Rights and Duties of an Apostle
1 Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? 2 Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.
3 When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself: 4 Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work? 5 Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips? 6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living? 7 What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?
8 I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing. 9 We read in the Law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Now, is God concerned about oxen? 10 Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop. 11 We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right?
But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. 13 Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices. 14 In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.
15 But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words! 16 I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel! 17 If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task. 18 What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.
19 I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible. 20 While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. 21 In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. 22 Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
23 All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings. 24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
Fanilo ne mishingo ye ntumwa wa Jesu
1 Apa andizosununguka kene? Apa ate ndili ntumwa wa Jesu kene? Andizobona Jesu She wedu kene? Apa ate muli mbhayilo we nshingo wangu muna She kene? 2 Ha kuli kuti ku bamwe andite ndili ntumwa wa Jesu, iko ndi iye kumuli, ngobe imwi ndimwi lutjwayo gwe kuti ndi ntumwa wa She.
3 Ndowozwidabilila muna ibabo banowondibhuzwa nditi; 4 Apa atina fanilo kupiwa zojiwa ne zwinong'wiwa kene? 5 Apa atina fanilo dze kuyenda ne nkadzi wakalobogwa we Nkirisiti mu njendo se bamwe batumwa ne banung'una ba She na Pita kene? 6 Kene ndimi na Bhanabhasi koga basina fanilo dze kuletjedza kushingila kuzwitjidza kene? 7 Ndiupi unoshinga nshingo we bubhayani, ngono ezwilipa kene? Ndiani unoti alima nzhambi mu nnda kasije ntjelo wawo kene? Ndiupi unothuwa zwithuwo kasing'we nkaka wazo kene?
8 Apa ndoleba ikoku nge ndaulo ye bathu kene? Nlayo autoleba itjo zwatjo kene? 9 Ngobe kwakakwagwa mu nlayo wa Mushe kuyi, “Usisunge nlomo ng'ombe inoshokola mathunde.” Apa Ndzimu ipapa unoleba ngekwe ng'ombe kene? 10 Apa autoleba nge kwedu kene? Kwakakwaligwa iswi, ngobe ha nlimi elima ne nshokoli ha eshokola, bakafanila thama ikoku nge kugalabgwe kose kuti banowobe ne gobe muna tjavung'wa. 11 Ha tadzwala mbewu ye tjimeya mu muli, apa akuzofanila kuti tiwane zwe tjinyama zwatinotjila ndizo mu muli kene? 12 Ha bamwe bana fanilo iyeyi ye kutjidziwa mu muli, apa iswi atizofanila kube ne hwulu kupinda yabo kene?
Koga atizoishingisa fanilo iyeyi, kakale todzikitadzila tjimwe ne tjimwe pana kuti tidzinganyidze ndebo mbuya ngekwa Kirisiti. 13 Apa amutoziba kuti ibabo banoshinga mu ng'umba ye Ndzimu, banowana zojiwa zwabo mu ng'umba ye Ndzimu kene, na ibabo banopila zwibhayilo mu tjibeso bana gobe mu tjibhayilo kene? 14 Nge kunofanana, She bakalaula kuti ibabo banosumikila ndebo mbuya bawane tjabanotjila nditjo nge ndebo mbuya.
15 Nenguba kwakajalo andizotongo shingisa imwe ye fanilo idzedzi, kakale anditokwala ikoku kuti mutjitangisa kundipa. Bukulu ndingafa pana kuti ndiletje mmwe anditolele tjandinozwikudza nditjo. 16 Ha ndisumikila ndebo mbuya andingazwikudze, ngoti ndakafanila kuisumikila. Yee mme wee ndapalala, ha ndisingasumikile ndebo mbuya. 17 Ha ndithama ikoku ngoda kwangu, ndingalingilila mbhayilo. Ha ndisingathame ngoda kwangu, koga ndokuthama uli nshingo wandakapiwa, 18 ngono mbhayilo wangu ini? Ndiwoyu: ndosumikila ndebo mbuya kuzhe kwe ndipo, ndisingashingise fanilo dzangu nge buzhalo se nsumikili.
19 Nenguba imi ndakasununguka ndisina wakandithuwa ndakazwithama nlanda wa bose kuti ndizo ndiwane banji. 20 Ku Bajuta ndakabe Njuta, kuti ndiwane Bajuta. Kuna ibabo bapasi kwe nlayo ndakabe nthu upasi kwe nlayo, nenguba imi ndisi pasi kwe nlayo, kuti ndizo ndiwane bapasi kwe nlayo. 21 Kuna ibabo bakuzhe kwe nlayo ndakanga nthu u kuzhe kwe nlayo kuwana ibabo bakuzhe kwe nlayo. Oku akutodwa kuti anditolondolodza nlayo we Ndzimu, ngobe ndi pasi kwe nlayo wa Kirisiti. 22 Ha ndili pakati kwe basakasima ndobe usakasimabo, kuti ndiwane basakasima. Ndabe zwithu zose ku bathu bose, kuti ha kutubuka nditjidze bamwe babo nge zila imwe ne imwe.
23 Ndothama ikoku ndithamila ndebo mbuya, kuti ndibe ne gobe mu makombolelo ayo. 24 Apa amutoziba kuti mu kutangidzana nge lubilo balabuki banolabuka bose, koga nng'ompela kawana tjiala kene? Ndizo labukani nge zila yamunowowana tjiala. 25 Mmwe ne mmwe nlabuki unozwibhata mu zwithu zose. Banokuthama kuwana tjiala tjinoshakala, koga iswi tothama kuwana tjisingashakale. 26 Imi anditolabuka koga, anditoloba veyisi se nthu unoloba phepo koga, 27 ngono ndoloba mbili wangu aulaula, kuti ndisiti shule kwe ndasumikila ku bamwe, imi nge kwangu ndibe ndiwang'wa ndakafanilo lashiwa.