Zojiwa zwakapiwa midzimu
1 Ngwenu, ngekwe zojiwa zwakapiwa midzimu toziba kuti, “Tose tina zibo.” Zibo inoshiyisa nthu, koga ludo gosimisa nthu. 2 Iye unokumbula kuti unoziba tjimwe, aathukaziba sekwa akafanila atjizibe. 3 Koga ha nthu eda Ndzimu unozibgwa nge Ndzimu.
4 Ndizo, ngekwe kuja zojiwa zwakapiwa midzimu, toziba kuti midzimu ate ili tjimwe tjinotjila nge kuti akuna Ndzimu kuzhe kwe nng'ompela. 5 Nenguba kungabe kuna banodang'wa “midzimu,” kudzimu kene mu shango, dumbu nenguba ili yapo “midzimu” na “boshe” banjinji, 6 ku tili kuna Ndzimu nng'ompela, ibo Tate, zwithu zose zodwa ku bali kakale totjila nge kwabo, kakale kuna She nng'ompela iye Jesu Kirisiti. Zwithu zose zwiyapo ndiye, naswibo tiyapo ndiye.
7 Koga ate mmwe ne mmwe unoziba ikoku. Bamwe bathu nge kuwolobela midzimu koti ha beja zojiwa zwakajali banokumbula nge kwazo se zwakapiwa midzimu, ngono se hana dzabo dzisakasima dzotemapala. 8 Zojiwa azwingatisedzedze ku Ndzimu. Ate tili babi kupindisa atisingaje kakale atitoyita atija.
9 Koga yelani njele kuti kusununguka kwenyu kusibe tjikuthi kuna basakasima. 10 Ha mmwe una hana isakasima ekubona iwe una zibo iyeyi uja mu ng'umba ye midzimu, apa angakulumbidzike kuja zwakapiwa midzimu kene? 11 Ndizo nge zibo iyo, ikamu itjetji tjisakasima, Kirisiti tjaakafila, tjalobesiwa. 12 Ha utjinyila zwikamu zwizo ukubadza hana dzabo dzisakasima, unotjinyila Kirisiti. 13 Ndizo ha zojiwa zwithama kuti ikamu tjangu tjiwe, anditjowoja nyama, ngobe ndingadwa ndithama kuti ikamu tjangu tjiwe.
The Question about Food Offered to Idols
1 Now, concerning what you wrote about food offered to idols.
It is true, of course, that “all of us have knowledge,” as they say. Such knowledge, however, puffs a person up with pride; but love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something really don't know as they ought to know. 3 But the person who loves God is known by him.
4 So then, about eating the food offered to idols: we know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist; we know that there is only the one God. 5 Even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these “gods” and “lords,” 6 yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone knows this truth. Some people have been so used to idols that to this day when they eat such food they still think of it as food that belongs to an idol; their conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food. 8 Food, however, will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat.
9 Be careful, however, not to let your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin. 10 Suppose a person whose conscience is weak in this matter sees you, who have so-called “knowledge,” eating in the temple of an idol; will not this encourage him to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so this weak person, your brother for whom Christ died, will perish because of your “knowledge”! 12 And in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against other Christians and wounding their weak conscience. 13 So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat meat again, so as not to make a believer fall into sin.