¹Or don’t you know, brothers The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.” (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?

¹Ndugu zangu, bila shaka mtaelewa yafuatayo, maana ninawazungumzia watu wanaojua Sheria. Sheria humtawala mtu wakati akiwa hai.

²For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.

²Mathalan: mwanamke aliyeolewa anafungwa na sheria muda wote mumewe anapokuw hai; lakini mumewe akifa, hiyo sheria haimtawali tena huyo mwanamke.

³So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man.

³Hivyo mwanamke huyo akiishi na mwanamume mwingine wakati mumewe yungali hai, ataitwa mzinzi; lakini mumewe akifa, mwanamke huyo yu huru kisheria, na akiolewa na mwanamume mwingine, yeye si mzinzi.

⁴Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God.

⁴Hali kadhalika ninyi ndugu zangu: ninyi pia mmekufa kuhusu Sheria kwa kuwa ninyi ni sehemu ya mwili wa Kristo; sasa mmekuwa wake yeye aliyefufuliwa kutoka wafu ili tupate kuzaa matunda mema kwa ajili ya Mungu.

⁵For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

⁵Maana, tulipokuwa tukiishi kimaumbile tu, tamaa mbaya zikichochewa na Sheria, zilifanya kazi katika miili yetu, na kuchuma pato la kifo.

⁶But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

⁶Lakini sasa tumekuwa huru kutoka vifungo vya Sheria, kwa sababu tumekufa kuhusu lile jambo lililotufanya sisi watumwa. Sasa tunatumikia kufuatana na maisha mapya ya Roho, na si kufuatana na hali ile ya kale ya Sheria iliyoandikwa.

⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting, unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21

⁷Je, tuseme basi, kwamba Sheria ni dhambi? Hata kidogo! Lakini bila Sheria, mimi nisingalijua dhambi ni kitu gani. Maana, nisingalijua ni nini hasa kutamani mabaya, kama Sheria isingalikuwa imesema: "Usitamani."

⁸But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

⁸Kwa kuitumia hiyo amri, dhambi ilipata fursa ya kuamsha kila aina ya tamaa mbaya ndani yangu. Maana, bila Sheria dhambi ni kitu kilichokufa.

⁹I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

⁹Wakati mmoja mimi nilikuwa hai mbali na Sheria; lakini amri ilipokuja, dhambi ilifufuka,

¹⁰The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death;

¹⁰nami nikafa. Hiyo amri ambayo shabaha yake ilikuwa kuleta uhai, kwangu imeleta kifo.

¹¹for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.

¹¹Maana, dhambi ilichukua fursa iliyopatiwa na amri hiyo, ikanidanganya na kuniua.

¹²Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.

¹²Basi, Sheria yenyewe ni takatifu, na amri yenyewe ni takatifu, ni ya haki na nzuri.

¹³Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful.

¹³Je, hii inamaanisha kwamba kile kilicho kizuri kimesababisha kifo changu? Hata kidogo! Iliyo ni kwamba, dhambi, ili ionekane dhahiri kuwa ni dhambi, imekitumia kile kilicho kizuri na kusababisha kifo changu. Hivyo dhambi, kwa njia ya ile amri, ilijionyesha kikamilifu jinsi ilivyo mbaya mno.

¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.

¹⁴Tunajua kwamba Sheria ni ya kiroho, lakini mimi ni wa kidunia, mimi nimeuzwa kuwa mtumwa wa dhambi.

¹⁵For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.

¹⁵Sielewi nifanyacho, maana kile ninachotaka sikifanyi, bali kile ninachochukia ndicho nikifanyacho.

¹⁶But if what I don’t desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.

¹⁶Ikiwa basi, ninatenda kinyume cha matakwa yangu, hii inamaanisha kwamba nakubali kuwa ile Sheria ni nzuri.

¹⁷So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

¹⁷Basi, si mimi hasa ninayefanya kitu hicho, bali ile dhambi iliyo ndani yangu.

¹⁸For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.

¹⁸Najua kwamba hamna jema lolote ndani yangu mimi, kadiri ya ubinadamu wangu. Kwa maana, ingawa nataka kufanya jambo jema, siwezi kulitekeleza.

¹⁹For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.

¹⁹Yaani, badala ya kufanya lile jambo jema ninalotaka, nafanya lile baya nisilotaka.

²⁰But if what I don’t desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

²⁰Basi, kama ninafanya kinyume cha matakwa yangu, hii inamaanisha kwamba si mimi ninayefanya hayo, bali ni ile dhambi iliyo ndani yangu.

²¹I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.

²¹Basi, nimegundua kanuni hii: ninataka kufanya jema, lakini najikuta kwamba lile lililo baya ndilo ninalochagua.

²²For I delight in God’s law after the inward man,

²²Ndani kabisa katika moyo wangu naifurahia sheria ya Mungu.

²³but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.

²³Lakini naona kwamba kuna sheria nyingine inayofanya kazi mwilini mwangu, sheria ambayo inapingana na ile inayokubaliwa na akili yangu. Hiyo inanifanya niwe mtumwa wa sheria ya dhambi ifanyayo kazi mwilini mwangu.

²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?

²⁴Maskini miye! Nani atakayeniokoa kutoka katika mwili huu unaonipeleka kifoni?

²⁵I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, the sin’s law.

²⁵Shukrani kwa Mungu afanyaye hayo kwa njia ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo! Hii basi, ndiyo hali yangu: mimi binafsi, kwa akili yangu, ninaitumikia sheria ya dhambi.