1 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? 2 It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. 3 It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? 4 No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,
“Your words
will be proven true,
and in court
you will win your case.”
5 If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. 6 But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. 8 You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 They don't even fear God.”
19 We know that everything in the Law was written for those who are under its power. The Law says these things to stop anyone from making excuses and to let God show that the whole world is guilty. 20 God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.
God's Way of Accepting People
21 Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses. 22 God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. 23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 25-26 God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.
27 What is left for us to brag about? Not a thing! Is it because we obeyed some law? No! It is because of faith. 28 We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law. 29 Does God belong only to the Jews? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is! 30 There is only one God, and he accepts Gentiles as well as Jews, simply because of their faith. 31 Do we destroy the Law by our faith? Not at all! We make it even more powerful.
1 Saayiŋ, Yahuudiyaa ye muŋ nafaa le soto? Ì la sunnoo mu muŋ nafaa le ti? 2 Tooñaa, Yahuudiyaa ye nafaa soto karoo bee le la. Foloo-foloo, Alla ye a la kumoolu karafa itolu le ma. 3 Saayiŋ duŋ, niŋ doolu maŋ foroyaa Alla ye, fo ì la kuwo si Alla la foroyaa tiñaa noo le baŋ? 4 Hanii, wo te ke noo la muk! Ali si a loŋ ko, hani moolu bee keta faniyaa folaa le ti, Alla ka tu looriŋ tooñaa le kaŋ. A be safeeriŋ ne ko:
“I la kumoolu le ye i bolondi
ka boloo kiitiyo ñaatiliŋo la.”
5 Bari niŋ ǹ na tilimbaliyaa ye Alla la tiliŋo yitandi seneyaarinke, wo to m̀ be muŋ ne fo la? Fo ǹ si a fo noo niŋ hadamadiŋolu la diyaamuñaa la ko, Alla maŋ tiliŋ, niŋ a kamfaata ǹ na kuwo la? 6 Hanii, wo te ke noo la muk! Kaatu niŋ Alla maŋ tiliŋ, wo to a si duniyaa moolu kiitindi noo ñaadii le?
7 I ko, “Bari niŋ n na faniyaa le ye a tinna, Alla la tooñaa ka siyaa laalaa ka a la jayiroo kafu, muŋ ne ye a tinna hani saayiŋ nte be kiitindi la ko junubelaa?” 8 Waraŋ, fo ǹ si a fo noo ko, “Ŋà kuu jawoolu ke baŋ, fo kuu betoolu si siyaa naŋ!” Nendirilaa doolu le ye ǹ tuumi ko, wo le mu ntolu la karandiroo ti, bari wolu be halaki la le ko ì ñanta halaki la ñaameŋ.
Moo maŋ tiliŋ Alla ñaatiliŋo la
9 Wo to, fo ntolu Yahuudoolu le fisiyaata moo koteŋolu ti baŋ? Hanii, a maŋ ke wo ti. Ŋà a je le fokabaŋ ko, Yahuudoolu niŋ moo koteŋolu bee mu kiliŋ ne ti, kaatu ì bee be junuboo le semboo bulu, 10 ko a be safeeriŋ ñaameŋ:
“Moo te keriŋ, meŋ tilinta,
hani moo kiliŋ.
11 Moo te keriŋ, meŋ ye fahaamuroo soto,
moo maŋ Alla ñini.
12 Ì bee muritita,
ì bee naata kafu ñoo ma nafantaŋolu ti.
Kiliŋ te jee, meŋ ka kuu kendoo ke,
hani kiliŋ.”
13 “Ì daalu be kasariŋ ne ko kaburu yeleriŋo,
ì ka neeneeroo ke ì neŋ kolomoo le la.
Ì la kumoolu be le ko biidaa kunoo,
14 ì daa kono ka tara faariŋ dankaroo le la,
aniŋ kuma jawoo.”
15 “Ì ka tariyaa moofaa la le,
16 kasaaroo niŋ niikuyaa le mu ì taaraŋ buloo ti.
17 Ì maŋ kayira siloo loŋ,
18 Alla ñaasilaŋo te ì la fereŋ.”
19 Ŋà a loŋ ne ko, Musa la Luwaa* ye feŋ-wo-feŋ fo, a ye a fo moolu le ye, mennu be Luwaa koto, fo moo-wo-moo daa si muta, aduŋ duniyaa bee si tara Alla la kiitiyo koto. 20 Kaatu ka Luwaa la yaamaroolu muta, wo te moo-wo-moo tilindi noo la Alla ñaatiliŋo la. Luwaa ka a yitandi le, junuboo mu meŋ ti.
Tiliŋo Alla ñaatiliŋo la ka bo niŋ lannoo le la
21 Bari saayiŋ, Alla ye a la siloo yitandi le, a be moolu tilindi la a faŋo ñaatiliŋo la ñaameŋ. Ñiŋ tilindiroo maŋ bo niŋ Luwaa la siloo la, bari hani wo ñaa-wo-ñaa, Musa la Luwaa niŋ annabiyomoolu ye seedeyaa ke a la kuwo to le. 22 Alla la tilindiroo ka naa ka bo niŋ lannoo le la moolu bee ye, mennu laata Yeesu Kiristu* la. Fataŋ-fansoo te jee, 23 kaatu moolu bee le ye junuboo ke, aduŋ ì bee le dasata Alla la kallankeeyaa* la. 24 Ì naata ñiŋ tilindiroo soto sooroo le ti ka bo niŋ a la hiinoo la. Ñiŋ kiisoo naata ka bo niŋ Kiristu Yeesu le la. 25 Alla ye ate le dii fo a yeloo si naa ke junube kafarilaŋo ti, moolu be meŋ soto la ka bo niŋ lannoo la. Alla ye ñiŋ ke le ka a la tiliŋo yitandi, kaatu a muñata le koomanto ka a ñaa laa moolu la junuboolu kaŋ. 26 A ye ñiŋ ke ka a koyindi ñiŋ waatoo la ko, ate faŋo tilinta le, aduŋ a ka moo le tilindi, meŋ laata Yeesu la.
27 Wo to, fo ǹ si kibiri noo feŋ na baŋ? Hanii, wo te ke noo la muk! Wo to, ǹ naata ñiŋ soto ñaadii le? Fo ŋà a soto baara bete kewo le la baŋ? Hanii, bari ǹ na lannoo! 28 Kaatu ŋà a je le ko, moo ka tiliŋo soto ka bo niŋ lannoo le la, a maŋ ke Luwaa mutoo ti. 29 Fo Alla mu Yahuudoolu doroŋ ne la Alla ti baŋ? Fo a maŋ ke moo koteŋolu fanaa la Alla ti baŋ? Haa, a mu moo koteŋolu fanaa la Alla le ti, mennu maŋ ke Yahuudoolu ti. 30 Tooñaa, Alla kiliŋ doroŋ ne be keriŋ. A be sunnariŋolu tilindi la ì la lannoo le kaŋ, aduŋ a be sunnabaloolu fanaa tilindi la ka bo niŋ ì la lannoo le la. 31 Wo to, fo ǹ ka Luwaa ke kuu kenseŋo le ti baŋ ǹ na lannoo kamma la? Wo te ke noo la muk! Wo noo to, ǹ ka Luwaa le bambandi.
