¹Tuseme nini basi, juu ya Abrahamu baba yetu?

¹What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

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

²For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

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

³For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

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

⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

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

⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

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

⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

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

⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

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

⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

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."

⁹Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

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

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

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.

¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

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.

¹²And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

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.

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

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

¹⁴For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

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

¹⁵Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

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.

¹⁶Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

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.

¹⁷(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

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!"

¹⁸Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

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.

¹⁹And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:

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

²⁰He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

²¹Alijua kwamba Mungu anaweza kuyatekeleza yale aliyoahidi.

²¹And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

²²Ndiyo maana Mungu alimkubali kuwa mwadilifu.

²²And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

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

²³Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

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

²⁴But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

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

²⁵Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.