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.
The Rights of an Apostle
1 I am free. I am an apostle. I have seen the Lord Jesus and have led you to have faith in him. 2 Others may think that I am not an apostle, but you are proof that I am an apostle to you.
3 When people question me, I tell them 4 that Barnabas and I have the right to our food and drink. 5 We each have the right to marry one of the Lord's followers and to take her along with us, just as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter do. 6 Are we the only ones who have to support ourselves by working at another job? 7 Do soldiers pay their own salaries? Don't people who raise grapes eat some of what they grow? Don't shepherds get milk from their own goats?
8-9 I am not saying this on my own authority. The Law of Moses tells us not to muzzle an ox when it is grinding grain. But was God concerned only about an ox? 10 No, he wasn't! He was talking about us. This was written in the Scriptures so that all who plow and all who grind the grain will look forward to sharing in the harvest.
11 When we told the message to you, it was like planting spiritual seed. So we have the right to accept material things as our harvest from you. 12 If others have the right to do this, we have an even greater right. But we haven't used this right of ours. We are willing to put up with anything to keep from causing trouble for the message about Christ.
13 Don't you know that people who work in the temple make their living from what is brought to the temple? Don't you know that a person who serves at the altar is given part of what is offered? 14 In the same way, the Lord wants everyone who preaches the good news to make a living from preaching this message.
15 But I have never used these privileges of mine, and I am not writing this because I want to start now. I would rather die than have someone rob me of the right to take pride in this. 16 I don't have any reason to brag about preaching the good news. Preaching is something God told me to do, and if I don't do it, I am doomed. 17 If I preach because I want to, I will be paid. But even if I don't want to, it is still something God has sent me to do. 18 What pay am I given? It is the chance to preach the good news free of charge and not to use the privileges that are mine because I am a preacher.
19 I am not anyone's slave. But I have become a slave to everyone, so I can win as many people as possible. 20 When I am with the Jews, I live like a Jew to win Jews. They are ruled by the Law of Moses, and I am not. But I live by the Law to win them. 21 And when I am with people who are not ruled by the Law, I forget about the Law to win them. Of course, I never really forget about the law of God. In fact, I am ruled by the law of Christ. 22 When I am with people whose faith is weak, I live as they do to win them. I do everything I can to win everyone I possibly can. 23 I do all this for the good news, because I want to share in its blessings.
A Race and a Fight
24 You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! 25 Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. 26 I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air. 27 I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others.