KwabaseRoma 4:1-25
4 Xa kunjalo, siza kuthi yintoni eyafunyanwa nguAbraham ukhokho wethu esiphuma kuye?
2 Ngokomzekelo, ukuba kwakuthiwe uAbraham lilungisa ngenxa yezinto awazenzayo, wayeza kuba nesizathu sokuqhayisa, kodwa wayengazukuqhayisa kuThixo.
3 Kuba sithini isibhalo? Sithi: “UAbraham wakholwa kuYehova* kwaza kwathiwa ulilungisa.”+
4 Xa umntu osebenzayo ebhatalwa, akuthiwa wenzelwa ububele,* kodwa unikwa into ebefanele ayifumane.*
5 Kwelinye icala, umntu ongasebenziyo kodwa okholwayo kuThixo, ukholo lwakhe luza kwenza kuthiwe ulilungisa,+ nangona enesono.
6 Kaloku noDavide, xa wayethetha ngendlela avuya ngayo umntu ojongwa nguThixo njengelungisa engayisebenzelanga loo nto, wathi:
7 “Bonwabile abantu abaye baxolelwa nangona bophule umthetho, nabaye baxolelwa izono zabo;
8 wonwabile umntu esingazukukhunjulwa nguYehova* isono sakhe.”+
9 Ngoko ngaba kuvuya kuphela abantu abolukileyo, okanye ngaba nabangolukanga bayavuya?+ Kuba sithi: “Ukholo luka-Abraham lwabangela ukuba kuthiwe lilungisa.”+
10 Kwathiwa lilungisa nini ke? Xa wayolukile okanye engekoluki? Kwatshiwo engekoluki.
11 Emva koko kwathiwa makoluke.+ Loo nto yayiluphawu olubonisa ukuba ulilungisa ngenxa yokholo awayenalo engekoluki, ukuze abe ngutata wabo bonke abantu abanokholo+ bengekoluki, ukuze kuthiwe bangamalungisa,
12 abe nguye notata wabo bolukileyo. Wayengazukuphelela ekubeni ngutata wabo bolukileyo, wayeza kuba nguye notata wabo banokholo olufana nolo wayenalo uAbraham+ utata wethu ngoxa wayengekoluki.
13 Yayingekokuthobela umthetho okwabangela ukuba uAbraham okanye inzala* yakhe bathenjiswe ukuba uza kunikwa umhlaba ube lilifa lakhe,+ kodwa bathenjiswa kuba elilungisa ngenxa yokholo.+
14 Kuba, ukuba ngabo bathobela umthetho abalifumanayo ilifa, loo nto iya kuthetha ukuba ukholo aluncedi nganto yaye isithembiso asithethi nto.
15 Xa sithetha inyani, uMthetho wenza abantu bamcaphukise uThixo,+ kodwa apho ungekhoyo umthetho, asikho isono.+
16 Yiloo nto kusithiwa uAbraham wafumana eso sithembiso ngenxa yokholo, nto leyo eyabonisa ububele bukaThixo,*+ ukuze loo nto ithenjisiweyo yenzeke kuyo yonke inzala* yakhe,+ kungekuphela nje kuleyo ithobela uMthetho, kodwa nakuleyo inokholo olufana noluka-Abraham, utata wethu sonke.+
17 (Le nto injengokuba kubhaliwe kwathiwa: “Ndikukhethile ukuba ube ngutata weentlanga ezininzi.”)+ Esi sithembiso sikaThixo sasiza kwenzeka ngokuqinisekileyo, ibe uAbraham waba nokholo kuThixo, owenza abafileyo baphile aze achaze izinto ezingekenzeki ngokungathi sele zenzekile.*
18 Nangona kwakubonakala kungekho themba, yena waba nethemba nokholo lokuba uza kuba ngutata weentlanga ezininzi, njengokuba kwakuthiwe: “Iza kuba ninzi ngolo hlobo inzala* yakho.”+
19 Nangona lungazange luhle ukholo lwakhe, wacinga ngomzimba wakhe, owawufana nofileyo (kuba wayesele eneminyaka emalunga ne-100),+ wacinga nangesibeleko sikaSara esasingenakuvelisa nzala.*+
20 Kodwa ngenxa yesithembiso sikaThixo, akazange agungqe ngenxa yokungabi nalukholo; waqiniswa lukholo lwakhe, wazukisa uThixo
21 eqinisekile ukuba yonke into ayithembisileyo uThixo uza kukwazi ukuyenza.+
22 Ngoko ke “wajongwa njengelungisa.”+
23 Kodwa ke amazwi athi “wajongwa njengelungisa” ayengabhalelwanga yena yedwa,+
24 kodwa abhalelwa nathi, thina siza kujongwa njengamalungisa kuba sikholelwa kuThixo owavusa uYesu iNkosi yethu ekufeni.+
25 Wanikelwa ngenxa yezono zethu+ waza wavuswa ukuze uThixo akwazi ukuthi singamalungisa.+
Umbhalo osemazantsi
^ Funda Isihlomelo A5.
^ Okanye “ububele obungamfanelanga.”
^ Okanye “kubhatalwa ityala.”
^ Funda Isihlomelo A5.
^ Ngokoqobo, “imbewu.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “imbewu.”
^ Okanye “ububele obungasifanelanga.”
^ Okanye kusenokwenzeka, “aze azenze zibekho izinto ezingekhoyo.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “imbewu.”
^ Ngokoqobo, “esasifile.”
