Paul and the False Apostles
1 I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do! 2 I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. 4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!
5 I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours! 6 Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.
7 I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me? 8 While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you. 9 And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you! 10 By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia. 11 Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!
12 I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other “apostles” from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. 13 Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. 14 Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! 15 So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.
Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle
16 I repeat: no one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, just so I will have a little to boast of. 17 Of course what I am saying now is not what the Lord would have me say; in this matter of boasting I am really talking like a fool. 18 But since there are so many who boast for merely human reasons, I will do the same. 19 You yourselves are so wise, and so you gladly tolerate fools! 20 You tolerate anyone who orders you around or takes advantage of you or traps you or looks down on you or slaps you in the face. 21 I am ashamed to admit that we were too timid to do those things!
But if anyone dares to boast about something—I am talking like a fool—I will be just as daring. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman—but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. 24 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. 28 And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.
30 If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—blessed be his name forever!—knows that I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas placed guards at the city gates to arrest me. 33 But I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.
Paulus nOvaapostele vyOposyo
1 Andakuzu mamu ndji zara kaṱiṱi, nandarire kutja me hungire ouyova. Arikaneye ndji zareye nai! 2 Ami mbi mu kondjera nonḓero, ndji za ku Ndjambi. Eṋe mu ri otja omusuko omukohoke ngu mba varekera okukupwa i omurumendu umwe uriri. Nomurumendu ngwi onguri Kristus. 3 Nungwari ami me tira kutja omeripura weṋu maye zunḓaka, nokutja mamu poka komeriyamekero weṋu aehe omakohoke ku Kristus erike, tjimuna Eva tja wovisirwe i onyoka novineya vyayo. 4 Eṋe mu zara nenyando omundu ngamwa ngu meya ku eṋe okuyekuzuvarisa Jesus warwe ngu he ri ingwi eṱe ngu twa zuvarisa; nu wina eṋe mu yakura ombepo yarwe nombuze ombwa yarwe, ndji he ri ndji eṱe ndji twe mu pa.
5 Ami me tjangovasi hi rivara omuhinanḓengu povandu veṋu mba mbu ku za “ovaapostele!” 6 Nandarire kutja ngahino owami omuhinamirya mokuhungira, imwi mondjiviro mbi nomirya. Imbi eṱe twe mu raisira ongahukiro oruveze aruhe na momihingo avihe.
7 Ami mba zuvarisa Ombuze Ombwa ya Ndjambi ku eṋe nokuhinondjambi. Mbe risusuparisa, kokutja eṋe mu tongamisiwe. Indu ngahino mba tataiza are? 8 Kokutja mbi mu karere, ami ee sutwa ondjambi i ozombongo zarwe, nu komuhingo mbwi otje ri aayo mbi ze punda oviṋa. 9 Tji mba ri mokati keṋu, hi yandjere eputi komundu tjee hepa otjimariva; orondu ovakambure ovakwetu mba zire kOmakedonie ve ndji etera atjihe tji mba hepere. Mba kondjere kutja e he mu pe ouzeu, nu wina me kondjo kutja e he mu pe ouzeu nangarire kombunda yanai! 10 Mbi rihivira otjiṋa hi, notja kouatjiri wa Kristus mbu ri mu ami, kape nomundu mehi, arihe ra Akaja ngu me ndji yeka ohiviro ndji. 11 Hapo me hungire nai motjimbe tjokutja hiye mu suvera poo? Ndjambi ma tjiwa kutja ami mbe mu suvera!
12 Notja tji me tjiti nambano, otjinga ame tjiti aruhe wina, kokutja mbi tjaere ovaapostele imba varwe ave he rihivi nave he ritjindi otja ovaapostele tjimuna eṱe. 13 Ovandu otja imba owo ovaapostele woposyo, nu ve rivara kutja ovaapostele va Kristus. 14 Nu ihi katjikumise! Nandarire Satan omuini u ritjitukisa a munike otja omuengeri wondjerera. 15 Nu otje he ri oukumise kutja ovakarere ve wina mave rivara otja ovandu mbe tjita ombango ya Ndjambi. Ondjandero yawo ma i kara otja koviungura vyawo.
Paulus ma tatumisiwa otja omuapostele
16 Ami me yarukire po rukwao: Ape ningi omundu ngu me ripura kutja owami eyova. Nu tji pe he ri nao, ndji vareye otja eyova, kokutja mbi rihive kaṱiṱi wina. 17 Ihi nambano tji me hungire, hi nakuhungira tjo otja Muhona punga ama vanga; motjiṋa hi tjokurihiva ami, tjiri, me hungire otja eyova. 18 Nungwari tjinga ape novandu ovengi mbe rihiva komuhingo wovandu, ami wina otjinga ame tjiti! 19 Eṋe oveni oweṋe ovanazondunge, nu mu zara imba omayova nenyando. 20 Nu tji pena ngu me mu isa po ovakarere, tjiri, mu zareye, na tji pena ngu me mu huura oviṋa, na tji pena ngu me mu tjiti ovineya, na tji pena ngu me mu nyengura, na tji pena ngu me mu tono orupyu momurungu. 21 Ihi me hungire kutja mbi ṱohoṋi yokutja twa ri ovingundi tjinene okutjita oviṋa otja imbi!
Nambano ami me hungire otja eyova: Otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe omundu tji ma vanga okurihivira tjo, ami wina me rihivire tjo. 22 Owo Ovaheberi? Ami wina. Owo Ovaisrael? Ami wina. Owo ozondekurona za Abraham? Ami wina. 23 Owo ovakarere va Kristus? Nambano me hungire aayo hi nozondunge nungwari owami omukarere omusemba okukapita wo! Mba ungura tjinene okukapita wo, mba kara motjovakamburwa potuingi okukapita wo, mba tonwa potuingi okukapita wo, nu mba kara moumba wonḓiro potuingi. 24 Nu mba tonwa ovikando vitano i Ovajuda, notjikando atjihe mba tonwa ozongora omirongo vitatu na muvyu; 25 nu tutatu mba tonwa notuhongwe i ovahona vOvaroma; notjikando tjimwe mba vetwa nomawe. Nu tutatu mba ri mozondjuwozomomeva, nḓa tekera mokuvare, nu otjikando tjimwe mba kara mokuvare omutenya nouṱuku. 26 Momauyenda wandje omengi mba ri momaumba pekepeke: Omaumba wozonḓonḓu, omaumba wovapunde woviṋa, omaumba wOvajuda ovakwetu nomaumba wa imba mbe he ri Ovajuda. Pa ri omaumba movihuro na mokuti, nu wina pa ri omaumba mokuvare na mokati kovakambure ovakwetu ovanavineya. 27 Mba ri noviungura ovizeu neputi, potuingi mba kara nomauṱuku nokuhinokurara, nu potuingi mba kara nondjara nonyota; nu potuingi mba kara nokuhinovikurya, nokuhinomawameno, nokuhinotjirikutjire mombepera. 28 Pendje yaimbi avihe, ami wina ee uhara ame rikendere ozombongo azehe. 29 Tji pena ngwa ngundipara, ee ri munu aayo ami wina mba ngundipara; nu tji pena ngwa tura ondjo, ami wina ee hihamwa omutima.
30 Nu tji mbi sokurihiva, ami me rihivire oungundi wandje. 31 Ndjambi, Hiya Muhona Jesus, ma tjiwa kutja hi nokukora ovizeze. Eye nga tangwe aruhe nga aruhe! 32 Tji mba ri mOdamaskus, ongooneya yombara Aretas wa zikire ovatjevere pomuvero wotjihuro okundjikambura. 33 Nungwari mba raurirwa mondovi yorumbo motjimbamba, narire tji mba poṋa momake we.
