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

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

²May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?

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

³Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

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

⁴We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

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.

⁵For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;

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

⁶knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.

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

⁷For he who has died has been freed from sin.

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

⁸But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;

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

⁹knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!

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

¹⁰For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.

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

¹¹Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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

¹²Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

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

¹³Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

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.

¹⁴For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

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

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!

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

¹⁶Don’t you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

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.

¹⁷But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered.

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

¹⁸Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

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

¹⁹I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.

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.

²⁰For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

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

²¹What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

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

²²But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.

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.

²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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