An Illustration from Marriage
1 Certainly you will understand what I am about to say, my friends, because all of you know about law. The law rules over people only as long as they live. 2 A married woman, for example, is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if he dies, then she is free from the law that bound her to him. 3 So then, if she lives with another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is legally a free woman and does not commit adultery if she marries another man. 4 That is how it is with you, my friends. As far as the Law is concerned, you also have died because you are part of the body of Christ; and now you belong to him who was raised from death in order that we might be useful in the service of God. 5 For when we lived according to our human nature, the sinful desires stirred up by the Law were at work in our bodies, and all we did ended in death. 6 Now, however, we are free from the Law, because we died to that which once held us prisoners. No longer do we serve in the old way of a written law, but in the new way of the Spirit.
Law and Sin
7 Shall we say, then, that the Law itself is sinful? Of course not! But it was the Law that made me know what sin is. If the Law had not said, “Do not desire what belongs to someone else,” I would not have known such a desire. 8 But by means of that commandment sin found its chance to stir up all kinds of selfish desires in me. Apart from law, sin is a dead thing. 9 I myself was once alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life, 10 and I died. And the commandment which was meant to bring life, in my case brought death. 11 Sin found its chance, and by means of the commandment it deceived me and killed me.
12 So then, the Law itself is holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good. 13 But does this mean that what is good caused my death? By no means! It was sin that did it; by using what is good, sin brought death to me, in order that its true nature as sin might be revealed. And so, by means of the commandment sin is shown to be even more terribly sinful.
The Conflict in Us
14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate. 16 Since what I do is what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right. 17 So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me. 18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it. 19 I don't do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do. 20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law is at work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I have. 22 My inner being delights in the law of God. 23 But I see a different law at work in my body—a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body. 24 What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ!
This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.
S̱uura gwina gwo gi agiye
1 Nyaŋa lati liliŋidhi, limega lai, (ŋinena nyi gwabiŋaijo ŋediŋaije lina liliŋidhi naamuus,) darnu naamuus gwiro kweleny gwa kwiji ŋwamun ŋwina ŋwimidhuŋwŋwai na? 2 Ŋinena kwa gwina gwuthi kwoma gwigukinu naamuus gwai di kwoma gwuŋun ŋwamun ŋwina ŋwimidhuŋwŋwai; abi ada kwoma gwimai, ŋeda gwimagududhini galo gi naamuus gwa kwoma gwuŋun. 3 A minoŋ ada ŋwamun ŋwina ŋwimidhuŋwŋwai kwoma gwuŋun, ada gwimela di kwoma gwiter, gwaro gwidhir; abi ada kwoma gwuŋun gwimai, ŋeda gwimagududhini galo gi naamuus ibigwe; a minoŋ ŋeda gwati gwiro gwidhir no, ada gwimela di kwoma gwiter. 4 A minoŋ, limaguri lai, nyaŋa ko limai gi naamuus aŋinu yai ya al Masiiẖ; danyaro ladhagini gi kwiji gwiter, gwina gwiro ŋeda gwina gwimadirini dai, dilapa fruuta gwan Kalo. 5 Ŋinena ŋwamun ŋwina ŋwijanaŋwai kaŋinu, ŋidi ŋina ŋathamira aŋina ŋina ŋike, ŋina ŋijo gi naamuus ganu, ŋapo ŋiro gi agsaam gwega dilapa fruuta gwadhai. 6 Abi ŋinena alŋa limagududhini galo gi naamuus, ŋinena malai gi ŋidi ŋina ŋimuthije kwereny; dilro jine gi dhuŋun dhina dhiyaŋ dha Dhigirim, a gwati gi dhuŋun dhina dhurun dhina dhulinu no.
Naamuus a ŋidi ŋina ŋike
7 Abi alŋa larakwai? Naamuus gwiro ŋidi ŋina ŋike a? Oo. Abi nyi gwati gwiliŋidhi ŋida ŋina ŋike no, abi naamuus gwai; ŋinena athiny liŋidhi amiraŋw gwa ŋidi ŋina ŋike, ada naamuus gwati gwabiŋu darnu, Athaŋa ŋidi amirudhi ŋa liji liter no. 8 Abi ŋidi ŋina ŋike, dina bujilo lamun lina liŋir amr gwai darnu apo ŋiro diginy amira gwai gwitigwiter gwa ŋidi ŋina ŋike. Ŋinena ada naamuus gwati gwimaje no, a ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋimai. 9 Abi nyi gwijo di midhe gwiny, gwati gwuthi naamuus kwereny no; abi dina ma amr ila, a ŋidi ŋina ŋike midhe, nyibai nyi. 10 A amr gwina gwigitinu dapa midhuŋw, nyibuje dapa aiuŋw. 11 Ŋinena ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋapo lamun lina liŋir amr gwai diny ukinejini ganu, a amr gwai ibigwa nyirinya. 12 A minoŋ naamuus gwiŋir didirel, a amr gwiŋir didirel, a gwidhunu galo, a gwiŋir. 13 Gwina gwiŋir gwimaro gwina gwimapa aiuŋw diginy a? Oo. Abi ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋiro dilaŋiye ŋida ŋina ŋike dina apilo aiuŋw diginy ŋidi ŋai ŋina ŋiŋir; di ŋidi ŋina ŋike ro ŋina ŋikanu gwuleny amr gwai.
Dhuŋun dhina dhuthi kwiji dhina dhiro ganu ram
14 Ŋinena liŋidhana darnu naamuus gwiro dhigirim; abi nyi gwiro gwa aŋinu, gwina gwilinu gwan ŋidi ŋina ŋike. 15 Ŋinena ŋidi ŋina ŋathinyilapai ŋati ŋiliŋidhinyilo no; ŋinena ŋidi ŋina ŋathinyil bupe dinyil apai, athinyil apo no; abi ŋina ŋathinyil doinya, ibiŋe ŋiro ŋina ŋathinyil apai. 16 Abi ada nyi gwimathapai ŋida ŋina ŋati ŋathinyil bupe dinyil apai no, a nyi gwuminyu naamuus darnu gwiŋir. 17 A ŋinena nyi gwati gwiro gwina gwathapai ŋida ibiŋe manaŋ no, abi ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋiro ŋina ŋathije diginy. 18 Nyi gwiliŋidhi darnu ŋidi ŋate ŋina ŋathije diginy ganu, i gi aŋinu ganu iny, ŋina ŋiŋir no; ŋinena athinyi uminyi ŋida ŋina ŋiŋir; athinyibuthi ŋoma dinyilapai no. 19 Ŋinena athathiny apo ŋida ŋina ŋiŋir ŋina ŋathinyil bupe dinyilapai no; abi ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋina ŋati ŋathinyil bupe dinyil apai no, athinyil apai. 20 Ada nyi gwimapai ŋida ŋina ŋati ŋathinyil bupe dinyil apai no, nyi gwati gwiro gwina gwathil apai manaŋ no, abi ŋidi ŋiro ŋina ŋike ŋina ŋathije diginy ganu. 21 A minoŋ nyi gwimabuje naamuus darnu, maji minyi uminyi dinyapai ŋida ŋina ŋiŋir, a ŋidi ŋina ŋike je diginy. 22 Ŋinena nyi gwiŋir dhugore gi naamuus gwa Kalo gi dhuŋun dha kwiji gwina gwo gi dhugor ganu dhiny. 23 Abi nyi gwaŋudhi naamuus gwiter gi agsaam gwiny, dilapai ŋoŋora naamuus gwai gwa ŋadigireny ŋiny, dinyi odhadha dinyiro gine ga naamuus gwa ŋidi ŋina ŋike gwina gwijo kwereny gi agsaam gwiny. 24 Nyi gwiro kwoma gwina gwiro gine gi dhugor ganu dhiny. Ei gwuthi ŋoma dinyubire kaŋinu ya ai ibigwa? 25 Nyi gwaici Kaloŋa shukran Yasuuⓐ al Masiiẖ gwai gwina gwiro Kweleny gwega. A minoŋ nyi gwidom gwai gwiny a ŋadigireny ŋai ŋiny gwupijo naamuus gwa Kalo ŋiro; abi aŋinu yai nyi gwupijo naamuus gwa ŋidi ŋina ŋike ŋiro.