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.
Apostel-i* di aiǂhanugu tsî ǁguiǂamdi
1 ǃNorasa tama ta hâ? Apostel tama ta hâ? Sada ǃKhūb Jesub Xristuba* ta mû tama hâ? Ti sîsenni ǃKhūb diba xu du kha sado hâ tama hâ? 2 Nauna ta apostelse ība tama, xawe ta ge sado apostelse ība, sadu ǃKhūb ǃnâ ti apostelsis di ǁgauǁgau xui-ao.
3 Ti ǃereams tita ra ǀgoraǃgân ǃoagu hâs ge a nē: 4 ǂÛs tsî ās di aiǂhanuba ge kha sige ūhâ tama hâ? 5 Aiǂhanuba ge kha ūhâ tama hâ, ǀnî apostelgu, ǃKhūb ǃgâsagu tsî Kefab tsîgu ra dī khami, ǂgomsabe tara-e sige daogu ai ūsaosa? 6 Tamas ka io tita tsî Barnabab hâkhom ǀguikhoma sîsenbasen khom nî ǃkhais di ǂhanuba ūhâ tama? 7 Tari-e torokhamao-i ase ǁî-i di ǂhunuma māǂuis ai ra ǃoaba? Tari-e draibeǃhanaba ǂgā tsî ǁîb di ǂûn xa ǂû tama? Tamas ka io tari-e ǀgoana ǃûi tsî ǁîn di dai-i xa ā tama?
8 Khoesi ǂâiǀgaub ǃoa ǀgui ta kha ǁîna ra mî? ǂHanub tsîna kha nē xūn ǁkhāna mî tama hâ? 9 Moseb ǂhanub* ǃnâ i kom “Tā ǃhoroba ra dāǃnâ-ūhe gomaba ǃgae-amǃgâ!” ti xoamâihe hâo. Gomagu ǃaromasa ǁnâi Elob ra ǂhansensa? 10 Xawe sige ǃaroma tamasa ǁînab ra mîsa? Ā, sige ǃaroma i kom xoahe hâo, ǃhūǃgao rab nî ǃâubasens ǀkha ǃhūǃgao tsîb dāǃnâ raba amǃnâxab nî ǃâubasens ǀkha ǁnāsa dīsa. 11 Sige ga gagasi ǃkhomna sadu ǃnâ tsoro, o kai xū-e sige ga sadu di ǃhūbaisi xūna xu ǃgaobaseno? 12 Naun ga ǁnā aiǂhanuba sadu ǂama ūhâo, sige ǁnâi ǁnās xa ǃnāsase ūhâ tama?
Xawe ge ge ǁnā ǂhanuba sîsenū tama hâ tsî ge ge hoana ra tani, ǂhanixū-i xare-e ge ǃGâiǂhôas Xristub disa dība tidese. 13 ǂAn tama du kha hâ ǁnān Tempelǃoabade ra dīn, Tempeli di ǂûna ra ǂû tsîn ǁnān altars tawa ra ǃoabana altars ai ra ǁguibahen ǃnâ ra amǃnâxa ǃkhaisa. 14 ǁNās ǁkhās khamib ge ǃKhūba ǃGâiǂhôas aoǁnâ-aona ǁîsa xun nî ûise ge ǁgaumâi.
15 Xawe ta ge tita nē aiǂhanugu di ǀguib tsîna sîsenū tama hâ. Tsî ta ge nē xūna tita ga dībahe ǂâibasens ǀkha xoa tama hâ. Ti ǂnīsasib nî khoe-i xa ǁaudīhes xas ge ǁō ta ga ǃkhaisa nî ǃgâi! 16 ǃGâiǂhôasa ta ra aoǁnâ ǃkhais ge tita koasens di aiǂhanuba mā tama hâ. ǁNāti dīs di ǁguiǂams ǃnaka ta hâ xui-ao. Tsî mâtikōse i nî tita tsūba ǃGâiǂhôasa ta ga aoǁnâ tama io. 17 Māsenxase ta ga ǁîsa dī, o ta ge mādawa-amsa ūhâ; xawe māsenxa tama ta ka i, ǃereams hîa ta ǂgomǃgâbahe hâs ǃnâ, 18 o tarebe mādawa-am-e ta ǁnâi ūhâ? Nēs ǀguis: ǃGâiǂhôasa aoǁnâsa ta marioǃnâse ra dī, ti ǂhanub ǃGâiǂhôas ǃnâ ta ūhâba ta ǀoasase sîsenū tidese.
19 Tita ge ǃnorasa tsî khoe-i di ǃgā tama hâ, xawe ta ge hoana ǃgāse ge ība, ǂguina ta nî Xristuba danbase. 20 Jodeǁîna ta ge Jodeǁî-i ase ge ība, ǁîna ta nî dan ǁkhāse; ǁnān Jodeǁî ǂhanub ǃnaka hâna ta ge ǂhanub ǃnaka hâ-i ase ība, (Jodeǁîn ǂhanub ǃnaka ta tita tsîna hâo tama) xawe ǁnān Jodeǁîn ǂhanub ǃnaka hâna ta nî dan ǁkhāse. 21 ǂHanub ose hâna ta ge ǂhanub ose hâ-i ase ība, (ǂhanub ose ta Elob aiǃâ hâ tama, xawe Xristub di ǂhanub ǃnâ ta hâ) ǂhanub ose hâna ta nî danse. 22 ǂKhabusana ta ge ǂkhabusa-i ase ība, ǂkhabusana ta nî danse. Hoana ta ge hoaraga xūn ase ība, mâ ǀgaus hoas ai ta nî ǀnîna ore ǁkhāse.
23 Nē xūn hoana ta ǃGâiǂhôas ǃaroma ra dī, ǁîs di ǀkhaeb ǃnâ ta nî amǃnâxase. 24 ǂAn tama du kha hâ, ǃkhoeǀnûgus ǃnân hoa ǃkhoe-aona ra ǃkhoe, xawe i ǀgui-i ǀgui-e dansa ra ǃkhōǃoa ǃkhaisa? ǁNāti ǁnâi ǃkhoe re, danao kai du nîse. 25 Tsî mâ-i hoa-i ǀnûgus ǃnâ ra ǁhao-i ge ǀgaisa ǃâisens ǃnâ ra amǃnâxa. ǁÎn ge nēsa ra dī, hâhâ tama dans kronsa nî ǃkhōǃoase, xawe sada ge ǀamo kronsa nî ǃkhōǃoa. 26 ǁNā-amaga ta ge îganǀgē rase ǃkhoe tama hâ, tsî ta ge ǂoab ǃnâ ra ǂnau ǃkhamaob khami ǃkham tama hâ. 27 Xawe ta ge ti sorosa ǀgaisase ǃâi tsî ra ǃgādī, î ta tita tā nauna ta ra aoǁnâba hîa, aoxūhesa anu.
