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Obutabaamu kyekubiira

(A)Abooluganda, mmwe abakkiririza mu Mukama waffe Yesu Kristo, Mukama ow’ekitiibwa, temusosolanga mu bantu. Kubanga singa omuntu omu ajja mu kuŋŋaaniro lyammwe, ng’ayambadde engoye ez’omuwendo omunene, ng’anaanise n’empeta eza zaabu ku ngalo ze, mu kiseera kye kimu ne wajjawo n’omusajja omwavu ng’ali mu ngoye ezisensusesensuse, ne mwaniriza omugagga, ne mumugamba nti, “Tuulira wano kyokka ne mugamba omwavu nti ggwe oyinza okuyimirira wali, oba si ekyo tuula wano wansi w’akatebe kwe nteeka ebigere byange,” (B)kale muba temwesosoddeemu mwekka na mwekka nga mukyamizibwa ebirowoozo byammwe ebibi?

(C)Mumpulirize, abooluganda abaagalwa, Katonda teyalonda abo ensi b’eyita abaavu, okuba abagagga mu kukkiriza, era okuba abasika ab’obwakabaka obw’omu ggulu, Katonda bwe yasuubiza abo abamwagala? (D)Naye munyooma omwavu. Abagagga si be babanyigiriza ne babatwala ne mu mbuga z’amateeka? Era si be banyoomoola erinnya eddungi lye muyitibwa?

(E)Kiba kirungi nnyo era kya kitiibwa bwe mugondera etteeka eriri mu Kyawandiikibwa erigamba nti, “Yagalanga muliraanwa wo nga bwe weeyagala wekka.” (F)Naye bwe musosola mu bantu muba mukoze kibi, n’etteeka libasingisa omusango ng’aboonoonyi. 10 (G)Era omuntu akwata amateeka gonna, naye n’asobyako erimu, omusango gumusinga mu ngeri y’emu ng’oli asobezza amateeka gonna. 11 (H)Kubanga Katonda eyagamba nti, “Toyendanga,” era y’omu eyagamba nti, “Tottanga.” Noolwekyo singa toyenda, naye n’otta oba mumenyi wa mateeka gonna.

12 (I)Noolwekyo mwogere era mukole ng’amateeka ag’eddembe bwe gali naye nga mumanyi nti tunaatera okulamulwa. 13 (J)Kubanga abo abatalina kisa, nabo tebalikwatirwa kisa. Ekisa kiwangula omusango.

Okukkiriza n’ebikolwa ebirungi

14 (K)Abooluganda, kibagasa ki okugamba nti mulina okukkiriza kyokka ng’okukkiriza kwammwe temukwoleka mu bikolwa? Mulowooza ng’okukkiriza ng’okwo kugenda kubalokola? 15 (L)Singa muganda wo oba mwannyoko takyalina kyakwambala wadde ekyokulya, 16 (M)naye omu ku mmwe n’amugamba nti, “Genda mirembe, obugume, era olye bulungi”, naye nga tamuwaddeeyo byetaago bya mubiri, olwo kimugasa ki? 17 Noolwekyo n’okukkiriza bwe kutyo; bwe kutabaako bikolwa kuba kufu.

18 (N)Naye omuntu ayinza okugamba nti, “Ggwe olina okukkiriza nange nnina ebikolwa; ndaga okukkiriza kwo okutaliiko bikolwa, nange nkulage ebikolwa byange nga bwe bikakasa okukkiriza kwange.” 19 (O)Okukkiriza obukkiriza nti waliwo Katonda omu yekka, kirungi. Naye ne baddayimooni nabo bakkiriza n’okukankana ne bakankana!

20 (P)Musirusiru ggwe! Oliyiga ddi ng’okukkiriza okutaliiko bikolwa tekuliiko kye kugasa? 21 (Q)Jjajjaffe Ibulayimu teyaweebwa obutuukirivu olw’ekikolwa kye yakola, bwe yawaayo omwana we lsaaka, afiire ku kyoto? 22 (R)Mulaba nga Ibulayimu bwe yalina okukkiriza, era okukkiriza kwe ne kutuukirizibwa olw’ebikolwa bye, 23 (S)n’ekyawandiikibwa ne kituukirizibwa ekigamba nti, “Ibulayimu yakkiriza Katonda, ne kimubalirwa okuba obutuukirivu, era n’ayitibwa mukwano gwa Katonda.” 24 Kaakano mutegedde ng’omuntu asiimibwa Katonda olw’ebyo by’akola, so si lwa kukkiriza kyokka.

25 (T)Ekyokulabirako ekirala kye kya Lakabu, eyali malaaya. Teyaweebwa butuukirivu lwa kikolwa eky’okusembeza ababaka, n’oluvannyuma n’abasiibulira mu kkubo eddala nga baddayo, okubawonya? 26 (U)Ng’omubiri bwe guba omufu omwoyo bwe gutagubeeramu, n’okukkiriza bwe kutyo kuba kufu bwe kuteeyolekera mu bikolwa.

The Sin of Favouritism

My brothers and sisters, do not show favouritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, if you look with favour on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Sit here in a good place,’ and yet you say to the poor person, ‘Stand over there,’ or ‘Sit here on the floor by my footstool,’ haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and heirs(D) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? Yet you have dishonoured the poor.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?(G)

Indeed, if you fulfil the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbour as yourself,[a](H) you are doing well. If, however, you show favouritism,(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(J) 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.[c](K) So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.

12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.(L) 13 For judgement is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.(M) Mercy triumphs over judgement.

Faith and Works

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?(N) 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’[d] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.(O) 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe – and they shudder.(P)

20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,(Q) 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[e](R) and he was called God’s friend.(S) 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?(T) 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Footnotes

  1. 2:8 Lv 19:18
  2. 2:11 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
  3. 2:11 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
  4. 2:18 The quotation may end here or after v. 18b or v. 19.
  5. 2:23 Gn 15:6