Limbelimbe le Iziraela
1 Ndobhuzwa ngono kuti, apa Ndzimu wakalamba bathu bawo kene? Ndodwa! Imi nge kwangu ndi N'iziraela, tjizekugwana tja Abhurahama ndili we nsha wa Bhenjamini. 2 Ndzimu auzolamba bathu bawo, bawakaziba kuli kale. Apa amutoziba kuti Hwalo dzotini ngekwa Elija, se kwaanokumbila Ndzimu kuti ubone Iziraela nlandu? 3 Kati, “She, Baiziraela bakabulaya balebesambeli benyu, bakapkhwanya zwibeso zwenyu zwe zwibhayilo, ndimi ndoga ndasala, ngono banoshaka ku ndibulaya.” 4 Koga Ndzimu wakan'dabila uitini kene? Wakati, “Ndakazwibiganyidzila balume bali zwiwulu zwili kutendeka basakatongothigamila Bhaale.” 5 Ndizo kwakajalo nangwenu, kuna malimbelimbe Ndzimu awakashalula nge ngoni dzawo. 6 Koga ha akashalugwa kwakabigwa mu ngoni dzawo, kodwa kuti kushalula akuzotemelela mu mishingo, ha kwabe kwakajalo, ngoni dzawo dzingabe dzisitji ngoni.
7 Ngono kee? Bathu be Iziraela bakakong'wa kuwana tjabakabe beshaka. Bashalugwa bakatjiwana, koga bakasala bose bakakukutala. 8 Sekwa kwakakwagwa kuyi,
“Ndzimu wakabapa meya ye wope,
kuti mesho asibone
ne zebe dzisihwe,
kuswikila zhuba lino.”
9 Ngono Dafite kati,
“Dzene butjilo gwabo gungabe dati ne bhuzhu,
ne tjinobakutha ne kulobgwa kwabo.
10 Mesho abo ngaapofupadziwe, kuti ndizo basibone;
bagogonyale nge kusingapele.”
11 Ndizo ndobhuzwa, apa bakakuthiwa, kuti ndizo bawe kene? Ndodwa! Koga ngotjinya kwabo, jidzo lakazha kuna Bezwitjaba, kuti ndizo Baiziraela babe ne fupa. 12 Ngono ha kutjinya kwabo kufumisa shango, ne kukong'wa kwabo kufumisa Bezwitjaba. Kutjidziwa kwe Baiziraela kowopapha fumwa inopinda iyeyi kanjinji seni!
Ndzimu wakatjidza Bezwitjaba
13 Ngwenu ndolebeleka namwi Bezwitjaba. Se ndili ntumwa kuna Bezwitjaba, ndokudza nshingo wangu, 14 kuti ndizo Bajuta, ibo be ludzi gwangu babe ne fupa, kuti ndizo bamwe babo batjidziwe. 15 Ngobe ha kulambiwa kwabo kudwa kugadzanyiwa kwe shango, kuamutjigwa kwabo kowobeni ha isi kutjila kwe bafi koga?
16 Ha ipemu tje tjiwunga tjidusiwa se tjipo tje kutanga, tjakayengemala, tjiwunga tjose tjobe tjakayengemala, ngono ha ndzi we nti wakayengemala ne thabi dzawo dzakayengemala. 17 Koga ha thabi dzimwe dze ntoba wakadzwagwa dzakathubugwa, imwi lutabi gwe ntoba we shango mukamedzekiwa muuli, mu magalo abo kuti mube ne gobe mu nti we ntoba, 18 musitongo zwikudza se munopinda thabi. Ha muzwikudza, mualakane kuti imwi ate imwi makabhata ndzi koga ndzi ndiwo wakabhata imwi.
19 Koga mowoti, “Thabi dzakathubugwa kuti timedzekiwe.” 20 Ikoku malebeswa. Bakathubugwa nge kusagalamoyo kwabo, koga imwi musime nge kugalamoyo. Ndizo musizwikudze, koga mube ne kutja. 21 Ha Ndzimu usakatjiba thabi dze wakadzwagwa, namwibo autowomutjiba. 22 Bonani nzhazho ne bushongola gwe Ndzimu. Una bushongola kuna ibabo bakawa, koga una nzhazho kumuli ha mudwilila mu nzhazho wawo. Koga kuzhe kwa ikoku, namwibo mowothubugwa. 23 Ngono ne bamwebo abasadwilila mu kusagalamoyo banowomedzekiwa kakale, ngobe Ndzimu una simba le kubamedzeka kakale. 24 Ngono ha imwi makathubugwa mu ntoba we shango nge mbumbiko, mube mu medzekiwa kusingayendidzane ne mbumbiko, mu ntoba wakadzwagwa, ngono kowobe kulelu kungapani kumedzeka kakale thabi idzedzi dzakathubugwa muna mayi badzo kene?
Ndzimu unohwila bathu bose ngoni
25 Kuti musizwipe butjenjedu gwa musinago, zwikamu, ndoshaka kuti muhwisise masazibgwe iyawa. Kukukutala kwakangina mu bamwe ba Iziraela, kuswikila Bezwitjaba betjidziwa nge buzhalo. 26 Ndizo Iziraela yose inowotjidziwa, sekwa kwakakwagwa kuyi,
“Nsununguli unowodwa ku Ziyoni,
unowodusa bubi gose mu ludzi gwa Jakubo.
27 Ngono etji nditjo tjinowobe tjidumano tjangu nabo,
ha ndidusa zwibi zwabo.”
28 Nge kwe ndebo mbuya Baiziraela zwita zwe Ndzimu nge kwenyu, ngoshalugwa Baiziraela banodiwa ngekwa bobatategulu babo; 29 ngobe zwipo zwe Ndzimu ne kudana kwawo azwitoshanduka. 30 Sekwa makatongobe musingahwe Ndzimu, ngono ngwenu makahwigwa zogwadza nge kusahwa kwabo, 31 ndizo naibo bakashaya kuhwa kuti se kwamakahwigwa zogwadza, na ibobo bahwigwe zogwadza. 32 Ndzimu wakathama bathu bose basungwa be kusahwa kwabo, kuti ndizo ubahwile ngoni bose.
Takafanila kuti tikudze Ndzimu
33 Bathu bedu! Fumwa ye butjenjedu ne luzibo gwe Ndzimu zwikulu seni! Kusumikilisa kwawo akuna ungakutjenesa, ndiani ungalonda zila dzawo kene?
34 “Ndiani wakaziba nkumbulo wa She?
Ndiani wakabe nkumbuludzi wabo?
35 Kene ndiani wakatongoupa tjipo
kuti ekotjibuzigwa?”
36 Zwithu zose zwakabumbiwa ndiwo, zwithu zose zwiyapo ndiwo, kakale zwili zwawo. Ndzimu ngaukudziwe nge kusingapele kose! Ngakujalo.
God's Mercy on Israel
1 I ask, then: Did God reject his own people? Certainly not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning. You know what the scripture says in the passage where Elijah pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.” 4 What answer did God give him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not worshiped the false god Baal.” 5 It is the same way now: there is a small number left of those whom God has chosen because of his grace. 6 His choice is based on his grace, not on what they have done. For if God's choice were based on what people do, then his grace would not be real grace.
7 What then? The people of Israel did not find what they were looking for. It was only the small group that God chose who found it; the rest grew deaf to God's call. 8 As the scripture says, “God made their minds and hearts dull; to this very day they cannot see or hear.” 9 And David says,
“May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;
may they fall, may they be punished!
10 May their eyes be blinded so that they cannot see;
and make them bend under their troubles at all times.”
11 I ask, then: When the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? By no means! Because they sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous of them. 12 The sin of the Jews brought rich blessings to the world, and their spiritual poverty brought rich blessings to the Gentiles. Then, how much greater the blessings will be when the complete number of Jews is included!
The Salvation of the Gentiles
13 I am speaking now to you Gentiles: As long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I will take pride in my work. 14 Perhaps I can make the people of my own race jealous, and so be able to save some of them. 15 For when they were rejected, all other people were changed from God's enemies into his friends. What will it be, then, when they are accepted? It will be life for the dead!
16 If the first piece of bread is given to God, then the whole loaf is his also; and if the roots of a tree are offered to God, the branches are his also. 17 Some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been broken off, and a branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to it. You Gentiles are like that wild olive tree, and now you share the strong spiritual life of the Jews. 18 So then, you must not despise those who were broken off like branches. How can you be proud? You are just a branch; you don't support the roots—the roots support you.
19 But you will say, “Yes, but the branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid. 21 God did not spare the Jews, who are like natural branches; do you think he will spare you? 22 Here we see how kind and how severe God is. He is severe toward those who have fallen, but kind to you—if you continue in his kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off. 23 And if the Jews abandon their unbelief, they will be put back in the place where they were; for God is able to do that. 24 You Gentiles are like the branch of a wild olive tree that is broken off and then, contrary to nature, is joined to a cultivated olive tree. The Jews are like this cultivated tree; and it will be much easier for God to join these broken-off branches to their own tree again.
God's Mercy on All
25 There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God. 26 And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says,
“The Savior will come from Zion
and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob.
27 I will make this covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 Because they reject the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies for the sake of you Gentiles. But because of God's choice, they are his friends because of their ancestors. 29 For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. 30 As for you Gentiles, you disobeyed God in the past; but now you have received God's mercy because the Jews were disobedient. 31 In the same way, because of the mercy that you have received, the Jews now disobey God, in order that they also may now receive God's mercy. 32 For God has made all people prisoners of disobedience, so that he might show mercy to them all.
Praise to God
33 How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? 34 As the scripture says,
“Who knows the mind of the Lord?
Who is able to give him advice?
35 Who has ever given him anything,
so that he had to pay it back?”
36 For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen.