UAbrahama walungisiswa ngokukholwa
1Ngakho-ke siyakuthi uzuzeni uAbrahama ukhokho wethu ngokwenyama na?
2Ngokuba uma uAbrahama walungisiswa ngemisebenzi, unakho ukuzibonga; kodwa phambi kukaNkulunkulu qha.
3Ngokuba umbhalo uthini na? Uthi: Kepha uAbrahama wakholwa nguNkulunkulu, kwambalelwa ukuthi kungukulunga.
4Kepha kosebenzayo umvuzo awubalelwa ngokomusa kodwa ngokwemfanelo;
5kepha kongasebenziyo, kodwa ekholwa nguye olungisisa ongamesabi uNkulunkulu, ukukholwa kwakhe kubalelwa yena ukuthi kungukulunga,
6njengalokhu noDavide esho ngokubusiswa komuntu uNkulunkulu ambalela ukulunga ngaphandle kwemisebenzi, ethi:
7Babusisiwe abathethelelwe izeqo zabo,
nabazono zabo zisitshekelwe;
8ubusisiwe umuntu
iNkosi engayikumbalela isono.
UAbrahama wamukeliswa isithembiso ngokukholwa
9Ngakho-ke lokhukubusiswa kuqondene nabasokile noma nabangasokile na? Ngokuba sithi: Ukukholwa kwabalelwa uAbrahama ukuthi kungukulunga.
10Pho, kwabalelwa kanjani na? Esesokile yini noma engakasoki na? Akubanga esesokile, kodwa engakasoki.
11Wasamukela isibonakaliso sokusoka, sibe-luphawu lokulunga kokukholwa ayenakho engakasoki, ukuba abe-nguyise wabo bonke abakholwayo bengasokile, ukuze ukulunga kubalelwe kubona,
12futhi abe-nguyise wabasokileyo, kungabi-ngowabasokileyo kuphela, kepha nowabo abahamba emkhondweni wokukholwa ubaba uAbrahama ayenakho engakasoki.
13Ngokuba isithembiso sokuthi uyakuba-yindlalifa yezwe asinikwanga uAbrahama nenzalo yakhe ngawo umthetho kodwa ngokulunga kokukholwa.
14Ngokuba uma izindlalifa ziyizo ngawo umthetho, ukukholwa kwenziwe ize, nesithembiso asiselutho;
15ngokuba umthetho ubanga intukuthelo, kepha lapho kungekho khona umthetho, akukho nakweqa.
16Ngalokho kuya ngokukholwa ukuba kube-ngokomusa, ukuze isithembiso siqiniseke enzalweni yonke, kungabi-kweyomthetho yodwa kodwa nakuleyo engeyokukholwa kuka-Abrahama ongubaba wethu sonke,
17njengokulotshiweyo ukuthi: Ngikumisile ube-nguyise wezizwe eziningi phambi kwalowoNkulunkulu akholwa nguye, yena ophilisa abafileyo nobiza okungekho ngokungathi kukhona,
18owathi kungekho-themba wakholwa ngethemba, ukuze abe-nguyise wezizwe eziningi, njengalokho okwashiwo ukuthi: Yoba-njalo inzalo yakho;
19engabanga-buthakathaka ekukholweni wabona umzimba wakhe obusufa, eneminyaka engaba-ngeyikhulu, nesizalo sikaSara sifile;
20akangabazanga ngesithembiso sikaNkulunkulu ngokungakholwa, kodwa waqina ekukholweni, enika uNkulunkulu udumo,
21eqinisekile ukuthi lokho akwethembisile unamandla nokukwenza.
22Ngalokho-ke kwabalelwa yena ukuthi kungukulunga.
23Kepha akulotshwanga ngenxa yakhe yedwa ukuthi kwabalelwa yena,
24kodwa nangenxa yethu esiyakubalelwa khona, thina esikholwa nguye owavusa uJesu iNkosi yethu kwabafileyo,
25owanikelwa ngenxa yeziphambeko zethu, wavuswa ngenxa yokulungisiswa kwethu.
