Unity with Christ
1 As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. 3 Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. 4 All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people. 5 We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.
7 Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us. 8 As the Scriptures say,
“When he went up
to the highest place,
he led away many prisoners
and gave gifts to people.”
9 When it says, “he went up,” it means that Christ had been deep in the earth. 10 This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so he would fill the whole universe.
11 Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, 12 so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. 13 This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.
14 We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. 15 Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16 of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.
The Old Life and the New Life
17 As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. 18 Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, 19 and they are so greedy they do all kinds of indecent things.
20-21 But this isn't what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. 22 You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. 23 Let the Spirit change your way of thinking 24 and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.
Rules for the New Life
25 We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth. 26 Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry 27 and don't give the devil a chance.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need.
29 Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say.
30 Don't make God's Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins.
31 Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32 Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.
Soros di ǀguiǃnâxasib
1 ǁNā-amaga ta ge tita, ǃKhūb ǃnâ a ǃkhōsabeta ra ǀkhoma du, î du ǂgaihe du ge ǂgais ǃoa anu hâse ûi. 2 Hoaǁae ǃgamǃgamsensa, tsamtsiǃnâ tsî ǃnūǃnâxa. ǁÎǃnābe ǀnammi ǃnâ taniǀnamgu. 3 Gagab ge mā du ǀguiǃnâxasiba turaxase ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǁîǃnābe ûis ǀkha ǃkhōǀgara. 4 ǀGui soros tsî ǀgui Gagab tsîn ǀguin hâ, xui-aos ge ǁnāpa ǀgui ǃâubasens ǁîs ǃoab ge Eloba ǂgai dus ǀguisa hâ. 5 ǁNāpab ge ǀgui ǃKhūb, ǀgui ǂgoms tsî ǀgui ǁāǁnâs, 6 ǀgui Elob tsî ǁGûb hoa khoen dib, ǁnāb hoan ǂamai hoan ǃnâ-u ra sîsen tsî hoan ǃnâ hâba hâ.
7 Xaweb ge Xristuba* ǁîb ra ǂgao khami mâ-i sada di-i hoa-e ǀkhomma ge mā. 8 Xoas ra mî khami:
“ǀGapisebǀîb ge ǃapao,
ob ge ǃkhōsana ǃkhōhe hâse ǃgû-ū,
tsî khoena māde ge mā.”
9 “ǁÎb ge ge ǀhomǃapa” ti mîsa tare-e ra ǂâibasen? ǁÎs ge Xristub ge ǂguro ǃhūbaib di ǃgamsib kōse ǁgôa ti ra ǂâibasen. 10 ǁNāb, ǁgôaxa geb ǀguib ge ǀgapise tsî ǀhommi ǂamai ge ǃapaba, ǁîb di hâs ǀkhab nî hoaraga ǃhūbaiba ǀoaǀoase. 11 ǁÎb ge ǀnî khoena māde ge mā: ǀNîna apostelse,* ǀnîna kēbo-aose, ǀnîna ǃgâiǂhôa-aose, ǀnîna ǁkhāǁkhā-aose tsî ǀnîna ǁgauǃnâ-aose. 12 Xristub di sorosa ǂnubikhâis ǃaromab ge ǁîba hoaraga khoen Elob dina Xristesi ǃoabas ǃaroma ra ǁâtani. 13 Hoada ge ǀunis ai ǂgoms tsî ǂans Elob Ôab* dis ǃnâ-u nî ǀguiǃnâxa. O da ge dīǀoaǀoasa kaikhoesis, Xristub disa sīǃnâ tsî ǁîb ǁkhāb khami nî ī. 14 Tsî da ge ǃaruǀî ǀgôa tama, ǂgaeǂhapu-aon di ǁkhāǁkhādi xa ǃgabigu khami ra aomahe tsî mâ ǂoa-i hoa-i xa ra ǃgommahen khami. ǁÎn ge nau khoena ǁîn di ǀhôagao ǀapedi ǀkha ra tsūdī kai. 15 Xawe amab ai ǃkhōǀgaipes tsî hoa khoena ǀnams ǀkha ǀgui da ge Xristub, hîa a danab di daogu hoagu ǃnâ nî ǀomkhâi. 16 ǁÎb danasis ǃnakas ge hoaraga sorosa ǀoasase a ǀhaoǀhaosa. Mâ ǃâs soros dis hoas ge ǁîs di ǀō-aisa sîsenni ǀkha nau ǃâdi di ǀomkhâisa ra hui, tsî ǁnātis ge hoaraga sorosa ǀnammi ǃnâ ra ǀomkhâi.
ǀAsa ǀgaub Xristub ǃnâ ûis dib
17 ǁNā-amaga ta ge nēsa ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ mî tsî ra ǀhûǀgui: ǃAruǀî du ǀūben hîa harebeoǃnâ ǂâiǀgauga ūhân khami ûi tidesa. 18 ǁÎn di ǂâidi ge a ǃkhae. ǁÎn di ǂgaogu di karosasib tsî ǁae tama is ǀkhan ge Eloba xu hâ ûiba xu a ǁaraǂuisa. 19 ǁÎn ge taoǀû, ǁgauoǃnâ ûib ǃnâ māǁnâsen tsî sauaǃnâ tamase ǂguiǃnâgu ǃanuoǃnâ xūna gere dī.
20 Xawe Xristuba du ge ǁnā ǀgaus ai ge ǂan tama hâ i! 21 Amase du ge ǁîb xa ǁnâu tsî xristeǁî du ase Jesub ǃnâ hâ amaba ge ǁkhāǁkhāhe. 22 ǁNā-amaga sadu di ǀoro ûiǀgaub, ǁnā ǀoro khoesib ǂgaeǂhapuxa turagu dib xa ge hîkākāheba ǀû. 23 Sadu ǂâidi tsî ǂgaogu ge gagasise ǁkhawa hoaragase nî ǀasaǀasahe, 24 tsî du ge ǀasa khoesib, Elob īb ǃoa ge kuruheb tsî ǁîb di ǂhanu-aisib tsî ǃanusib ǃnâ ge ǂhaiǂhaiheba nî ǂgaeǂgā.
25 ǁNā-amaga ǂhumiǀû, î-i mâ khoe-i hoa-e ǁî-i ǀgūkhoe-i ǀkha amaba ǃhoa, hoada a Xristub soros di uniǁae xuige. 26 Sa ǁaibab tā ǁore kai tsi tsî tās soresa ǁaixats hâ hîa ǂgâ. 27 ǁGâuaba* tā ǃēsa mā. 28 ǃNari-ao-e a i ǃaruǀî tā ǃnari, xawe a i ǁî-i ǃomkha ǀkha sîsen, ǂhanu-ai ǃkhōǃoas ǃaroma tsî ǂhâb ǃnâ hâ-e i nî hui ǁkhāse. 29 Tā i ǁgai mî-i xare-e sa amsa xu ǂoaxa. Xawe hoaǁae ǃgâi tsî omkhâi ra mîn, ǁnâu ra khoena ǀkhaeb ase nî ībana ǃhoa. 30 Tā Elob di ǃAnu Gagaba ǃoaǃoa; ǁîb ǃnâ-u du ge ores di tsēs kōse saoheba. 31 Hoaraga au-ausenni, ǁaib tsî ǁaixasib, ǂkhupixasib tsî ǃkhāǃkhāgusa xu ū-oasen. 32 Xawe mâ khoe-i hoa-i ǃoa ǃgâiǂgaoxa î ǀûbagu, Elob ge Xristub ǃnâ-u ǀûba du khami.
