1 K ahore ano koutou kia matau, e oku teina, e korero ana hoki ahau ki te hunga matau ki te ture, hei rangatira te ture mo te tangata i te wa e ora ai ia?

Christian brothers, I am sure you understand what I am going to say. You know all about the Law. The Law has power over a man as long as he lives.

2 K o te wahine whai tane hoki, e mau ana ano ia i te ture ki te tane i a ia e ora ana; ki te mate ia te tane, kua mawheto ia i te ture a te tane.

A married woman is joined by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if he dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him.

3 N a, ki te riro ia i te tangata ke i tana tane e ora ana ano, ka kiia ia he wahine puremu: tena ka mate te tane, e atea ana a i te ture, ka kore ia e puremu ahakoa riro i te tangata ke.

If she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is sinning by not being faithful in marriage. If her husband dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him. After that she can marry someone else. She does not sin if she marries another man.

4 H eoi ko koutou ano hoki, e oku teina, kua meinga kia tupapaku ki te ture, na te tinana o te Karaiti; kia riro ai koutou i tetahi atu, ara i tera i whakaarahia i te hunga mate, kia whai hua ai tatou ki te Atua.

My Christian brothers, that is the way it is with you. You were under the power of the Law. But now you are dead to it because you are joined to another. You are joined to Christ Who was raised from the dead. This is so we may be what God wants us to be. Our lives are to give fruit for Him.

5 I a tatou hoki i te kikokiko, e mahi ana nga hihiritanga o nga hara, e whakaohokia nei e te ture, i roto i o tatou wahi, a hua ake ko te mate.

When we lived to please our bodies, those sinful desires were pulling at us all the time. We always wanted to do what the Law said not to do. Living that kind of life brings death,

6 K o tenei kua mawheto mai tatou i te ture, kua mate hoki tatou ki te mea i puritia ai tatou; no reira e mahi ana tatou i runga i te houtanga o te wairua, kahore i runga i te tawhitotanga o te kupu tuhituhi.

but now we are free from the Law. We are dead to sin that once held us in its power. No longer do we follow the Law which is the old way. We now follow the new way, the way of the Spirit.

7 K ia pehea ra he kupu ma tatou? He hara ranei te ture? Kahore rapea. Engari kihai ahau i matau ki te hara, me i kaua te ture: kahore hoki ahau i mohio ki te hiahia apo, me i kaua te ture te mea mai, Aua koe e hiahia apo.

Then what are we saying? Is the Law sinful? No, not at all! But it was the Law that showed me what sin is. I did not know it was sin to follow wrong desires, but the Law said, “You must not follow wrong desires.”

8 N a, ka mau te hara ki tenei, a ka mahi i nga hiahia apo katoa i roto i ahau, he mea na te ture. Ki te kore hoki te ture ka mate te hara.

The Law made me know how much I was sinning. It showed me how I had a desire for all kinds of things. For without the Law, sin is dead.

9 I ora hoki ahau i mua i te korenga o te ture: no te taenga mai ia o te kupu whakahau, ka ora ake te hara, a mate iho ahau.

I was once alive. That was when I did not know what the Law said I had to do. Then I found that I had broken the Law. I knew I was a sinner. Death was mine because of the Law.

10 N a, ko te kupu whakahau i meinga ra hei ora, kitea ketia ana tenei hei mate moku.

The Law was supposed to give me new life. Instead, it gave me death.

11 K a mau te hara ki tenei, ka whakawai hoki i ahau i runga i te kupu whakahau, nana ahau i mate ai.

Sin found a way to trap me by working through the Law. Then sin killed me by using the Law.

12 A e ra, he tapu te ture, me te kupu whakahau ano he tapu, he tika, he pai.

The Law is holy. Each one of the Laws is holy and right and good.

13 I riro koia te mea pai hei mate moku? Kahore rapea. Engari na te hara i mea te mea pai hei mate moku, kia whakakitea ai he hara te hara; na ka ai te kupu whakahau hei mea kia tino nui noa atu.

Then does it mean that the Law, which is good, brought death to me? No, not at all! It was sin that did it. Sin brought death to me by the Law that is good. In that way, sin was shown to be what it is. So because of the Law, sin becomes much more sinful.

14 E matau ana hoki tatou no te wairua te ture: ko ahau ia no te kikokiko, kua hokona hei parau ma te hara.

We know that the Law is right and good, but I am a person who does what is wrong and bad. I am not my own boss. Sin is my boss.

15 K o taku hoki e mahi nei kahore e mohiotia iho e ahau: kahore hoki e mahia e ahau taku i pai ai; heoi ko taku i kino ai, meatia ana tenei e ahau.

I do not understand myself. I want to do what is right but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.

16 K i te mahia ia e ahau taua mea kihai nei ahau i pai atu, e whakaae ana ahau ki te ture he pai.

When I do the thing I do not want to do, it shows me that the Law is right and good.

17 K o tenei ehara i ahau i mahi, engari na te hara e noho nei i roto i ahau.

So I am not doing it. Sin living in me is doing it.

18 E matau ana hoki ahau, kahore he mea pai e noho ana i roto i ahau, ara i roto i toku kikokiko: ko te hiahia hoki kei ahau, ko te mea ia i te pai kahore i ahau.

I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do good but I do not.

19 K o te pai hoki e hiahiatia ana e ahau, kahore e mahia e ahau: engari te kino kihai nei ahau i pai, mahia ana tenei e ahau.

I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I am always doing the sinful things I do not want to do.

20 K i te mahia ia e ahau taua mea pu kihai nei ahau i pai atu, ehara i ahau nana taua mea i mahi, engari na te hara e noho nei i roto i ahau.

If I am always doing the very thing I do not want to do, it means I am no longer the one who does it. It is sin that lives in me.

21 N a, kua kitea e ahau te ture, ara kei te tata tonu te kino ki ahau e hiahia nei kia mea i te pai.

This has become my way of life: When I want to do what is right, I always do what is wrong.

22 E ahuareka ana hoki ahau ki te ture a te Atua, ara to roto tangata:

My mind and heart agree with the Law of God.

23 O tira kua kitea e ahau tetahi atu ture i roto i oku wahi, e whawhai ana ki te ture a toku hinengaro, e mea ana i ahau hei taurekareka ma te ture a te hara, ma tenei i roto nei i oku wahi.

But there is a different law at work deep inside of me that fights with my mind. This law of sin holds me in its power because sin is still in me.

24 A ue, te mate i ahau! ma wai ahau e whakaora i te tinana o tenei mate?

There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self?

25 M a te Atua! E whakawhetai tonu ana ahau ki a ia i runga i a Ihu Karaiti, i to tatou Ariki. Na, e mahi ana ahau ano nei, ara, toku hinengaro, ki te ture a te Atua, ko toku kikokiko ia ki te ture a te hara.

God’s Law has power over my mind, but sin still has power over my sinful old self. I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!