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.
Ŋen ŋ-Alganun yed̶əma
1 Lorldaiñ, ñagaijəba ṯa Alganun yerṯo ŋələŋe eged̶a ŋen gënəŋu gəməṯia ikərəŋ? Igalwaɽəṯia led̶a ildi lələŋeṯo ŋen ŋ-Alganun. 2 Wuji gəmənu gakasənu ebaŋgenga ŋenŋa ŋ-Alganun iliga ebaŋgen gəməṯo, orn ndə ebaŋgen gaiyo wuji gëbərnu ig-Alganun yebaŋgen. 3 Nṯia ndə wuji gəminu ed̶a gərto təŋ iliga ebaŋgen gəməṯo, gënəŋu gid̶i aŋënəjəni wuji gəɽo alaiñ. Orn eŋen ŋalganun ndə ebaŋgen gaiyo, gënəŋu nəŋəɽeṯe epia, nṯia ndə gəmənu təŋ gënəŋu gero gəɽia alaiñ.
4 Nṯia com, lorldaiñ, ñagafo ñagaɽiñənu eŋen ŋ-Alganun, ŋen ŋanṯa ñagafo egaŋəno y-Almasiya ṯa ñaməni ed̶aga gwomən na fəŋu Yesu Almasiya igi gətud̶inu eŋəɽaiñ ṯa ñaləŋe ləd̶ia ɽ-Rəmwa. 5 Ŋen ŋanṯa liga ləgəfr ləgəfr eŋen ŋaŋəno, d̶wonaṯa d̶eicia id̶i d̶eṯo ig-Alganun d̶afo d̶ëbəd̶ia ŋəmëɽria elaŋge laŋəno isëndr, na d̶id̶əndr aləgələŋar ləd̶ia ləŋen ŋəŋəɽaiñ. 6 Orn d̶əñid̶i ləgëbərnr eŋen ŋ-Alganun. Ləgaiyr eŋen iŋi ananoŋ ləgakasəndrau ṯa alid̶r ŋəmëɽria gerṯe eŋen ŋəram iŋi ŋəfo ŋəwërd̶ənu orn eŋen ŋəmaijən ŋ-Usila.
Ŋen ŋ-Alganun na ŋen ŋeicia
7 Ŋen ŋafəṯia, ləgabaṯrau? Alganun yaɽo ŋen ŋeicia? Ndo, kwai kwai! Orn gəbanṯa Alganun yero ṯa egero egələŋeṯa ṯa ŋen ŋeicia ŋaɽo wande. Gəbanṯa Alganun yero yebaṯa, “Ñerṯe ñagwonaṯa laŋge led̶a gwomən.” Ṯa egero egələŋeṯa d̶wonaṯa d̶eicia d̶aɽo wande. 8 Orn ŋen ŋeicia ŋatwod̶o eŋen iŋi ŋ-Alganun na ŋid̶əñi ywonaṯe ŋen pred̶ iŋi ŋeicia. Ndə Alganun yero, ŋen ŋeicia ŋaiyo. 9 Ananoŋ ndə egero egələŋeṯa ŋen ŋ-Alganun egafo egaməṯia, orn ndə ŋen ŋ-Alganun ŋeṯo ŋen ŋeicia ŋatwod̶o na egaiyo. 10 Nṯia ŋen ŋ-Alganun iŋi ŋëɽənu ṯa aŋəmame d̶əməṯia, ŋəməṯəñi ŋəɽaiñ. 11 Ŋen ŋeicia ŋatwod̶o eŋen ŋ-Alganun na ŋid̶əñi ŋad̶əna na nəŋəñəɽiñe ŋen ŋanṯa ŋen ŋ-Alganun.
12 Nṯia Alganun yënəŋu yatəɽe na ŋen iŋi yiɽwatiṯia led̶a ṯa alid̶i, ŋen ŋatəɽe na ŋad̶urwaṯo na ŋaŋəra. 13 Ŋen ŋafəṯia, ŋen iŋi ŋaɽo ŋen ŋəŋəra ŋəməṯəñi ŋəɽaiñ? Ndo, kwai kwai. Orn ŋen ŋeicia ŋid̶u ṯia, ṯa ŋen ŋeicia aŋələŋini ṯa ŋaɽo ŋen ŋeicia, ŋen ŋanṯa ŋen ŋeicia ŋaɽiñəñe ŋenŋa iŋi ŋəŋəra. Ŋen ŋeicia ŋid̶u ṯia ṯa ŋen aŋërrəŋaid̶əni eŋen ŋ-Alganun ṯa ŋen ŋeicia aŋəɽiñad̶aṯe d̶eicia d̶əlëɽəŋu.
Ŋen ŋəɽijan iŋi ŋəbwaiñəd̶ia enare nəled̶a
14 Nëndr ləgaləŋeṯr ṯa Alganun yënəŋu yusila, orn igënəñi egafo eŋen ŋaŋəno, na igilid̶ənu ṯa eɽeṯe ebai gəŋen ŋeicia. 15 Đeṯəm, egero egələŋeṯa ŋen iŋi igəbəd̶ia, ŋen ŋanṯa egaber igəbəd̶ia ŋen iŋi egwonaṯa ṯa igëbəd̶ia, orn igëbəd̶ia jaica jaica ŋen iŋi egəned̶o. 16 Ndə igəbəd̶ia jaica jaica ŋen iŋi egəber egwonaṯa ṯa igëbəd̶ia, igarreid̶ia ŋen ṯa Alganun yaŋəra. 17 Gerṯe igënəñi ñiŋgi igəbəd̶ia ŋen iŋi, orn fəŋen ŋeicia ŋəfəñiau iŋi ŋəbəd̶ia ṯia. 18 Ŋen ŋanṯa egaləŋeṯo ṯa wagero gənəŋ gəŋəra gəfəñau egaŋəno ilëɽəñi kwai kwai. Egwonaṯa igəbəd̶ia ŋen iŋi ŋəŋəra, orn egero ŋabəɽa ṯa igëbəd̶ia. 19 Đeṯəm, egaber igəbəd̶ia ŋen ŋəŋəra iŋi egwonaṯa ṯa igëbəd̶ia, orn igëbəd̶ia ŋen ŋeicia iŋi egəber egwonaṯa ṯa yid̶i. 20 Orn, ndə igəbəd̶ia ŋen iŋi egəber egwonaṯa ṯa igëbəd̶ia, gerṯe fiñi igënəñi ñiŋgi igəbəd̶ia ŋen iŋi təŋ kwai kwai, orn ŋen ŋeicia iŋi ŋafəñau ŋëbəd̶ia. 21 Nṯia igafid̶a alganun isi. Ndə egwonaṯa ṯa igëbəd̶ia ŋen ŋəŋəra ŋen ŋeicia ŋafəñe nano jaica jaica. 22 Egaŋəra nano igalganun yi-Rəmwa garno eŋəṯəɽa ŋəlëɽəñi, 23 orn igaseicia alganun ywomən isi yibəd̶ia ŋəmëɽria egaŋəno ilëɽəñi, na alganun isi yabwaiñəd̶ia Alganunya isi eŋəṯəɽa ŋəlëɽəñi. Na alganun isi yañid̶ia igëndənu eŋabəɽa ŋəŋen ŋeicia iŋi ŋëbəd̶ia ŋəmëɽria egaŋəno ilëɽəñi. 24 Egaɽo ed̶a gəd̶amənu gero gəŋəra nano kaiñ. Ǝsëgi gəɽwad̶aṯa gaiñebəria eŋen iŋi ŋəŋəɽaiñ iŋi ŋəfo egaŋəno ilëɽəñi? 25 Igaŋërṯu Rəmwa nano ṯa igëbərnu d̶əge Yesu Almasiyaga igi gəɽo Eləŋ igëndr!
Nṯia eŋəṯəɽa egaɽo ebai g-Alganun yi-Rəmwa, orn egaŋəno egaɽo ebai gəŋen ŋeicia.