Christ Brings New Life
1 Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
3 I realize God has treated me with undeserved grace, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you. 4 A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
6 God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. 7 If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. 8 If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.
Rules for Christian Living
9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. 10 Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. 11 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. 12 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. 13 Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
14 Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16 Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people. 17 Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, 18 and do your best to live at peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,
“I am the one to take revenge
and pay them back.”
20 The Scriptures also say,
“If your enemies are hungry,
give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
on their heads.”
21 Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
Okulongela Kalunga
1 Onkee ano, one aamwameme, otandi mu kumagidha, mu dhimbulule esilohenda lyaKalunga kutseni mpoka li thike: Igandjeni ne yene kuKalunga eyambo li na omwenyo, mu kale mwe mu iyapulila, ne mu kale mwe mu opalela. Ndika olyo elongelokalunga lyeni lyashili. 2 Inamu faathana nonkalo yuuyuni mbuka, aawe, Kalunga ne mu shitulule meni lyeni nomomadhiladhilo geni. Nena otamu vulu ihe okutseya ehalo lyaKalunga naashoka oshiwanawa, she mu opalela nosha gwana.
3 Omolwomagano gesilohenda lyaKalunga ngoka nde ga pewa, onda hala oku mu lombwela one amuhe: Inamu idhiladhilila pehala mpoka inaamu adha, ihe dhiladhileni pandjele. Kehe gumwe gwomune ni iyeleke pamuthika gweitaalo ndyoka Kalunga e li mu pa. 4 Otse otu na iilyo oyindji molutu lumwe, nakehe shimwe shomiilyo mbika oshi na oshilonga shasho shi ili. 5 Osho wo, nonando tse otu li po oyendji, otse olutu lumwe muukumwe naKristus notwa kwatelwa kumwe ongiilyo yolutu lumwe. 6 Onkee ano otu na okulongitha omagano getu gi ili nogi ili pasilohenda ndyoka twe li pewa kuKalunga. Ngele otu na omagano gokuuvitha oohapu dhaKalunga, natu shi ninge paitaalo lyetu. 7 Ngele okuyakula, natu yakule. Ngele okulonga aantu, natu longe. 8 Ngele okutsa yakwetu omukumo, natu shi ninge. Ngoka ta pe yakwawo sha, na gandje nomwenyo aguhe. Ngoka e na oonkondo dhokupangela aantu, ne shi ninge noondunge. Ngoka ta kwatha mboka ye li moluhepo, ne shi ninge nenyanyu.
9 Ohole nayi kale yashili. Tondeni shaa shoka oshiwinayi, ne mu dhiginine shoka oshiwanawa. 10 Kaleni mu na ohole yaamwayinathana, ne mu lalakanene okusimanekathana. 11 Longeni nuupenda, inamu kala aanye. Longeleni Omuwa nomwenyo aguhe. 12 Etegameno nali mu nyanyudhe, idhidhimikeni muudhigu, dhiginineni okugalikana. 13 Kwatheni yakweni mboka ye na oluhepo, ne mu yakule oondjendi momagumbo geni.
14 Galikaneni Kalunga, a yambeke mboka taye mu tidhagana; eeno, ya galikaneni, e ya yambeke, kee ya thinge. 15 Nyanyukweni pamwe naamboka ya nyanyukwa, lileni pamwe naamboka taa lili. 16 Inamu kala mu hole komeho, ihe pangeni uukuume naamboka aafupi. Inamu itala kutya one aanandunge.
17 Ngele ku na ngoka te mu ningile uuwinayi, inamu mu shunithila uuwinayi. Kambadhaleni okuninga shoka aantu ayehe taye shi tala kutya oshiwanawa. 18 Ne yene kombinga yeni ningeni ashihe tamu shi vulu, mu kale nombili naantu ayehe. 19 Aaholike, inamu shunithila omuntu uuwinayi, ihe etheni, ondjahi yaKalunga yi shi ninge. Oshoka enyolo otali ti: “Egeelo olyandje, ongame mwene tandi ka geela, Omuwa osho ta ti.” 20 Onkee ano ninga, ngaashi enyolo tali ti: “Omutondi gwoye ngele okwa sa ondjala, mu pa a lye. Ngele okwa sa enota, mu pa a nwe, oshoka moku shi ninga oto gongele omakala ga tema komutse gwe.” 21 Inamu sindwa kuuwinayi, ihe sindeni uuwinayi nuuwanawa.
