EFE. 2
Kutoka Mauti hadi Uhai
1 tNanyi mlikuwa wafu kwa sababu ya makosa na dhambi zenu; 2 tambazo mliziendea zamani kwa kuifuata kawaida ya ulimwengu huu, na kwa kumfuata mfalme wa uwezo wa anga, roho yule atendaye kazi sasa katika wana wa kuasi; 3 tambao zamani, sisi sote nasi tulienenda kati yao, katika tamaa za miili yetu, tulipoyatimiza mapenzi ya mwili na ya nia, tukawa kwa tabia yetu watoto wa hasira kama na hao wengine. 4 Lakini Mungu, kwa kuwa ni mwingi wa rehema, kwa mapenzi yake makuu aliyotupenda; 5 thata wakati ule tulipokuwa wafu kwa sababu ya makosa yetu; alituhuisha pamoja na Kristo; yaani, tumeokolewa kwa neema. 6 tAkatufufua pamoja naye, akatuketisha pamoja naye katika ulimwengu wa roho, katika Kristo Yesu; 7 tili katika zamani zinazokuja audhihirishe wingi wa neema yake upitao kiasi kwa wema wake kwetu sisi katika Kristo Yesu. 8 tKwa maana mmeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani; ambayo hiyo haikutokana na nafsi zenu, ni kipawa cha Mungu; 9 twala si kwa matendo, mtu awaye yote asije akajisifu.
10 tMaana tu kazi yake, tuliumbwa katika Kristo Yesu, tutende matendo mema, ambayo tokea awali Mungu aliyatengeneza ili tuenende nayo.Umoja katika Kristo
11 tKwa ajili ya hayo kumbukeni ya kwamba zamani ninyi, mlio watu wa Mataifa kwa jinsi ya mwili, mnaoitwa Wasiotahiriwa na wale wanaoitwa Waliotahiriwa, yaani, tohara ya mwilini iliyofanyika kwa mikono; 12 tkwamba zamani zile mlikuwa hamna Kristo, mmefarakana na jamii ya Israeli, wageni wasio wa maagano ya ahadi ile. Mlikuwa hamna tumaini, hamna Mungu duniani. 13 tLakini sasa, katika Kristo Yesu, ninyi mliokuwa mbali hapo kwanza mmekuwa karibu kwa damu yake Kristo. 14 tKwa maana yeye ndiye amani yetu, aliyetufanya sisi sote tuliokuwa wawili kuwa mmoja; akakibomoa kiambaza cha kati kilichotutenga. 15 tNaye akiisha kuuondoa ule uadui kwa mwili wake; ndiyo sheria ya amri zilizo katika maagizo; ili afanye hao wawili kuwa mtu mpya mmoja ndani ya nafsi yake; akafanya amani. 16 tAkawapatanisha wote wawili na Mungu katika mwili mmoja, kwa njia ya msalaba, akiisha kuufisha ule uadui kwa huo msalaba. 17 tAkaja akahubiri amani kwenu ninyi mliokuwa mbali, na amani kwao wale waliokuwa karibu. 18 tKwa maana kwa yeye sisi sote tumepata njia ya kumkaribia Baba katika Roho mmoja. 19 tBasi tangu sasa ninyi si wageni wala wapitaji, bali ninyi ni wenyeji pamoja na watakatifu, watu wa nyumbani mwake Mungu. 20 tMmejengwa juu ya msingi wa mitume na manabii, naye Kristo Yesu mwenyewe ni jiwe kuu la pembeni. 21 tKatika yeye jengo lote linaungamanishwa vema na kukua hata liwe hekalu takatifu katika Bwana. 22 tKatika yeye ninyi nanyi mnajengwa pamoja kuwa maskani ya Mungu katika Roho.
EPHESIANS 2
From Death to Life
1 t In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God.
3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.
4-5 But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you. 6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.t This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.
10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.United by Christ
11 Don't forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called “uncircumcised” by those who take pride in being circumcised. 12 At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God,
13 and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.
14 Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body 15 t to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. 16 t On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peacet between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body. 17 t Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God.
18 And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.
19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God. 20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone. 21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord. 22 And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God's own Spirit to live.