The True Righteousness
1 In conclusion, my friends, be joyful in your union with the Lord. I don't mind repeating what I have written before, and you will be safer if I do so. 2 Watch out for those who do evil things, those dogs, those who insist on cutting the body. 3 It is we, not they, who have received the true circumcision, for we worship God by means of his Spirit and rejoice in our life in union with Christ Jesus. We do not put any trust in external ceremonies. 4 I could, of course, put my trust in such things. If any of you think you can trust in external ceremonies, I have even more reason to feel that way. 5 I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee, 6 and I was so zealous that I persecuted the church. As far as a person can be righteous by obeying the commands of the Law, I was without fault. 7 But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. 8 Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith. 10 All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, 11 in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.
Running toward the Goal
12 I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. 13 Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. 14 So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
15 All of us who are spiritually mature should have this same attitude. But if some of you have a different attitude, God will make this clear to you. 16 However that may be, let us go forward according to the same rules we have followed until now.
17 Keep on imitating me, my friends. Pay attention to those who follow the right example that we have set for you. 18 I have told you this many times before, and now I repeat it with tears: there are many whose lives make them enemies of Christ's death on the cross. 19 They are going to end up in hell, because their god is their bodily desires. They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of things that belong to this world. 20 We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. 21 He will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.
Kristus Oye aeke emona lashili
1 Ndele natango, ovamwatate, hafeni mOmwene! Oku mu shangululila oinima ei itaku lolola nge, ndelenee kunye epameko.
2 Lungameni eembwa odo, lungameni ovalongi ovo vai, lungameni ovo va pitifwa nai etanda. 3 Osheshi ovapiti vetanda vashili ofye ava hatu longele Kalunga mOmhepo yaKalunga nohatu litangele Kristus Jesus, fye itatu lineekele ombelela, 4 nande ame ndi na sha shokulineekelwa yo pambelela. Ngeenge pe na ou e shii, oye e na sha shokulineekela ombelela, ame ondi mu dule. 5 Ame ou nda pitifwa etanda mefiku etihetatu, aame womoludi laIsrael, womapata aBenjamin, Omuheberi womOvaheberi, pamhango Omufarisai, 6 pauladi ndimuhepeki weongalo, pauyuki womhango aame omuhenashipo. 7 Ndelenee ei ya li eliko lange, onde i tala oyo oshiponga omolwaKristus. 8 Heeno oshili, oinima aishe, eshi nde i shaameka nokushiiva Kristus Jesus Omwene wange, handi i tale oyo oshiponga, osheshi omolwaye nda kanifa aishe nohandi i dini oyo oimbodi yongaho, ndi likole Kristus, 9 ndele ndi monike ndi li muye, ndihe nouyuki wange mwene womomhango, ndelenee oyou womeitavelo laKristus, ouyuki tuu ou hau di muKalunga molweitavelo; 10 nondi mu shiive, neenghono denyumuko laye nokukala pamwe naye momauyehame aye ndi mu fe mokufya kwa fa kwaye, 11 ame ndi fike ko kenyumuko lokovafi.
Elalakaneno lOmukriste
12 Hakutya nde shi hanga ngeno ile nda wana nda pwa, ndelenee ohandi shi lotokele, ndi shi kwate, ngaashi ame nda kwatwa kuKristus Jesus. 13 Ovamwatate, ame itandi litale nokutya, nde shi hanga, ndelenee handi shi ningi: ohandi dimbwa ei yokonima nohandi lalakanene ei yokomesho, 14 ohandi lotokele kefikilo, okondjabi yefindano Kalunga e i ifanena nge neifano lopombada muKristus Jesus.
15 Hano ofyeni atusheni ava twa wana, tu diladileni ngaha, nongeenge mu nomadiladilo amwe moshinima shonhumba, naasho otamu ke shi hololelwa kuKalunga. 16 Ndelenee keshe apa twa fikeni, natu endeni mondjila imwe nokukala mediladilo limwe.
17 Ovamwatate, ningeni ovahopaeleli vange, nye mu tale ava hava ende pashihopaelelwa eshi mwa kufa mufye. 18 Osheshi vahapu, ngaashi nde ve mu lombwela luhapu nohandi mu lombwele vali, ndi nomahodi, ohava ende ovatondi vomushiyakano waKristus. 19 Exulilo lavo olo ekano, nedimo lavo olo kalunga kavo, nefimano lavo ohoni yavo, nohava diladila ei yopadu. 20 Ndelenee oukwashilongo wetu otu u kwete meulu, omo hatu teelele Omwene Jesus Kristus Omuxupifi, 21 ou ta ka shitulula omalutu etu aa a xutuka, a fe olutu laye loshinge, okeenghono daye tadi dulikifa aishe kuye.
