¹What shall we say then that Abraham our father according to flesh has found?

¹Tuseme nini basi, juu ya Abrahamu baba yetu?

²For if Abraham has been justified on the principle of works, he has whereof to boast: but not before God;

²Kama Abrahamu alikubaliwa kuwa mwadilifu kutokana na matendo yake, basi, anacho kitu cha kujivunia mbele ya Mungu.

³for what does the scripture say? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

³Kwa maana, Maandiko Matakatifu yasema: "Abrahamu alimwamini Mungu, naye Mungu akamkubali kuwa mwadilifu."

⁴Now to him that works the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but of debt:

⁴Mfanyakazi hulipwa mshahara; mshahara wake si zawadi bali ni haki yake.

⁵but to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

⁵Lakini mtu asiyetegemea matendo yake mwenyewe, bali anamwamini Mungu ambaye huwasamehe waovu, basi, Mungu huijali imani ya mtu huyo, na hivi humkubali kuwa mwadilifu.

⁶Even as David also declares the blessedness of the man to whom God reckons righteousness without works:

⁶Naye Daudi asema hivi juu ya furaha ya mtu ambaye Mungu amemkubali kuwa mwadilifu bila kuyajali matendo yake:

⁷Blessed [they] whose lawlessnesses have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered:

⁷"Heri wale waliosamehewa makosa yao ambao makosa yao yamefutwa.

⁸blessed [the] man to whom [the] Lord shall not at all reckon sin.

⁸Heri mtu yule ambaye Bwana hataziweka dhambi zake katika kumbukumbu."

⁹[Does] this blessedness then [rest] on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision? For we say that faith has been reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.

⁹Je, hiyo ni kwa wale waliotahiriwa tu, ama pia kwa wale wasiotahiriwa? Ni kwa wale wasiotahiriwa pia. Kwa maana tumekwisha sema: "Abrahamu aliamini, naye Mungu akamkubali kuwa mwadilifu."

¹⁰How then has it been reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

¹⁰Je, Abrahamu alikubaliwa kabla ya kutahiriwa ama baada ya kutahiriwa? Kabla ya kutahiriwa, na si baada ya kutahiriwa.

¹¹And he received [the] sign of circumcision [as] seal of the righteousness of faith which [he had] being in uncircumcision, that he might be [the] father of all them that believe being in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned to them also;

¹¹Abrahamu alitahiriwa baadaye, na kutahiriwa huko kulikuwa alama iliyothibitisha kwamba Mungu alimkubali kuwa mwadilifu kwa sababu ya imani yake aliyokuwa nayo kabla ya kutahiriwa. Kwa hiyo, Abrahamu amekuwa baba wa wale wote ambao, ingawa hawakutahiriwa, wamemwamini Mungu, wakafanywa waadilifu.

¹²and father of circumcision, not only to those who are of [the] circumcision, but to those also who walk in the steps of the faith, during uncircumcision, of our father Abraham.

¹²Vilevile yeye ni baba wa wale waliotahiriwa; lakini si kwa kuwa wametahiriwa, bali kwa sababu wanafuata njia ileile ya imani baba yetu Abrahamu aliyofuata kabla ya kutahiriwa.

¹³For [it was] not by law that the promise was to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of [the] world, but by righteousness of faith.

¹³Mungu alimwahidi Abrahamu na wazawa wake kwamba ulimwengu ungekuwa mali yao. Ahadi hiyo haikufanywa kwa sababu Abrahamu aliitii Sheria, bali kwa kuwa aliamini, akakubaliwa kuwa mwadilifu.

¹⁴For if they which [are] of law be heirs, faith is made vain, and the promise made of no effect.

¹⁴Maana kama watakaopewa hayo aliyoahidi Mungu ni wale tu wanaoitii Sheria, basi, imani haina maana yoyote, nayo ahadi ya Mungu si kitu.

¹⁵For law works wrath; but where no law is neither [is there] transgression.

¹⁵Sheria husababisha ghadhabu; lakini kama hakuna Sheria, haiwezekani kuivunja.

¹⁶Therefore [it is] on the principle of faith, that [it might be] according to grace, in order to the promise being sure to all the seed, not to that only which [is] of the law, but to that also which [is] of Abraham's faith, who is father of us all,

¹⁶Kwa sababu hiyo, jambo hili lategemea imani, hivyo kwamba ahadi hiyo yatokana na neema ya Mungu, na kwamba ni hakika kuwa ahadi hiyo ni kwa ajili ya wote: si kwa wale tu wanaoishika Sheria, bali pia kwa wale waishio kwa imani kama Abrahamu. Yeye ni baba yetu sisi sote.

¹⁷(according as it is written, I have made thee father of many nations,) before the God whom he believed, who quickens the dead, and calls the things which be not as being;

¹⁷Kama Maandiko Matakatifu yasemavyo: "Nimekuweka uwe baba wa mataifa mengi." Ahadi hiyo ni kweli mbele ya Mungu ambaye Abrahamu alimwamini--Mungu ambaye huwapa wafu uzima, na kwa amri yake, vitu ambavyo havikuwapo huwa.

¹⁸who against hope believed in hope to his becoming father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be:

¹⁸Abrahamu aliamini na kutumaini ingawa hali yenyewe ilikuwa bila matumaini, na hivyo amekuwa baba wa mataifa mengi kama Maandiko Matakatifu yasemavyo: "Wazao wako watakuwa wengi kama nyota!"

¹⁹and not being weak in faith, he considered not his own body already become dead, being about a hundred years old, and the deadening of Sarah's womb,

¹⁹Alikuwa mzee wa karibu miaka mia moja, lakini imani yake haikufifia ingawa alijua kwamba mwili wake ulikuwa kama umekufa, na pia mkewe, Sara, alikuwa tasa.

²⁰and hesitated not at the promise of God through unbelief; but found strength in faith, giving glory to God;

²⁰Abrahamu hakuionea mashaka ile ahadi ya Mungu; alipata nguvu kutokana na imani, akamtukuza Mungu.

²¹and being fully persuaded that what he has promised he is able also to do;

²¹Alijua kwamba Mungu anaweza kuyatekeleza yale aliyoahidi.

²²wherefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

²²Ndiyo maana Mungu alimkubali kuwa mwadilifu.

²³Now it was not written on his account alone that it was reckoned to him,

²³Inaposemwa, "Alimkubali," haisemwi kwa ajili yake mwenyewe tu.

²⁴but on ours also, to whom, believing on him who has raised from among [the] dead Jesus our Lord,

²⁴Jambo hili linatuhusu sisi pia ambao tunamwamini Mungu aliyemfufua Yesu, Bwana wetu, kutoka wafu.

²⁵who has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification, it will be reckoned.

²⁵Yeye alitolewa auawe kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu, akafufuka ili tupate kukubaliwa kuwa waadilifu na Mungu.