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.
aza 9
ṯibaŋica ṯeḏi buuluz muŋw əkici Yecuŋw Kwruztu ŋodɽor ŋimɽi ŋi
1 nyi kwiti kwiri hurr manya? nyi kwiti kwiri kafur kimɔ Yecu Kwruztu ece-na manya? nyi kwiti kwumeze Kwelenyi kweri kweni Yecu manya? ŋaŋa liti liri ŋɔḏɽor ŋinyi eḏi Kweleny-na manya? 2 menyi lizi lir ter ṯime kwir kafur kimɔ Kweleny ece-na, nenyorɔ kafur kuŋwun ki yey-na yalu ṯirṯir, kaka ur ŋa gwu, ŋaŋa, leŋgir zi elŋe ŋafura ŋi ŋinyi ŋiri eḏi Kweleny-na. 3 ṯaŋwu, na ŋiɽaŋal ŋu orɔ ŋirli nyi ŋi ki yey-na ṯirṯir yeḏi lizi kla leṯinyi ṯecici.
4 ŋiti ŋofḏana duŋgwinyi eḏeḏne, eḏi ii tɔk manya? 5 ŋiti ŋofḏana duŋgwinyi manya eḏi romḏi kwaw gi kwir kwruztyan, kaka yafura yiḏaḏu, na lieŋgen leḏi Kweleny-ŋa, na zafa tɔk a? 6 ya nyiŋa barnaaba gi dak liti leḏi zulṯa manya eḏala ŋɔḏɽor rii ŋeḏi eḏne weri? 7 orṯa wende were weṯi neŋnici rɔgwɽɔ ruŋwun kwɔmne kweḏi ṯuwən kwuruuz gi kwuŋwun? kwizi kwende kwere kweṯi kwe kwɔmne karṯiny-na, mindaŋ eḏere ye kwere mac? taɽa tende tere teṯaŋraci ŋirela mindaŋ eḏere ii ŋan ŋɔkwɔ?
8 ŋaŋa leṯi manja aruŋw, nyi kweṯandazi zulṯa gi kweḏi kwizigwunaŋ domony a? ŋiti ŋandizazi ṯa kiṯam keḏi kuruu ŋete ŋete manya? 9 aw. kaka luḏinar gwu kuruu-na keḏi muuza, ŋaruŋw: eṯere kəkici tiḏri ṯunyu mac kra teṯipii ŋwana ŋwara ŋi, eḏi zi baliza lu ŋwir yey kuwaɽa lu. anna! Allah weri keni aŋraci nyiḏri domony a? 10 ŋiti ŋandizazi Allah ŋu ŋeni ŋeri ṯuɽuk manya? ŋiɽaŋal ŋu ŋuluḏina ŋeni ŋeri, kaka ofḏanar gwu eḏi kwizi kwe təkiza ṯi kizen, na ŋgwa kweṯipii ŋwana tɔk eḏi zi afi ŋwɔkwɔ ŋweḏi ŋɔḏɽor ŋuŋun. 11 na menyi owḏini nyiŋa ŋwola ŋwizaw ki rugwor-na ralu ta, ŋiri ŋupa eḏuni kwɔmne kwɔkwɔ kwalu kweḏi yaŋna? 12 mezi kla liḏaḏu erri ŋu ŋeni ŋofḏana, nenyere orɔ nyiŋa rerec leŋgizerri tɔk manya? lakin keni nenyere ketize zulṯa ŋgwu yey mac. nyiŋa leṯindinyani ŋiɽaŋal nana ŋere nyiḏak kaka ṯinya nyi gwu eḏi rii ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw ŋeḏi Kwruztu kereny. 13 a liti lilŋiica manya eḏaruŋw, kla letəkici heykala ŋɔḏɽor leṯi ye eḏneya weḏi heykal, na kla leṯaki ŋɔḏɽor ŋeḏi karama eṯir oɽmaṯi kwɔmne-na kweḏi karama? 14 na ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋete ŋete kaka ŋu, na Kweleny alla amra, waruŋw, kla leṯandindazi ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw ŋir injiil, ŋeŋgir ŋi afi kwɔmne kwir kaka kweṯi rɔgwɽɔ reŋen naŋni.
15 lakin, nyi kwende kwumuṯalu kwɔmne gi ŋgwu lamin lere, nenyjere lɔ ŋu kirem eḏi ŋi afi kwɔmne kwere kaka ta ŋwu tɔk mac. ŋofḏana duŋgwinyi keni eḏay mindaŋ a kwizi ere kwere mac eḏi ŋuma eḏi dimeḏa nyuŋwu ṯellina ki rɔgwɽɔ kḏu. 16 kaka menyi gwu andazi ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw ta, ŋir injiil, eṯinyere eḏi ŋuma eḏi ŋi ellini mac, kaka enir gwu lazim duŋgwinyi. na eyewey kweḏi ṯurfa ṯinyi menyere andazi ŋiɽaŋali ŋir injiil mac!
17 menyji ṯa erri ṯugwor ṯi tinyi, nyafi ujra; lakin menyjere erri ṯugwor ṯi tinyi mac ta, eṯinyjerri kaka kwuway kwuniŋneḏu kwumer ruzi wakiil. 18 mer orɔ ṯa ŋwu, na eṯinyi kinna andindazi ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw ŋir injiil beyin, iti kitizanyi gwu zulṯa yey mac eḏi gi afi kwɔmne kwere ta, na ujra winyi wunderṯa wendu? 19 iti ur nyi gwu kwuway kweḏi kwizi kwere ḏuṯ ta, nenyi ruzi rɔgwɽɔ rinyi kwuway kweḏi lizi tatap eḏi mulḏa lizi eḏi Kwruztu-na luru luru.
zurum kweḏi buuluz eḏi mulḏa lizi eḏi Kwruztu-na
20 ki lizi-na lir yahuuḏ ta, nenyi ruzi rɔgwɽɔ rinyi yahuuḏi mindaŋ eḏi mulḏa lizi lir yahuuḏ eḏi Kwruztu-na; ki lizi-na leṯi kəkini kuruu gi ta, nenyi ruzi rɔgwɽɔ rinyi rikəkini kuruu gi tɔk, mindaŋ eḏi zi mulḏa eḏi Kwruztu-na kla leṯi kəkini kuruu gi iti ur nyi gwu kinna kweṯi kəkini kuruu gi mac. 21 na ki lizi-na kla liira kuruu-na ta, nenyji aɽani kla liira kuruu-na eḏi zi mulḏa eḏi Kwruztu-na, iti ur nyi gwu kinna kwiira kuruu-na keḏi Allah rerec mac, eni nyi gwu kwudimazi kuruu-na keḏi Kwruztu. 22 na ki lizi-na lajila ki ṯəmna nenyi ruzini kaka ŋunduŋwuzi eḏi zi mulḏa eḏi Kwruztu-na kla lajila ki ṯəmna, na ŋeḏi lizi tatap nenyorɔ kwɔmne kwete nyiḏak eḏi zi kileḏi lɔkwɔ deŋgen-na. 23 ŋeṯinyjerri ŋu tatap ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋizaw ŋir injiil, mindaŋ menyi afi nyi tɔk ṯortaḏa ṯeḏi injiil.
ṯaŋrina nana eḏofḏazi
24 a liti lilŋiica manya eḏaruŋw, lizi kla leṯi kalmiṯaḏi kweṯellini kwutuput eḏi zi ṯamḏu mindaŋ muŋw afi kwɔmne? afrir ŋaŋa kaka ṯaŋwu, mindaŋ ma afi tɔk. 25 na ŋgwa kweṯi kalmiṯaḏi, eṯuŋw dirnini aŋna wuŋwun kwɔmne nana kweṯejili ŋunduŋwu nana. na kla leṯizerri ŋu eṯir afi taŋgiŋi tir yəni domony yeṯernine fitak, lakin nyiŋa ta, erafi taŋgiŋi kra titi teṯernine ḏuṯ. 26 nyi tɔk, nyi kweṯafri titir; na irmiciḏi nyi gwu bunya gi ta, eṯinyi ere ermice ezir lu domony mac; 27 ṯa ŋwu, eṯi nyi ermice aŋna winyi bunya gi ŋummaŋi, eḏi ruzi kwuway kwinyi, mindaŋ menyji andindaci liḏaḏu ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw, a Kweleny ere dirnaḏa nyuŋwu lu mac.