Servants of God
1 As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith. 2 I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it, 3 because you still live as the people of this world live. When there is jealousy among you and you quarrel with one another, doesn't this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards? 4 When one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos”—aren't you acting like worldly people?
5 After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God's servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. 7 The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow. 8 There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done. 9 For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field.
You are also God's building. 10 Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build. 11 For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. 12 Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. 13 And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. 14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. 15 But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.
16 Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you! 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple. For God's temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.
18 You should not fool yourself. If any of you think that you are wise by this world's standards, you should become a fool, in order to be really wise. 19 For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God's sight. As the scripture says, “God traps the wise in their cleverness”; 20 and another scripture says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless.” 21 No one, then, should boast about what human beings can do. Actually everything belongs to you: 22 Paul, Apollos, and Peter; this world, life and death, the present and the future—all these are yours, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
Ovakarere va Ndjambi
1 Nami, vakwetu, hiye sora okuhungira na eṋe otja tji mbi hungira novandu mbe nOmbepo ya Ndjambi, nungwari ami mba sere okuhungira na eṋe otja mbu mu ri ovouye mbwi, notja mbu mu ri ounatje mongamburiro mu Kristus. 2 Ami mba sere okumuparura nomaihi, nu hi mu parurire novikurya ovikukutu, eṋe tjinga amu he rirongererere vyo. Nu nga mba kamuye rirongererera vyo, 3 tjinga amu hupa otja ovandu wouye mbwi tji ve hupa. Eṋe mu ṱasana eruru, nu mu noviposa mokati keṋu. Nu kamena rokutja oweṋe ovouye nu mu ritjinda otja ovandu wouye are? 4 Umwe weṋu tji ma tja: “Ami, owami owa Paulus”, nomukwao: “Ami, owami owa Apolos”, hapo kamu nakuritjinda otja ovandu wouye mbwi are?
5 Nu hapo Apolos omundu watjike? Nu ingwi Paulus omundu watjike? Oweṱe ovakarere va Ndjambi uriri mbu twe mu eta kongamburiro; auhe wetu u ungura otjiungura otja Muhona punga e mu pa okuungura: 6 Ami vari mba kuna, nu Apolos a tjatja, nungwari Ndjambi ongwa hapisa. 7 Ingwi ngu ma kunu, na ingwi ngu ma tjatja owo kaviṋa, nungwari Ndjambi onguri omunanḓengu tjinga e ri ngu ma hapisa. 8 Kape nombangu pokati kaingwi ngu ma kunu na ingwi ngu ma tjatja: Ndjambi ma yandja ku auhe ondjambi ye otja koviungura vye mbya ungura. 9 Orondu oweṱe ovaungure vapamwe va Ndjambi, neṋe oweṋe ehi romakunino ra Ndjambi. Eṋe wina oweṋe omatungiro wa Ndjambi.
Ovakambure va sana nomatungiro wa Ndjambi
10 Otja kotjari Ndjambi tje ndji pa ami mba ungura otjiungura ohamukwao notjomutunge onongo; nu mba zika omazikameno, nomundu warwe ma tungu kombanda yawo. Nungwari omundu auhe ma sokutara nawa kutja ma tungu vi. 11 Nu inga omazikameno ya zikwa rukuru: Owo oJesus Kristus. Nu kape nomundu ngu ma sora okuzika omazikameno warwe. 12 Ovandu tjiva mave ungurisa ongoldo poo osilveri poo omawe omahuze okutunga kombanda yomazikameno; nu tjiva mave ungurisa omiti poo omahozu poo oviruruhozu. 13 Nungwari mEyuva rombanguriro, omuriro mau vandurura otjiungura omutunge auhe tjaungura, nu omuriro mau roro otjiungura hi nau raisa onḓengu yatjo. 14 Notjiungura tji tja tungwa i omundu kombanda yomazikameno tji tji hi nokusesetwa i omuriro, eye ma munu ondjambi. 15 Nungwari otjiungura tjomundu tji tja sesetwa i omuriro, eye ma pandjara ondjambi yotjiungura tje; nungwari eye omuini ma yamwa otja omundu ngwa hakanwa momuriro.
16 Kamu nokutjiwa kutja oweṋe ondjuwo ondjapuke ya Ndjambi, nokutja Ombepo ya Ndjambi i tura mu eṋe are? 17 Omundu tji ma zunḓa ondjuwo ondjapuke ya Ndjambi, Ndjambi me mu vere, orondu ondjuwo ya Ndjambi oyo ondjapuke, neṋe oweṋe mbu mu ri ondjuwo ye ondjapuke.
18 Ape ningi omundu ngu me riwovisa omuini. Tji pe nomundu mokati keṋu ngu ma tjangovasi eye onongo otja kouripura wouye mbwi, nga rire eyova kokutja, tjiri, a sore okurira onongo; 19 orondu ounongo wouye mbwi owo ouyova komurungu wa Ndjambi. Nomatjangwa maye tja: “Ndjambi ma pata ozonongo mombate yozondunge zazo”, 20 nu parwe omatjangwa maye tja: “Muhona ma tjiwa kutja ouripura wozonongo owo oviporoporo.”
21 Otji pe ha sokukara omundu ngu me rihivire omasorero womundu ngamwa. Avihe vari ovyeṋu: 22 Kutja oPaulus, kutja oApolos, kutja oPetrus, kutja ouye mbwi, kutja omuinyo, kutja onḓiro, kutja oviṋa vyanambano, kutja ovyoruveze ndu maru ya avihe mbi ovyeṋu, 23 neṋe oweṋe ova Kristus, nu Kristus eye owa Ndjambi.
