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.
Ethoro aŋnana wɔtɔpɔt.
1 Nǝ nyii-ṯǝ ŋgwɔ kwɔrɔ mahbuus, ŋiɽaŋal-ŋi ŋǝthi kweeleny, ŋǝsi ɔracci ethi nanni ŋethre ŋɔvthannica ṯurnunǝ ṯɔrnɔṯɔr-ŋǝsi-thi. 2 Ethi ǝjlinni ki-rogɽo ŋwɔɔmɔri tatap, liiɽǝnnǝ, lǝṯi mithǝ rɔgwori, lindinyannasi naana daŋgal-na wɔɽe-wɔɽeny ṯamɽa-thi 3 Dǝŋṯinǝr ethi aŋraci ŋɔmathi ŋirna ŋɔtɔpɔt ŋinḏǝthǝ-ŋǝsi Ṯigɽim, ethi kǝkki ŋaaŋwɔsi dɔŋw ŋiiɽǝnnǝ-ŋi. 4 Nǝ aŋna naani wɔtɔpɔt, nǝ Ṯigɽim naani ṯɔtɔpɔt, kaka-ṯǝ nɔrnaca-ŋǝsi Allah ṯǝkkizǝ kizǝn ṯɔtɔpɔt. 5 Nǝ kweeleny naani kwɔtɔpɔt, ṯǝmminǝ ṯɔtɔpɔt, mɔ@muuḏiiyya kwɔtɔpɔt; 6 nǝ Allah naani wɔtɔpɔt wir Papa kwǝri tatap, kwɔnaanɔ ki-ŋiɽaŋal-la tatap, kwuruuthu-gwu kwomne tatap, nǝ nɔŋw naani kwomne-na tatap. 7 Laakin nǝrnyji inḏǝthǝ ne@ma leere-leere kwɔr kaka kwɔnaŋna Kwɔrɔstɔ ethinḏǝthǝ nyuŋwsi haḏiiyyǝ. 8 Kaka naarɔ-gwɔ Kiṯaab-ŋwɔ:
“Mɔŋw dalɔ ki-leere-na lac-lac,
nɔŋw mɔkhanni lɔwaaya luuru nɔŋw-leele;
mindaŋ nɔŋw inḏǝthǝ lizi haḏaaya.”
9 Nǝ ma@na kwǝthi ŋiɽaŋal ŋǝniŋw, “Mɔŋw dallɔ lac-lac” ŋǝni ǝyǝ? Ŋǝniŋw kwɔdappathalɔ kerreny ki-wurǝyu-lu kuṯṯǝlɔ. 10 Nǝ ŋgwaṯa ŋgwa kwɔmǝ ɔɽi kuṯṯǝlɔ, nɔŋwṯoro ŋgwa kwette-kwette kwɔmǝ dallɔ ki-leere, mindaŋ nɔŋw ṯamthaci ŋweereya-la, mindaŋ ethi urǝnni ṯurmunǝ tatap deddep. 11 Nɔŋworo ŋundu kwinḏǝthǝ lizi tatap haḏaaya, mindaŋ nɔŋwsi alla lokwo ethoro yaavɔr, lithaathɔ ethoro liɽii, lithaathɔ ethoro mɔbashiriin, lithaathɔ ethoro yisiis, nǝ lithaathɔ ethoro mɔ@allimiin, 12 ethisi dandimatha kila tatap lirllinǝlɔ ter ki-ŋothɽor-na mindaŋ ethi ǝcci aŋna wǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ, 13 mindaŋ mǝroro tatap lɔtɔpɔt ki-ṯǝmminǝ-nǝ ṯǝri, nǝ elŋe-ŋgi kwilŋithir-gi Tɔɔrɔ tǝthi Allah; e-ta ǝroro lizi limǝ peŋe, ǝrimǝ aaɽanni Kwɔrɔstɔ-ŋw min-min. 14 E-ta ǝreere oro nyɔr nyokwɔɽony kwokwony mac, mindaŋ mǝreere mɔlottone kineŋge-kineŋge mac ṯa@liim-thi tatap ṯǝthi lizi lir lǝluŋw, kila limǝ kǝɽinyji lizi-lɔ lithaathɔ, nǝrsi-gwɔ iili-nǝ ŋa ŋir ghalaṯ araay-yi wɔgitticarsi. 15 Bǝri! Ǝrisi kǝniny andasi nyiiŋǝ ŋa ŋir rerrem ṯamɽa-thi, nǝ laazim ǝri dɔŋgwɔ-ŋgwɔtha raay-ri tatap ethi Kwɔrɔstɔ-na, kwir nda. 16 Nɔŋworo kwǝṯi-gwɔ aŋna tatap iithithi nǝ ǝṯɔŋw mithinni dɔŋw, kǝzir wir ŋwojo-ŋwojo tatap. Nǝ kǝzir wǝṯi-gwɔ aŋna akkɔ ŋothɽor ǝzir naana weere-weere ŋir-ŋa ŋɔvthannicasi ethisi ǝrri, ǝṯi-gwɔ aŋna tatap peŋe ǝṯɔŋw ǝccini ṯamɽa-thi.
Ŋimiitha ŋiyaŋ ethi Kwɔrɔstɔ-na.
17 Nyii kwɔŋǝsi andaci, nǝ ŋǝsi ulici yiriny-yi yǝthi Kweeleny, laazim ere aari isṯimir ethi nanni kaka Umama mac, wǝthi ǝfkǝrǝ witi wǝthi faayitha-na mac, 18 wǝthi ŋaɽinyi ŋinaanɔ kirim-nǝ, liti lǝṯi ɔɽɔmaṯṯi ki-ŋimiitha-na mac ŋa ŋinḏǝthǝsi Allah, kaka niti nilŋithirsi-gwɔ ŋeere mac, kaka nɔnḏɔr-gwɔ rɔgwori. 19 Nǝ ǝṯisi ṯɔrony ere yee-na mac, nǝr ṯuusi ṯicinǝ ṯeeŋen tatap ṯǝthi ṯɔrony nǝr inḏǝthǝ rogɽo reeŋen tatap kadɔwa, nǝr-gwɔ kandathi ŋa ŋigii-na ṯiga-ṯiga, ŋiti ŋibiirsi mac. 20 Nǝreere oro ŋa ŋǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ mac, ŋǝccǝr-ŋǝsi-ŋi @allima! 21 Ŋimǝsi neŋne rac rerrem ŋani ŋundu, na kaka norŋa-gwo luuŋwun, nǝrŋǝsi ǝccǝ @allima ŋa ŋir rerrem, ethi Yǝcu-nǝ. 22 Ŋwɔṯaŋw laazim urṯunǝll wur rogɽo-ri raalɔ rɔɔɽɔn, rǝthi ŋimiitha ŋaalɔ ŋǝthi kerreny-gwɔ, rikiyazasi sɔɔrɔm-lɔ kwǝthi ṯigǝɽinyjinǝ-lɔ. 23 Laazim oro liyaŋ ki-rigɽim-na raalɔ, nǝ ki-ŋaɽiny-na ŋaalɔ tok. 24 Laazim a kenne rogɽo riyaŋ, kira rigittasi Allah ethaaɽanni ŋunduŋw ŋirllaŋi-lɔ, ŋirllinǝŋi-lɔ ter, nǝ ŋa ŋir rerrem.
25 Ŋwɔṯaŋw, urṯunǝr-lɔ kithaay ŋǝluŋw-ŋi wur, mindaŋ laazim andindasi tatap leere-leere ŋiɽaŋali ŋir rerrem jaar-gi kwɔɔŋa, kaka nɔrɔr-gwɔ dɔŋw lɔtɔpɔt kaŋna-na wǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ. 26 Mǝ urǝzi rɔgwori tǝ, laakin ǝṯeere ǝrri ŋikiyaŋi mac; mindaŋ ǝṯeere duŋgwǝci aaŋwɔna ethɔɔɽi ŋarriny-ŋi rɔŋwor-ri mac. 27 Ǝṯeere inḏǝthǝ Ibliisǝ fɔrsa mac. 28 Ǝṯi kwɔɔɽam nyiimǝ kwokwony mac, laakin ethiŋw kǝniny akkɔ ŋothɽor ŋisaaw rii-ri ruuŋwun, mindaŋ mɔŋwɔthi ŋɔma ethisi inḏǝthǝ kila lǝṯisi kwomne iiraci. 29 Ǝṯi duŋgwǝcǝ kandisa kigii ethi ruuthǝ kworo-na kwaalɔ mac, laakin ethir ruuthǝ ŋa ŋisaaw ethi-ŋi firllasi lizi-la, mindaŋ mɔŋwsi ǝminǝ kila lǝṯisi neŋne. 30 Ǝṯeere ruunyuni Ṯigɽimǝ Ṯirllinǝlɔ ter mac ṯǝthi Allah, kitha ṯǝccǝr-ŋǝsi-thi akhṯima, mindaŋ ethi ǝkkici Laamin kizǝn lǝthi ŋiglǝthǝ. 31 Urṯunǝrlɔ kithaay wur raari-ŋgi ṯɔgwori, ŋirŋasa, ŋarriny, allasi lǝwǝ tok, yɔvɔɔlɔ nǝ ŋa tatap ŋigii. 32 Ǝṯoro limɽi lǝṯi yǝthisi rɔgwor-na, ǝṯisi indinyathisi-na wɔɽe-wɔɽeny, kaka mǝŋǝsi-gwɔ Allah iɽinyacalɔ Kwɔrɔstɔ-ŋgi.