¹Tuseme nini basi? Je, twendelee kubaki katika dhambi ili neema ya Mungu iongezeke?

¹What, then, shall we say? shall we continue in the sin that the grace may abound?

²Hata kidogo! Kuhusu dhambi sisi tumekufa--tutaendeleaje kuishi tena katika dhambi?

²let it not be! we who died to the sin — how shall we still live in it?

³Maana, mnajua kwamba sisi tuliobatizwa tukaungana na Kristo Yesu, tulibatizwa na kuungana na kifo chake.

³are ye ignorant that we, as many as were baptized to Christ Jesus, to his death were baptized?

⁴Tulipobatizwa tuliungana na kifo chake, tukazikwa pamoja naye, ili kama vile Kristo alivyofufuliwa kutoka wafu kwa kitendo kitukufu cha Baba, sisi pia tuweze kuishi maisha mapya.

⁴we were buried together, then, with him through the baptism to the death, that even as Christ was raised up out of the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we in newness of life might walk.

⁵Maana, kama sisi tumeungana naye katika kufa kama yeye, vivyo hivyo tutaungana naye kwa kufufuliwa kutoka wafu kama yeye.

⁵For, if we have become planted together to the likeness of his death, [so] also we shall be of the rising again;

⁶Tunajua kwamba utu wetu wa kale ulisulubiwa pamoja na Kristo, ili hali ya dhambi iharibiwe, tusiwe tena watumwa wa dhambi.

⁶this knowing, that our old man was crucified with [him], that the body of the sin may be made useless, for our no longer serving the sin;

⁷Kwa maana, mtu aliyekufa, amenasuliwa kutoka katika nguvu ya dhambi.

⁷for he who hath died hath been set free from the sin.

⁸Basi, ikiwa tumekufa pamoja na Kristo, tunaamini kwamba tutaishi pia pamoja naye.

⁸And if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with him,

⁹Maana, tunajua kwamba Kristo amekwisha fufuliwa kutoka wafu na hafi tena; kifo hakimtawali tena.

⁹knowing that Christ, having been raised up out of the dead, doth no more die, death over him hath no more lordship;

¹⁰Hivyo, kwa kuwa alikufa--mara moja tu--dhambi haina nguvu tena juu yake; na sasa anaishi maisha yake katika umoja na Mungu.

¹⁰for in that he died, to the sin he died once, and in that he liveth, he liveth to God;

¹¹Hali kadhalika nanyi lazima mjione kuwa mmekufa kuhusu dhambi, lakini kama mnaoishi katika umoja na Mungu kwa njia ya Kristo Yesu.

¹¹so also ye, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to the sin, and living to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹²Kwa hiyo, dhambi isiitawale tena miili yenu ambayo hufa, na hivyo kuzitii tamaa zake.

¹²Let not then the sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its desires;

¹³Wala msitoe hata sehemu moja ya miili yenu iwe chombo cha kutenda uovu na dhambi. Badala yake, jitoleeni ninyi wenyewe kwa Mungu kama watu waliofufuliwa kutoka wafu; toeni nafsi zenu zote kwa Mungu kwa ajili ya uadilifu.

¹³neither present ye your members instruments of unrighteousness to the sin, but present yourselves to God as living out of the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God;

¹⁴Maana, dhambi haitawatawala ninyi tena, kwani hamko chini ya Sheria, bali chini ya neema.

¹⁴for sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace.

¹⁵Basi, tuseme nini? Je, tutende dhambi ati kwa sababu hatuko chini ya Sheria bali chini ya neema? Hata kidogo!

¹⁵What then? shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? let it not be!

¹⁶Mnajua kwamba mkijitolea ninyi wenyewe kama watumwa na kumtii fulani, mnakuwa kweli watumwa wake mtu huyo--au watumwa wa dhambi, na matokeo yake ni kifo, au wa utii, na matokeo yake ni kukubaliwa kuwa waadilifu.

¹⁶have ye not known that to whom ye present yourselves servants for obedience, servants ye are to him to whom ye obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

¹⁷Ingawa mlikuwa watumwa wa dhambi zamani, sasa lakini--namshukuru Mungu--mmetii kwa moyo wote yale maazimio na mafundisho mliyopokea.

¹⁷and thanks to God, that ye were servants of the sin, and — were obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which ye were delivered up;

¹⁸Mlikombolewa kutoka utumwa wa dhambi, mkawa watumwa wa uadilifu.

¹⁸and having been freed from the sin, ye became servants to the righteousness.

¹⁹(Hapa natumia lugha ya kawaida ya watu kwa sababu ya udhaifu wenu wenyewe.) Kama vile wakati fulani mlivyojitolea ninyi wenyewe kutumikia uchafu na uhalifu kwa ajili ya uovu, vivyo hivyo sasa jitoleeni nafsi zenu wenyewe kutumikia uadilifu kwa ajili ya utakatifu.

¹⁹In the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness — to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness — to sanctification,

²⁰Mlipokuwa watumwa wa dhambi, mlikuwa huru mbali na uadilifu.

²⁰for when ye were servants of the sin, ye were free from the righteousness,

²¹Sasa, mlipata faida gani siku zile kutokana na mambo yale ambayo mnayaonea aibu sasa? Maana, matokeo ya mambo haya ni kifo!

²¹what fruit, therefore, were ye having then, in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of those [is] death.

²²Lakini sasa, mmekwisha kombolewa kutoka utumwa wa dhambi na mmekuwa watumishi wa Mungu; faida mliyo nayo sasa ni utakatifu, na matokeo yake ni uzima wa milele.

²²And now, having been freed from the sin, and having become servants to God, ye have your fruit — to sanctification, and the end life age-during;

²³Kwa maana mshahara wa dhambi ni kifo; lakini zawadi anayotoa Mungu ni uzima wa milele katika kuungana na Kristo Yesu, Bwana wetu.

²³for the wages of the sin [is] death, and the gift of God [is] life age-during in Christ Jesus our Lord.