¹Nasema ukweli mtupu; nimeungana na Kristo nami sisemi uongo. Dhamiri yangu ikiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu inanithibitishia jambo hili pia.

¹I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit,

²Nataka kusema hivi: nina huzuni kubwa na maumivu yasiyopimika moyoni mwangu

²that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

³kwa ajili ya watu wangu, walio damu moja nami! Kama ingekuwa kwa faida yao, ningekuwa radhi kulaaniwa na kutengwa na Kristo.

³For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

⁴Hao ndio watu wa Israeli ambao Mungu aliwateua wawe watoto wake, akawashirikisha utukufu wake; aliagana nao, akawapa Sheria yake, imani ya kweli na ahadi zake.

⁴who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises;

⁵Wao ni wajukuu wa mababu, naye Kristo, kadiri ya ubinadamu wake, ametoka katika ukoo wao. Mungu atawalaye juu ya yote, na atukuzwe milele! Amina.

⁵whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

⁶Sisemi kwamba ahadi ya Mungu imebatilika; maana si watu wote wa Israeli ni wateule wa Mungu.

⁶But [it is] not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel:

⁷Wala, si wazawa wote wa Abrahamu ni watoto wake wa kweli. Ila, kama yasemavyo Maandiko Matakatifu: "Wazao wake watatokana na Isaka."

⁷neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

⁸Nido kusema, wale waliozaliwa kimaumbile ndio watoto wa Mungu, bali wale waliozaliwa kutokana na ahadi ya Mungu ndio watakaoitwa watoto wake.

⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.

⁹Maana ahadi yenyewe ni hii: "Nitakujia wakati maalum, naye Sara atapata mtoto."

⁹For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.

¹⁰Tena si hayo tu ila pia Rebeka naye alipata mapacha kwa baba mmoja, yaani Isaka, babu yetu.

¹⁰And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac--

¹¹Lakini, ili Mungu aonekane kwamba anao uhuru wa kuchagua, hata kabla wale ndugu hawajazaliwa na kabla hawajaweza kupambanua jema na baya,

¹¹for [the children] being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth,

¹²Rebeka aliambiwa kwamba yule mtoto wa kwanza atamtumikia yule wa nyuma. Hivyo uchaguzi wa Mungu unategemea jinsi anavyoita mwenyewe, na si matendo ya binadamu.

¹²it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

¹³Kama Maandiko Matakatifu yasemavyo: "Yakobo nilimpenda, lakini Esau nilimchukia."

¹³Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

¹⁴Basi, tuseme nini? Je, Mungu amekosa haki? Hata kidogo!

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

¹⁵Maana alimwambia Mose: "Nitamhurumia mtu yeyote ninayetaka kumhurumia; nitamwonea huruma mtu yeyote ninayetaka."

¹⁵For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

¹⁶Kwa hiyo, yote hutegemea huruma ya Mungu, na si bidii au mapenzi ya mtu.

¹⁶So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy.

¹⁷Maana Maandiko Matakatifu yasema hivi kwa Farao: "Nilikufanya mfalme ili kwa njia yako, uwezo wangu ujulikane, na jina langu litangazwe popote duniani."

¹⁷For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth.

¹⁸Ni wazi, basi, kwamba Mungu humhurumia yeyote anayetaka kumhurumia, na akipenda kumfanya mtu awe mkaidi, hufanya hivyo.

¹⁸So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth.

¹⁹Labda utaniuliza: "Ikiwa mambo yako hivyo, Mungu anawezaje kumlaumu mtu? Nani awezaye kuyapinga mapenzi yake?"

¹⁹Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will?

²⁰Lakini, ewe binadamu, u nani hata uthubutu kumhoji Mungu? Je, chungu chaweza kumwuliza mfinyanzi wake: "Kwa nini umenitengeneza namna hii?"

²⁰Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?

²¹Mfinyanzi anaweza kuutumia udongo apendavyo na kufinyanga vyungu viwili kwa udongo uleule; kimoja kwa matumizi ya heshima, na kingine kwa matumizi ya kawaida.

²¹Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?

²²Hivyo ndivyo ilivyo kwa Mungu. Alitaka kuonyesha ghadhabu yake na kujulisha uwezo wake, Basi, alikuwa na saburi sana, akiwavumilia wale ambao walikuwa lengo la ghadhabu yake, ambao walistahili kuangamizwa.

²²What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction:

²³Alitaka pia kudhihirisha wingi wa utukufu wake ambao alitumiminia sisi tulio lengo la huruma yake; sisi ambao alikwisha kututayarisha kuupokea utukufu wake.

²³and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory,

²⁴Maana sisi ndio hao aliowaita, si tu kutoka miongoni mwa Wayahudi bali pia kutoka kwa watu wa mataifa mengine.

²⁴[even] us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?

²⁵Maana ndivyo asemavyo katika kitabu cha Hosea: "Wale waliokuwa Si watu wangu nitawaita: Watu wangu! Naye Sikupendi ataitwa: Mpenzi wangu!

²⁵As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved.

²⁶Na pale walipoambiwa: Ninyi si wangu hapo wataitwa: Watoto wa Mungu hai."

²⁶And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God.

²⁷Naye nabii Isaya, kuhusu Israeli anapaaza sauti: "Hata kama watoto wa Israeli ni wengi kama mchanga wa pwani, ni wachache tu watakaookolewa;

²⁷And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved:

²⁸maana, Bwana ataitekeleza upesi hukumu yake kamili juu ya ulimwengu wote."

²⁸for the Lord will execute [his] word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short.

²⁹Ni kama Isaya alivyosema hapo awali: "Kama Bwana Mwenye Nguvu asingalituachia baadhi ya watoto wa Israeli, tungalikwisha kuwa kama Sodoma, tungalikwisha kuwa ma Gomora."

²⁹And, as Isaiah hath said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.

³⁰Basi, tuseme nini? Ni hivi: watu wa mataifa ambao hawakutafuta kukubaliwa kuwa waadilifu, wamekubaliwa kuwa waadilifu kwa njia ya imani,

³⁰What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:

³¹hali watu wa Israeli waliokuwa wakitafuta Sheria iletayo kukubaliwa kuwa waadilifu, hawakuipata.

³¹but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at [that] law.

³²Kwa nini? Kwa sababu walitegemea matendo yao badala ya kutegemea imani. Walijikwaa juu ya jiwe la kujikwaa

³²Wherefore? Because [they sought it] not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling;

³³kama yesemavyo Maandiko Matakatifu: "Tazama! Naweka huko Sioni jiwe likwazalo, mwamba utakaowafanya watu waanguke. Mtu atakayemwamini yeye aliye hilo jiwe, hataaibishwa!"

³³even as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.