Kugalamoyo
1 Kugalamoyo hwube ne malebeswa mu zwithu zwatinogalabgwe mu zwili. 2 Ngobe bathu ba ntolo bakashathisa Ndzimu nge kugalamoyo.
3 Nge kugalamoyo tohwisisa kuti shango yakathamiwa nge dama le Ndzimu, kodwa kuti zwatinobona zwakathamiwa nge zwithu zwisingaboneke.
4 Nge kugalamoyo Abele wakapa Ndzimu tjibhayilo tjibuya pana tja Kaini. Ngekwa ikoko kaamutjigwa ali nlulwami, Ndzimu uli ntendeki ngoamutjila zwipo zwizwe. Abele wakafa koga nge kugalamoyo kukwe utjalebelekazwe.
5 Nge kugalamoyo Enoki wakatolegwa kudzimu kuti asife. Aazodwapo kabong'wa, ngobe Ndzimu wakabe wantola. Koga wakati asathu katogwa, kwakabe nge butendeki gwe kuti wakashathisa Ndzimu. 6 Ausina kugalamoyo akutotubuka kushathisa Ndzimu ngobe kene ali ani unozwisedzedza ku Ndzimu wakafanila kuti abe eduma kuti Ndzimu uyapo, kakale nenge kuti unopa mbhayilo ibabo banoushaka.
7 Nge kugalamoyo Nuwa wakati atjenjedziwa nge Ndzimu ngekwe zwinozha koga zwisathu zwikaboneka kayela njele, ndiko kabaka ng'umba inoangama mu vula se n'goro kutjidza be nsha uwe. Nge kujalo kalakidza kuti shango ina nlandu, ngono kabe n'galithaka we ndulamo inozha nge kugalamoyo.
8 Nge kugalamoyo Abhurahama wakati adwiwa kuyi afuluke mu shango ya kanyi kukwe ayende ku shango yaakabe ewopiwa kateedza kayenda nenguba akabe asingazibe kwaanoyenda.
9 Nge kugalamoyo wakagala mu shango yaakagadziwabgwe se nzhi umu shango isi iye ana Isaki na Jakubo bagalithaka be kugadziwabgwe naye. 10 Ngoti wakabe akalindila nzi nkulu una thiwa, wakabambiwa ukabakwa nge Ndzimu.
11 Nge kugalamoyo Sara nge kukwe wakaamutjila simba le kuzwisenga nenguba akabe akwegula akagalabgwe kuti iye wakan'gadzabgwe unogalikamoyo. 12 Nenguba nlume iwoyu akabe atjifanana ne nthu wakafa, kwakabhuda munli njudzi njinji se nyenyedzi dze zhuzhugwi, njinji se nsetje umu phili ye gungwa usingake ukabagwa.
13 Ibaba bose bakafa begalamoyo, basathu bakaamutjila tjabakagadziwabgwe, koga bakati batjibona bakatjiamutjila tjili kule. Kakale bakaamutjila kuti bataya ne bazhi mu shango iyeyi. 14 Ngobe bathu banolebeleka sa ikoku banolakidza dumbu kuti banoshaka yabo shango. 15 Ha bakabe bakumbula shango yabakasiya banobe bakawana tjibaka tje kubgwilila. 16 Koga sekwa kuli iko banoshaka shango inoyita, ili shango i kudzimu. Ndizo Ndzimu autobabhatigwa nge shoni kudang'wa Ndzimu wabo, ngobe wakabalulwamisila nzi nkulu.
17 Nge kugalamoyo Abhurahama wakati elikiwa nge Ndzimu, kadusa Isaki kube tjibhayilo. Iye wakabe awana tjaakabe agadziwabgwe nge Ndzimu, wakabe akazwimisila kuudusila nkololo uwe wakabe ali iye ega, 18 iye nge kukwe wakabe adwiwa nge Ndzimu uti, “Njudzi dzandinokugadzabgwe nge kwadzo dzowodwa muna Isaki.” 19 Abhurahama wakabe egalamoyo kuti Ndzimu ungamusa bafi, ndizo akabgwilizigwa Isaki se wadwa mu lufu.
20 Nge kugalamoyo Isaki wakakombolelela Jakubo na Esau mazhuba ambeli.
21 Nge kugalamoyo Jakubo wakati efa, kakombolela mmwe ne mmwe we bakololo ba Josefa, enamata Ndzimu akanayila ludozo gugwe.
22 Nge kugalamoyo Josefa wakati abe pejo ngofa kaleba ngekwe kufuluka kwe Baiziraela bedwa mu Egipiti, ngono kabalaya kuti abiganyiwe tjini.
23 Nge kugalamoyo Mushe wakati azwagwa kasumbikiwa mimwedzi mitatu nge bazwadzi babe, ngobe bakabe babona akanaka, abazotja kutjuluka nlayo wakabe wabigwa ndi mambo.
24 Nge kugalamoyo Mushe wakati akula kalamba kudang'wa mwana we nkololokadzi wa Faro. 25 Wakashalula kudziyidziwa pa ng'ompela ne bathu be Ndzimu mu bumo gwe mizipo inopela ye tjibi. 26 Wakabona kuti kulengudzigwa Kirisiti ifumwa hwulu kupinda fumwa ye Egipiti, ngobe wakabe akalinga mbhayilo unowozha.
27 Nge kugalamoyo Mushe wakadwa mu Egipiti asingatje bushongola gwa Faro, ngoti wakadzikitidza se unonga wakabe ebona iye usingaboneke. 28 Nge kugalamoyo wakathama ndongoloso ye Kupinda pezhugwi kanyasa malopa mu matendele kuti ndizo ntumwa we kudzimu unolobesa mbano dze Egipiti asitongo bulaya mbano dze Baiziraela.
29 Nge kugalamoyo bathu bakatjuluka Gungwa Shaba se banoyenda pasi pakawoma; koga Baegipiti bakati bezha beti banoyedza Baiziraela bakang'wa nkopkhwi bakafa.
30 Nge kugalamoyo makuma e Jerikho akawa, apotelekwa mazhuba ali kutendeka.
31 Nge kugalamoyo Rahabu we fukula aazoloba na ibabo bakabe basingawe Ndzimu, ngobe aamutjila shodzi nge buthu.
32 Tjimwe ini wali tjandingaleba tjinopinda ikoku? Andingawane tjibaka tje kuleba ngekwa Gideoni na Bharaki na Samisoni na Jefuta na Dafite na Samuele nenge balebesambeli. 33 Bakati nge kugalamoyo bakakunda mibuso, bakabusa nge ndulamo ngono bakawana tjabakabe bagadziwabgwe, bakazhalila milomo ye shumba, 34 Bakadzima mimoto yakabangalala, bakadzeta mathumo anopitsha, kushaya masimba kwabo kukashandugwa kukabe masimba, bakasima mu ngwa bakakunda babhayani be badwa kule. 35 Bakadzi bakaamutjila bafi babo nge kumusiwa mu bafi.
Bamwe bakadziyidziwa ngono bakalamba kusunungugwa, kuti ndizo bawane kumusiwa mu butjilo gunoyita. 36 Bamwe bakadadigwa bakalobgwa, bakasungwa nge dziketani bakalongwa mu ng'umba dze busungwa. 37 Bakakikithidziwa nge mabgwe, bamwe bakasahiwa bethubugwa na pakati, bakabulawa nge thumo. Bakabe beyenda yenda bakaambala makukuta e pkhwizi, kene e mbudzi, bali bashayi, bedziyidziwa basingabhakhwe zubuyanana. 38 Bakatendeleka se basina kanyi, beyenda mu tjilambanyika mu matombo, begala mu makuhwu nenge mu mimwina ye shango. Shango yakabe isakabafanila.
39 Bose ibaba nenguba bakakudziwa nge kugalamoyo kwabo, abazoamutjila tjakabe tjagadziwabgwe nge Ndzimu, 40 se Ndzimu wakabe watiwanila kutjikale tjimwe tjinoyita, kuti ndizo basitongothamiwa bakapelela basinaswi.
The Great Faith of God's People
1 Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. 2 It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God.
3 Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God's command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.
4 Because Abel had faith, he offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God was pleased with him and his gift, and even though Abel is now dead, his faith still speaks for him.
5 Enoch had faith and did not die. He pleased God, and God took him up to heaven. This is why his body was never found. 6 But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.
7 Because Noah had faith, he was warned about something that had not yet happened. He obeyed and built a boat that saved him and his family. In this way the people of the world were judged, and Noah was given the blessings that come to everyone who pleases God.
8 Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen. 9 Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise. 10 Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city God had planned and built.
11 Even when Sarah was too old to have children, she had faith that God would do what he had promised, and she had a son. 12 Her husband Abraham was almost dead, but he became the ancestor of many people. In fact, there are as many of them as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore.
13 Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth. 14 When people talk this way, it is clear they are looking for a place to call their own. 15 If they had been talking about the land where they had once lived, they could have gone back at any time. 16 But they were looking forward to a better home in heaven. This is why God wasn't ashamed for them to call him their God. He even built a city for them.
17-18 Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son, would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19 because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.
20 Isaac had faith, and he promised blessings to Jacob and Esau. 21 Later, when Jacob was about to die, he leaned on his walking stick and worshiped. Then because of his faith he blessed each of Joseph's sons. 22 And right before Joseph died, he had faith that God would lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. So he told them to take his bones with them.
23 Because Moses' parents had faith, they kept him hidden until he was three months old. They saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's orders. 24 Then after Moses grew up, his faith made him refuse to be called the king's grandson. 25 He chose to be mistreated with God's people instead of having the good time that sin could bring for a little while. 26 Moses knew that the treasures of Egypt were not as wonderful as what he would receive from suffering for the Messiah, and he looked forward to his reward.
27 Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. Moses had seen the invisible God and wasn't afraid of the king's anger. 28 His faith also made him celebrate Passover. He sprinkled the blood of animals on the doorposts, so that the first-born sons of the people of Israel would not be killed by the destroying angel.
29 Because of their faith, the people walked through the Red Sea on dry land. But when the Egyptians tried to do it, they were drowned.
30 God's people had faith, and when they had walked around the city of Jericho for seven days, its walls fell down.
31 Rahab had been a prostitute, but she had faith and welcomed the spies. So she wasn't killed with the people who disobeyed.
32 What else can I say? There isn't enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Their faith helped them conquer kingdoms, and because they did right, God made promises to them. They closed the jaws of lions 34 and put out raging fires and escaped from the swords of their enemies. Although they were weak, they were given the strength and power to chase foreign armies away.
35 Some women received their loved ones back from death. Many of these people were tortured, but they refused to be released. They were sure they would get a better reward when the dead are raised to life. 36 Others were made fun of and beaten with whips, and some were chained in jail. 37 Still others were stoned to death or sawed in two or killed with swords. Some had nothing but sheep skins or goat skins to wear. They were poor, mistreated, and tortured. 38 The world did not deserve these good people, who had to wander in deserts and on mountains and had to live in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All of them pleased God because of their faith! But still they died without being given what had been promised. 40 This was because God had something better in store for us. And he did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without us.