Za Chikhulupiriro cha anthu Akale
1Tsopano chikhulupiriro ndi kusakayika konse pa zinthu zimene tikuziyembekeza, ndi kutsimikiza kuti zinthu zimene sitiziona zilipo ndithu. 2Ndi chikhulupiriro chimenechi makolo athu akale anayamikidwa.
3Ndi chikhulupiriro timazindikira kuti dziko lapansi ndi la mmwamba zinapangidwa ndi Mawu a Mulungu, ndikuti zinthu zoonekazi zinachokera ku zinthu zosaoneka. 4Ndi chikhulupiriro Abele anapereka kwa Mulungu nsembe yoposa imene Kaini anapereka. Ndi chikhulupiriro anatchedwa munthu wolungama Mulungu atayamikira zopereka zake. Ngakhale iye anafa, akuyankhulabe chifukwa cha chikhulupiriro chakecho.
5Ndi chikhulupiriro Enoki anatengedwa wamoyo, motero iye sanalawe imfa; sanapezeke chifukwa Mulungu anamutenga. Pakuti asanatengedwe anayamikiridwa kuti ankakondweretsa Mulungu. 6Ndipo popanda chikhulupiriro nʼkosatheka kukondweretsa Mulungu, chifukwa aliyense amene amabwera kwa Iye ayenera kukhulupirira kuti Mulungu alipodi ndi kuti Iye amapereka mphotho kwa amene akumufunitsitsa.
7Ndi chikhulupiriro, Nowa atachenjezedwa za zinthu zimene zinali zisanaoneke, anachita mantha napanga chombo kuti apulumutsire banja lake. Ndi chikhulupiriro chake anatsutsa dziko lapansi ndipo analandira chilungamo chimene chimabwera ndi chikhulupiriro.
8Ndi chikhulupiriro Abrahamu atayitanidwa kuti apite ku dziko limene anamulonjeza kuti lidzakhala lake, anamvera ndi kupita, ngakhale sanadziwe kumene ankapita. 9Ndi chikhulupiriro chomwecho anakhala ngati mlendo mʼdziko lija limene Mulungu anamulonjeza. Anakhala mʼmatenti monganso anachitira Isake ndi Yakobo, amene nawonso analonjezedwanso. 10Pakuti amadikira mudzi wokhala ndi maziko, umene mmisiri ndi womanga wake ndi Mulungu.
11Ndi chikhulupiriro Sara analandira mphamvu zokhala ndi pakati ngakhale kuti zaka zake zobala mwana zinali zitapita kale, popeza anamutenga amene analonjeza kukhala wokhulupirika. 12Nʼchifukwa chake mwa munthu mmodzi, amene anali ngati wakufa, munatuluka mibado yochuluka ngati nyenyezi ndi yosawerengeka ngati mchenga wa mʼmbali mwa nyanja.
13Onsewa anakhalabe mwachikhulupiriro mpaka anafa. Iwo sanalandire zimene Mulungu anawalonjeza; iwo anangozionera chapatali ndi kuzilandira. Ndipo iwo anavomereza kuti analidi alendo ndi osakhazikika pa dziko lapansi. 14Anthu amene amanena zinthu zotere amaonekeratu kuti akufuna dziko lawo lenileni. 15Akanakhala kuti akuganizira za dziko limene analisiya akanapeza mpata obwerera kwawo. 16Mʼmalo mwake, iwo amafunitsitsa dziko labwino, ndilo lakumwamba. Nʼchifukwa chake Mulungu sachita manyazi kutchedwa Mulungu wawo, pakuti Iye anawalonjeza mudzi.
17Ndi chikhulupiriro Abrahamu, Mulungu atamuyesa, anapereka Isake ngati nsembe. Ngakhale anali munthu woti Mulungu anamulonjeza, anakhala wokonzeka kupereka nsembe mwana wake mmodzi yekhayo. 18Za mwana ameneyu Mulungu anamuwuza iye kuti, “Zidzukulu zako zidzachokera mwa Isake.” 19Abrahamu amazindikira kuti Mulungu angathe kuukitsa akufa, ndipo tingathe kunena mofanizira kuti iye analandiranso Isake ngati wouka kwa akufa.
20Ndi chikhulupiriro Isake anadalitsa Yakobo ndi Esau pa zatsogolo lawo.
21Ndi chikhulupiriro, pamene Yakobo ankamwalira anadalitsa ana awiri a Yosefe, ndipo anapembedza Mulungu atatsamira ndodo yake.
22Ndi chikhulupiriro Yosefe ali pafupi kumwalira anayankhula za kutuluka kwa Aisraeli mu Igupto ndipo anawawuza zoti adzachite ndi mafupa ake.
23Ndi chikhulupiriro Mose atabadwa makolo ake anamubisa miyezi itatu, chifukwa iwo anaona kuti mwanayo anali wokongola ndipo sanaope konse lamulo la mfumu.
24Ndi chikhulupiriro Mose atakula, anakana kutchedwa mwana wa mwana wamkazi wa Farao. 25Iye anasankha kuzunzika nawo limodzi anthu a Mulungu kuposa kusangalala ndi zokondweretsa za uchimo kwa nthawi yochepa. 26Anaona kuti kuzunzika chifukwa cha Khristu kunali kwa mtengowapatali kuposa chuma cha ku Igupto, chifukwa amaona mphotho ya mʼtsogolo. 27Ndi chikhulupiriro anachoka ku Igupto wosaopa ukali wa mfumu. Iye anapirira chifukwa anamuona Mulungu amene ndi wosaonekayo. 28Ndi chikhulupiriro anachita Paska ndi kuwaza magazi, kuti mngelo wowononga ana oyamba kubadwa asaphe ana oyamba kubadwa a Aisraeli.
29Ndi chikhulupiriro Aisraeli anawoloka Nyanja Yofiira ngati pa mtunda powuma, koma Aigupto atayesa kutero anamizidwa.
30Ndi chikhulupiriro mpanda wa Yeriko unagwa, Aisraeli atawuzungulira kasanu ndi kawiri.
31Ndi chikhulupiriro Rahabe, mkazi wadama sanaphedwe pamodzi ndi osamvera aja chifukwa analandira bwino ozonda aja ku nyumba kwake.
32Kodi ndinenenso chiyani? Nthawi yandichepera yoti ndinene za Gideoni, Baraki, Samsoni, Yefita, Davide, Samueli ndi aneneri, 33amene ndi chikhulupiriro anagonjetsa mafumu, anakhazikitsa chilungamo ndi kulandira zimene zinalonjezedwa. Anatseka pakamwa pa mikango, 34anazimitsa moto waukali, ndipo anapulumuka osaphedwa ndi lupanga. Anali ofowoka koma analandira mphamvu; anasanduka amphamvu pa nkhondo, nathamangitsa magulu a ankhondo a adani awo. 35Amayi ena analandira anthu awo amene anafa, ataukitsidwanso. Enanso anazunzidwa ndipo anakana kumasulidwa, kuti adzaukenso ndi moyo wabwino. 36Ena anawaseka ndi kuwakwapula, pamenenso ena anamangidwa ndi kupita ku ndende. 37Anagendedwa miyala; anachekedwa pakati; ena anaphedwa ndi lupanga. Iwo anayendayenda atavala zikopa zankhosa ndi zikopa zambuzi, umphawi okhaokha, ozunzidwa ndi kuvutitsidwa. 38Dziko lapansi silinawayenere. Anayendayenda mʼzipululu ndi mapiri, ndiponso mʼmapanga ndi mʼmaenje.
39Onsewa anayamikidwa chifukwa cha chikhulupiriro chawo, komabe palibe wa iwo amene analandira zimene analonjezedwa. 40Mulungu anatikonzera ife kanthu koposa, kuti iwo asayesedwe angwiro popanda ife.
Faith in Action
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”11:5 Gen. 5:24 For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she11:11 Or By faith Abraham, even though he was too old to have children—and Sarah herself was not able to conceive—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”11:18 Gen. 21:12 19Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.11:31 Or unbelieving
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were put to death by stoning;11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
