An Example from Marriage
1 My friends, you surely understand enough about law to know that laws only have power over people who are alive. 2 For example, the Law says that a man's wife must remain his wife as long as he lives. But once her husband is dead, she is free 3 to marry someone else. However, if she goes off with another man while her husband is still alive, she is said to be unfaithful.
4 That is how it is with you, my friends. You are now part of the body of Christ and are dead to the power of the Law. You are free to belong to Christ, who was raised to life so we could serve God. 5 When we thought only of ourselves, the Law made us have sinful desires. It made every part of our bodies into slaves who are doomed to die. 6 But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
The Battle with Sin
7 Does this mean that the Law is sinful? Certainly not! But if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known what sin is really like. For example, I would not have known what it means to want something that belongs to someone else, unless the Law had told me not to do this. 8 It was sin that used this command as a way of making me have all kinds of desires. But without the Law, sin is dead.
9 Before I knew about the Law, I was alive. But as soon as I heard that command, sin came to life, 10 and I died. The very command that was supposed to bring life to me, instead brought death. 11 Sin used this command to trick me, and because of it I died. 12 Still, the Law and its commands are holy and correct and good.
13 Am I saying something good caused my death? Certainly not! It was sin that killed me by using something good. Now we can see how terrible and evil sin really is. 14 We know that the Law is spiritual. But I am merely a human, and I have been sold as a slave to sin. 15 In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. 16 Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
18 I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. 19 Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. 20 And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them.
21 The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. 22 With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. 23 But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. 24 What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? 25 Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me.
So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin.
Firiŋo Luwaa bulu
1 Baadiŋolu*, n ka diyaamu alitolu ye mennu ye Luwaa loŋ. Fo ali maŋ a loŋ ko, Luwaa ye semboo soto moo kaŋ waatoo doroŋ ne la, a be baluuriŋ meŋ na? 2 Wo ñaa kiliŋo le la, luwaa ye musu futuuriŋo muta le ko, a te a keemaa bula noo la tumoo meŋ na, a keemaa be baluuriŋ. Bari niŋ a keemaa naata faa, luwaa ye a firiŋ ne. 3 Wo kamma la, niŋ a naata futuu kee doo ye, a keemaa be baluuriŋ waatoo meŋ na, a be kumandi la jeenelaa le la. Bari niŋ a keemaa naata faa, luwaa ye a firiŋ ne, aduŋ niŋ a futuuta kee doo ye, moo te a kumandi noo la jeenelaa la.
4 M baadiŋolu, a be alitolu fanaa ye wo le ñaama. Kiristu* la saayaa le ye a tinna, alitolu firinta Luwaa bulu. Saayiŋ ali mu Kiristu le taa ti, Alla ye meŋ wulindi ka bo saayaa kono, fo ǹ na baluu kutoo si nafaa soto Alla ye. 5 Kabiriŋ m̀ be baluuriŋ ka ǹ na hadamadiŋyaa hame kuwolu nooma nuŋ, Luwaa naata ǹ na niidiyaa kuu jawoolu maamandi ǹ kono mennu ka ǹ samba saayaa kaŋ. 6 Bari saayiŋ, m̀ firinta Luwaa bulu le. Ali faata junuboo la karoo la le, meŋ ye ǹ siti jawuke nuŋ. Wo le ye a tinna ŋà baluu kutoo soto Nooroo kono saayiŋ, aduŋ m̀ maŋ tara sila kotoo kaŋ kotenke meŋ mu Luwaa safeeriŋo ti.
Luwaa niŋ junuboo
7 Wo to, ǹ si muŋ ne fo noo? Fo Luwaa faŋo mu junuboo le ti baŋ? Wo te ke noo la muk! Bari hani wo, niŋ Luwaa maŋ soto nuŋ, n te a loŋ na, meŋ mu junuboo ti. N te a loŋ na, meŋ mu hadumoo ti nuŋ, niŋ Luwaa maŋ a fo ko, “Kana i ñaa loo moo doo la feŋ kaŋ.” 8 Bari ka bo niŋ Luwaa la yaamaroo la, junuboo ye siloo soto ka hadumoo siifaa bee dundi n kono. Luwaa maŋ tara daameŋ, junuboo te baluu noo la jee. 9 M be baluuriŋ ne nuŋ luwaa kooma, bari kabiriŋ yaamaroo naata doroŋ, junuboo wulita, bituŋ m faata. 10 Wo yaamaroo faŋo meŋ ñanta baluwo dii la n na, a naata saayaa le saabu m ma. 11 Kaatu junuboo meŋ ye siloo soto ka bo niŋ yaamaroo la, wo le ye m filindi, a ye m faa.
12 Wo to, Luwaa seneyaata le, aduŋ yaamaroo fanaa seneyaata le, a tilinta, aduŋ a beteyaata le. 13 Saayiŋ, fo ñiŋ luwaa betoo le ye saayaa saabu m ma? A te ke noo la wo ti muk! Bari junuboo le mu kuwo ti, meŋ ye saayaa saabu nte ma ka bo niŋ ñiŋ luwaa betoo la. Ñiŋ keta le fo junuboo si suutee noo, aduŋ luwaa ye a yitandi le, junuboo jawuyaabaata ñaameŋ.
Sondomoo la ñoosaboo
14 Ŋà a loŋ ne ko, Luwaa faŋo sotota ka bo niŋ Alla la Nooroo le la, bari nte mu hadamadiŋo doroŋ ne ti, meŋ waafita ka ke junuboo la joŋo ti. 15 Nte buka m fansuŋ kebaaroolu fahaamu noo. Kaatu m buka kuwolu ke, n lafita ka mennu ke, bari n ka kuwolu le ke, ŋa mennu koŋ. 16 Bari niŋ n ka kuwolu ke, m maŋ lafi ka mennu ke, wo to n sonta le ko, Luwaa beteyaata le. 17 Wo to, wo kuwolu kelaa maŋ ke nte faŋo ti, bari junuboo le mu, meŋ be sabatiriŋ n kono. 18 Kaatu nte ye a loŋ ne ko, feŋ bete te n kono. Ŋa ñiŋ fo n na hadamadiŋyaa hame kuwolu le to, kaatu m faŋo ka lafi le ka kuu betoo ke, bari m buka a ke noo. 19 N ka lafi kuu betoo meŋ ke la, m buka wo ke, bari kuu jawoo, m buka lafi meŋ na, n ka baara wo le la. 20 Wo to saayiŋ, niŋ nte ka baara kuwo la, m maŋ lafi meŋ na, wo kuwo baaralaa maŋ ke m faŋo ti kotenke, bari junuboo le mu, meŋ be sabatiriŋ n kono.
21 Wo to ŋa a je le ko, ñiŋ naata ke kuu le ti, meŋ ye m mara: Niŋ n lafita ka kuu betoo ke, a ka labaŋ n ye kuu jawu kewo le ti. 22 N sondomoo kono, ŋa Alla la Luwaa kanu le, 23 bari ŋa kuu doo le je, meŋ ye n na baluwo mara. Wo le ka Alla la Luwaa kele, n sondomoo sonta meŋ na, aduŋ a ka n ke joŋo le ti junuboo ye, meŋ be sabatiriŋ m balajaatoo kono.
24 Nte moo mantoorariŋo! Jumaa le be m firiŋ na ñiŋ balajaatoo bulu, meŋ ye saayaa saabu m ma? 25 Tenturoo be Alla ye, firiŋo naata ka bo niŋ Yeesu Kiristu le la, m̀ Maariyo!
Saayiŋ, n sondomoo kono n sonta le ko, nte mu joŋo le ti Alla la Luwaa ye, bari m balajaatoo niŋ a la hame kuwolu le ye a tinna, n ka luwaa doo muta, meŋ mu junuboo la maraloo ti.
