Mishingo ye bagalimoyo
1 Usitjemele nthuntana nge bushongola, koga unkulumbidze se unokulumbidza tate babo, ubhate balume batjetjana pakuli se banung'una babo, 2 bakadzi bahwola ubatole sa bomme yabo, bakadzi batjetjana pakuli, ibo se hazwadzi dzidzo nge bubuyanana gwakapelela.
3 Teta nge kwakafanila tjilikadzi dzinosheta dumbu. 4 Koga ha tjilikadzi ina bana kene bana be bana, bakafanila kuti bazwidiye kutanga kuti balakidze bakanyi kwabo zila yekunamata ne kutenda bazwadzi babo, ngobe ikoku koshathisa Ndzimu. 5 Tjilikadzi inodziyila dumbu ngono ili yoga koga, inogalabgwe mu Ndzimu, idwilila mbeli siku ne sikati kutembezela ne kukumbila bhatsho ku Ndzimu; 6 Koga tjilikadzi inotjilila nzipo yakafa nenguba itjila. 7 Ubabudze ikoku, kuti kusibe ne wabo unobong'wa nlandu. 8 Ha mmwe asingatjengete hama dzidze, kwazo kwazo be nsha uwe, wazwilandula kugalamoyo kakale mbiimbi kupinda nthu usingagalemoyo.
9 Kushete tjilikadzi yakwalisiwa kuzhe kwe ina makole anopinda makumi matathatu nenge kuti ibe yakalobogwa kang'ompela, 10 kakale izibgwa zubuyanana nge mishingo iye yakalulwama, inonga kulela bana nge fanilo ne kuamutjila bezi, kakale yakazwimisila kuzwiyisa pasi kungudza makumbo e bayengemali, ba mu manikano ne kuzwipa mu mishingo yose yakanaka.
11 Usitongo kwalisa tjilikadzi tjetjana, ngobe njemulo dzadzo dzingadzikulila mu kuzwipa kwabo muna Kirisiti, dzikashaka kulobogwa, 12 ndizo dzikazwiwanisa nlandu dzikalobgwa nge Ndzimu, ngobe dzisalondolodza tjadzakazwimisila itjo kutanga. 13 Kuzhe kwa ikoko dzozwiwolobedza kutjinya tjibaka nge kutendeleka mu mizi ngono adzitobe dzitjinya tjibaka koga, dzoyenda dzileba shaya dzakanginikana ne zwisi zwadzo dzileba zwadzisakafanila leba. 14 Ndizo ndokulumbidza tjilikadzi tjetjana kuti dzilobogwe, dzibe ne bana, dziyendise misha yadzo ne kusapa tjita tjibaka kutitjinya mazina. 15 Ngobe dzimwe dzakalashika dzikatobela Satani. 16 Ha mmwe nkadzi unobe ali n'galimoyo ana makamu e tjilikadzi mu nzi uwe, wakafanila kubabhatsha asingaletje gubungano kulemegwa ndibo kuti ndizo gubungano libhatshe ibabo banodziyila kupinda.
17 Bakulu banotungamila gubungano zubuyanana, bakafanigwa nge kulipiwa kabili, kwazo kwazo ibabo banoshinga kwazo mu kusumikila nenge kudiya. 18 Ngobe hwalo dzoti, “Usisunge ng'ombe nlomo ha ishokola mathunde.” Kakale “Nshingi wakafanigwa nge ndipo iye.” 19 Usiamutjile kubong'wa nlandu kwe nkulu we gubungano kuzhe kwekwazhisiwa batendeki babili kene batatu. 20 Ibabo banodwilila ngotjinya ubatjemele mbeli kwe bathu, kuti ndizo bamwebo batjenjele.
21 Ndokulaya mbeli kwe Ndzimu na Kirisiti Jesu ne batumwa be kudzimu bakayengemala kulondolodza milayo iyeyi kuzhe kwe kumila mmwe, kakale kusathama tjimwe nge kushalaula. 22 Usilibilidzile kubiga bathu maboko kene kube ne gobe mu tjibi tjemmwe. Gala uli mbuyanana.
23 Using'we vula koga, ung'webo nkumbi we zhambi ntukununu kubhatsha kushinga kwe ntumbu uwo se ugala ugwala koga wali.
24 Zwibi zwe bamwe bathu zwipatjena, kakale zotungamilila kunosumikilisiwa kubatangila, koga zwibi zwe bamwe bathu zobong'wa shule. 25 Sa ikoko mishingo mibuya ipatjena, na iyeyo isipatjena aingagale yakasumbikala.
How To Act toward Others
1 Don't correct an older man. Encourage him, as you would your own father. Treat younger men as you would your own brother, 2 and treat older women as you would your own mother. Show the same respect to younger women that you would to your sister.
3 Take care of any widow who is really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God by taking care of her, as she once took care of them. This is what God wants them to do. 5 A widow who is really in need is one who doesn't have any relatives. She has faith in God, and she keeps praying to him night and day, asking for his help.
6 A widow who thinks only about having a good time is already dead, even though she is still alive.
7 Tell all this to everyone, so they will do the right thing. 8 People who don't take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn't have faith in the Lord.
9 For a widow to be put on the list of widows, she must be at least 60 years old, and she must have been faithful in marriage. 10 She must also be well-known for doing all sorts of good things, such as raising children, giving food to strangers, welcoming God's people into her home, helping people in need, and always making herself useful.
11 Don't put young widows on the list. They may later have a strong desire to get married. Then they will turn away from Christ 12 and become guilty of breaking their promise to him. 13 Besides, they will become lazy and get into the habit of going from house to house. Next, they will start gossiping and become busybodies, talking about things that are none of their business.
14 I would prefer that young widows get married, have children, and look after their families. Then the enemy won't have any reason to say insulting things about us. 15 Look what's already happened to some of the young widows! They have turned away to follow Satan.
16 If a woman who is a follower has any widows in her family, she should help them. This will keep the church from having that burden, and then the church can help widows who are really in need.
Church Leaders
17 Church leaders who do their job well deserve to be paid twice as much, especially if they work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 It is just as the Scriptures say, “Don't muzzle an ox when you are using it to grind grain.” You also know the saying, “Workers are worth their pay.”
19 Don't listen to any charge against a church leader, unless at least two or three people bring the same charges. 20 But if any of the leaders should keep on sinning, they must be corrected in front of the whole group, as a warning to everyone else.
21 In the presence of God and Christ Jesus and their chosen angels, I order you to follow my instructions! Be fair with everyone, and don't have any favorites.
22 Don't be too quick to accept people into the service of the Lord by placing your hands on them.
Don't sin because others do, but stay close to God.
23 Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you often have.
24 Some people get caught in their sins almost at once, even before the time of judgment. But other people's sins don't show up until later. 25 It is the same with good deeds. Some are easily seen, but none of them can be hidden.