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.
Dritai ndi Kama Lazo'ba robe
1 Inye'do ma ṛo ko mano dritai ro yi ya? Inye'do ma ṛo ko lazo'ba yi ya? Inye'do mandre Yesu Opi amaro ṛo ko ya? Ago Inye'do ami ṛo ko ni 'dise losi oye maro Opi ri kezibe owo ya? 2 Ondro 'diazaka kuruyi ma ca ko lazo'ba ro oko, endaro miru ma ndi! Tana ta rudro'bero amiro Opi be si andivo amiro ka'da taŋgyena te anjioko ma orivoya lazo'ba yi.
3 Ondro lidri kokozi ma te oko, medretazevo maro te andivo maro ta nonye. 4 Inye'do ozo drikaca dritai ro ko ŋgaonya ndi ŋgaumvu be ozone märi ta losi maro rota ya? 5 Inye'do ma ṛo ko dritai be osone taka'daro lazo'bai azaka ndi ädrupii Opi ro ndi Petero be ro vo, toko Kristo'ba ro uru si ma be aba maro ya ya? 6 Kode Baranaba ndi ma be toto ni 'dise losi oyene ta ori amaro rota owo ya? 7 Kyila'ba eŋwani kani ŋga ozo ta päläti modo ndaro rota ya? Ämvuoso'ba eŋwani nya doŋgo ko ni ämvu kono ro modo ndaro ro yasi ya? Lekye'ba eŋwani mvu leyi tii modo ndaro ro ko niya?
8 Male ko andivo maro etane taka'daro tu cini oriro kwoi si, tana Ota ata kpa nonye. 9 Mäzite ni Ota Musa ro yasi ekye: “Nyembe kala 'daŋgo ro ko ondro nyate losi oye sina inya olovoya owo.” Inye'do Lu ndre gialo vo 'daŋgo ro ayani ya? 10 Inye'do nda kabe ta ono atana nda ata ṛo ko ta amaro ta ya? Endaro egyite ta amaro ta. Mano se kabe ämvu oso ago mano se kabe olona beṛo losi ànyaro oyene mio'ba si anjioko ŋgase kowa be la'done. 11 Màri kwari Tori rote ami lako, inye'do orivoya ta amba yi ondro mùsu ŋga lomvo ro bete ni ami rigyesi ya? 12 Ondro 'di azaka dritai ro mio'ba be ŋga usune ni ami rigyesi, inye'do ama ṛo ko dritai be ndra ya?
Caoko màye losi kote dritai ono si, oko mìŋgyi ŋga cini te tana ukyi màlaga Lazokado ta Kristo rota 'da. 13 Endaro mìni ṛo te anjioko lidri se kayibe losi oye Yekalu ya usuyi ŋgaonya ànyaro teni Yekalu ya ago ànya se kayibe tori olo vo tori oloro ya usuyi ŋga teni vo tori oloro ya. 14 Kpa oso inye, Lu ta ànya se kayibe lazo ope te, beṛo ànyari ŋga ori ànyaro ori ro usune ni kigye.
15 Oko dritai se kwoi maye ŋga alo aza ko sina, mugu ta ono egyina be yauono ma kpa ko taeji ta ŋga rota andivo maro ri. A'dona kadopara märi odrane ni 'diaza ri driuŋgyi maro ono tozane ata awi ro! 16 Ma mbaraako driuŋgyine tana mabe lazo ope ono ro. Caoko ma orivoya ota zele oyene inye. Ago a'dona ndi koziro märi ondro mape lazo kote owo! 17 Ondro maye losi maro te dritai ro ole maro si, 'dooko mänina ndi mio'bane päläti ta; oko moyena ta kama rota, tana Lu yitate ma ya ta losi ono rota. 18 Ka'do inye, päläti se musuna tana ro 'bo e'diya? Orivoya ni takado Lazokado opero teinye ugu päläti eji ako tana ro, mugu driovi kote ta ŋga usu rota ta losi maro lazokado opero ta.
19 Ma orivoya mano dritai ro yi, ko iyeäṛi 'diaza ro; oko ma'ba andivo maro te a'done iyeäṛi 'dicini ro tana mezi lidri robe amba Yesu re. 20 Mabe ugu losi oye Yudai be, ma ori oso Yudai ronye, tana mezi ànya robe Yesu re; ago andivo maro ca i'do Ota Musa ro zele, mari ndi oso mabe ugu losi oye ànya se Ota zele be ronye, tana mezi ànya robe Yesu re. 21 Kpa oso inye, mabe ugu losi oye Atrai be, mari kpa oso Atra ronye se i'do Ota Yudai ro zele ronye, tana Atrai ezine, ono ko ekye tana maro Ota Lu ro ko; ma orivoya endaro Ota Kristo ro zele. 22 'Dise mbaraako taoma ya lako ma'do kpa mbaraako oso ànya ronye, tana mezi ànya robe. Ma'dote ŋgacini ro lidri cini ri, tana mapa rukä ànyaro robe, ondro ka'do ndi rritiako owo.
23 Ta cini ono mayete ta lazo opero ta, tana mala'do äṛu anyaro robe. 24 Endaro mini ndi anjioko umu'bai amba ciyite umukyekye ya oko toto alodi ànyaro kani ŋgapäṛi uru. Ka'do inye, mimu oso 'do ronye miru ŋgapäṛi robe. 25 Ojioye'bai cini uguyi iyi embate iyi laga si ŋga cini ya, tana tagyia se o'dio'di kabe ori fere ono osoza, oko mà amaro oyena tagyia se kabe ori äduako ta. 26 Ono ni tase mabe umu ŋgyero masa robe ondevona ya owo; ono ni tase malaba be oso 'dise kabe kyila oye 'diudi si drí si se si vo awi ko ronye. 27 Mesi lomvo maro te ṛo ruudivoya, ago mirita anya te kpeye, andivo maro gaga si ukyi azi uzi kyekye ya vosi oko anja ma te.