Rights and Duties of an Apostle
1 Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? 2 Even if others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do! Because of your life in union with the Lord you yourselves are proof of the fact that I am an apostle.
3 When people criticize me, this is how I defend myself: 4 Don't I have the right to be given food and drink for my work? 5 Don't I have the right to follow the example of the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter, by taking a Christian wife with me on my trips? 6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for our living? 7 What soldiers ever have to pay their own expenses in the army? What farmers do not eat the grapes from their own vineyard? What shepherds do not use the milk from their own sheep?
8 I don't have to limit myself to these everyday examples, because the Law says the same thing. 9 We read in the Law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain.” Now, is God concerned about oxen? 10 Didn't he really mean us when he said that? Of course that was written for us. Anyone who plows and anyone who reaps should do their work in the hope of getting a share of the crop. 11 We have sown spiritual seed among you. Is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have the right to expect this from you, don't we have an even greater right?
But we haven't made use of this right. Instead, we have endured everything in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the Good News about Christ. 13 Surely you know that the men who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who offer the sacrifices on the altar get a share of the sacrifices. 14 In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from it.
15 But I haven't made use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this now in order to claim such rights for myself. I would rather die first! Nobody is going to turn my rightful boast into empty words! 16 I have no right to boast just because I preach the gospel. After all, I am under orders to do so. And how terrible it would be for me if I did not preach the gospel! 17 If I did my work as a matter of free choice, then I could expect to be paid; but I do it as a matter of duty, because God has entrusted me with this task. 18 What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without charging for it, without claiming my rights in my work for the gospel.
19 I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many people as possible. 20 While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were when working with those who are, in order to win them. 21 In the same way, when working with Gentiles, I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles. This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. 22 Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all people, that I may save some of them by whatever means are possible.
23 All this I do for the gospel's sake, in order to share in its blessings. 24 Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. 26 That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. 27 I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.
Omapitikilo niinakugwanithwa yomuyapostoli
1 Kandi na emanguluko nani? Kandi shi omuyapostoli? Omuwa gwetu Jesus inandi mu mona nani? Ne kamu shi nani iiyimati yoshilonga shandje medhina lyOmuwa? 2 Nonando oku kale ku na yalwe itaa tala ndje omuyapostoli, ngame omuyapostoli gweni. Okuninga kweni aakriste okwo taku holola kutya ngame omuyapostoli.
3 Eipopilo lyandje kumboka taa nikanika ndje, olyo ndika: 4 Kandi na epitikilo okupewa iikulya nokunwa sha miilonga yandje? 5 Kandi na epitikilo okuninga, ngaashi aayapostoli yalwe taa vulu okuninga? Itandi vulu okweenda pamwe nomukiintu omukriste, ngaashi aamwayina yOmuwa aalumentu nosho wo Petrus haa vulu oku shi ninga? 6 Nenge tse naBarnabas otse atuke tu na okulonga, tu mone iipalutha? 7 Olye u uva nando olumwe omukwiita ti ifutile ye mwene oompumbwe dhomoshilonga she? Nenge omunepya ita li iiyimati yomepya lye? Nenge omusita ita li omahini ngoka ta kanda miimuna ye?
8 Haiholelwa mbika ayike tayi popile ndje, oshoka ompango wo otayi popi oshinima tuu shoka. 9 Otatu lesha mompango yaMoses: “Ino manga okana konani ndjoka tayi yungula nokulyatagulithwa iilya molupale.” Ngashingeyi Kalunga ota holola ando kutya oku na oshimpwiyu noonani? 10 Hatse ta popi nani menyolo ndika? Eeno, shika osha nyolwa omolwetu. Omupululi nomuteyi naa gwanithe iilonga yawo ye na etegameno kutya kehe gumwe ota ka mona oshitopolwa she miilya mbyoka, ngele ya pu okuyelwa. 11 Tse otwa kunu ombuto yopambepo mokati keni. Ne itamu vulu ando oku tu pa iikwatha yopalutu? 12 Ngele yalwe oye na epitikilo lyokutegelela okupewa kune, tse mbela itatu tegelele oshindji tu ya vule?
Ihe tse inatu longitha ompito ndjika. Otse otwi idhidhimike moshinima kehe, opo twaa tule eimbo meuvitho lyelaka etoye tali popi Kristus. 13 Ne omu shi shi kutya aantu mboka haa longo iilonga yomotempeli, oye na okumona iikulya motempeli, naamboka haa yamba omayambo koshiyambelo, oye na okupewa oshitopolwa momayambo ngoka. 14 Osho wo Omuwa oku utha kutya mboka haa uvitha evaangeli, ya pewe kulyo oompumbwe dhawo dhesiku kehe.
15 Ihe ngame inandi longitha nando ompito yimwe yaandhika. Osho wo itandi nyola, opo ndi longithe oompito ndhika kombinga yandje mwene. Okusa okuhwepo kungame. Kaku na ngoka ta vulu okuninga eitango lyandje, li kale lyaa na oshilonga. 16 Kandi na owala epitikilo lyokwiitanga owala, sho handi uvitha evaangeli, ihe ondu uvite ethiminiko, ndi shi ninge. Iihuna yowala, ngele itandi uvitha evaangeli! 17 Oshoka ando okwa li tandi longo pahogololo lyandje mwene, ando ote vulu okutegelela, ndi pewe ondjambi yiilonga yandje. Ihe ngashingeyi itandi longo pahogololo lyandje mwene; oshilonga shika onde shi pewa, shi kale oshinakugwanithwa shandje. 18 Ano ondjambi yandje oyini? Ondjambi yandje oyo uuthemba wokuuvitha elaka etoye itee pewa sha noitandi ulike omapitikilo ngoka ndi na mokuuvitha kwandje.
19 Oshoka nando kandi li muupika waantu, ondi iningi omupika gwakehe gumwe, opo ndi likolele Kristus aantu oyendji. 20 Mokulonga mokati kAajuda onda kala ngaashi Omujuda, opo ndi likole Aajuda. Nonando ngame inandi pangelwa kompango yaMoses, ondi li kohi yompango. 21 Osho tuu wo, sho nda kala mokati kaapagani, onda kala ndaa na ompango yAaJuda, opo ndi ya likolele Kristus. Shika itashi ti, onda dhina ompango yaKalunga, oshoka ngame otandi pangelwa kompango yaKristus. 22 Sho nda kala mokati kaankundi meitaalo, onda kala nda fa omunkundi, opo ndi ya likolele Kristus. Onkee ano onda ningi ashihe shoka tandi shi vulu omolwaayehe, opo ndi hupithe yamwe yomuyo komukalo kehe tagu vulika.
Tu ningeni shanamutango
23 Ayihe mbika otandi yi ningi omolwevaangeli, opo nangame wo ndi mone omayambeko ngoka taga zi mulyo. 24 Ne omu shi shi kutya aantu mboka taa ningi shanamutango, ayehe otaa matuka, ihe gumwe awike ta mono ondjambi yesindano. Nane wo matukeni ngaangoka, mu yi mone. 25 Omuthigathani kehe oha mono edheulo, nkene e na okuvulika koompango dhomethigathano. Oye ote shi ningi, a zalekwe oshishani shoka tashi ka yonuka, ihe tse otatu shi ningi, tu zalekwe oshishani shaaluhe. 26 Omolwaasho ngame ndi na okumatuka ndu ukilila ethikilo. Ngame onda fa omulumentu enyakwa ihaa palutha mokudhenga noongonyo. 27 Onda kolondeke olutu lwandje noku lu dhenga, ndi lu vulikithe, opo ndaa ninge ngoka handi uvithile yakwetu, ngame mwene e tandi ekelwahi.
