiso hachina kuva kuna Abhurahama kana kumbeu yake kubudikidza nemurairo, chekuva mugari wenhaka yenyika, asi nekururama kwerutendo.

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.

14 Nokuti kana ivo vanobva pamurairo vari vagari venhaka, rutendo rwunoshaiswa maturo, nechivimbiso chinokoneswa;

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].

15 nokuti murairo unouisa kutsamwa; nokuti pasina murairo, hapana kudarikawo.

16 Naizvozvo ndezverutendo, kuti zvive zvenyasha, kuti chivimbiso chisimbiswe kumbeu yese; isati iri yemurairo chete asi neiyo yerutendo rwaAbhurahama, anova baba vedu tese,

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].

17 (sezvazvakanyorwa zvichinzi: Ndakakugadza uve baba vemarudzi mazhinji) pamberi paiye waakatenda, iye Mwari, anoraramisa vakafa, neanodana zvisipo sekunge zviripo.

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],

18 Iye achipokana netariro wakatenda kutariro, kuti achava baba vemarudzi mazhinji, sezvakange zvataurwa kuti: Ichaita saizvozvo mbeu yako.

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.

19 Uye haana kushaiwa simba parutendo, haana kurangarira muviri wake womene wakange watofa, ava nemakore anenge zana, uye kufa kwechizvaro chaSara;

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],

20 asi haana kuva nechokwadi nechivimbiso chaMwari nekusatenda, asi wakasimbiswa parutendo, achipa rumbidzo kuna Mwari,

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].

21 achipwisa zvakazara kuti icho chaakavimbisa, wakange achigonawo kuchiita.

He was also convinced {very sure} that the thing that God promised, God was able to do.

22 Zvino naizvozvo zvakaverengerwa kwaari kuti kururama.

And that is the reason that the record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins}.

23 Asi zvakange zvisina kunyorwa nekuda kwake ega, kuti zvakaverengerwa kwaari;

The words [in the Scriptures], “The record of his sins was erased {[God] erased the record of his sins},” are not only about Abraham.

24 asi nekuda kweduwo, tichaverengerwa icho, tinotenda kune wakamutsa Jesu Ishe wedu kubva kuvakafa,

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.

25 wakatengeswa nekuda kwezvitadzo zvedu, akamutswazve nekuda kwekunzi takarurama.

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.