Sɔlṯa kwǝthi Bɔɔlɔs kwǝthi Allah kwɔrɔ.
1 Nyii kwɔrɔ kwǝni Bɔɔlɔs kwutuurǝccǝ-ŋǝsi-lɔ ṯǝjlinnǝ-thi nǝ ŋiiɽǝnnǝ-ŋi ŋǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ. Kila lokwo lǝṯaarɔ-ŋwa, nyii kwǝṯi ǝjilini ki-rogɽo mǝnyii rilli kiyǝnǝ yaalɔ, laakin ǝṯinyoro kwuugwul mǝnyii rucci ŋaaŋwɔsi-na tuk! 2 Nyii kwutuurǝccǝ-ŋǝsi-lɔ etheere kwɔrmɔṯasi nyuŋwɔ mac, ethisi andaci ŋaaŋwɔsi ŋifirlli mǝnyii iila yǝy-lɔ naani-ŋa gwɔ; nyii kwɔgittathɔ rac ethisi andaci kila lǝṯaarɔŋw, ŋǝṯi-nyji ǝrri ŋir gaa ŋǝṯisi ṯurmun ǝrri. 3 A kwilŋithir-pǝ rac ethaarɔŋw, a kwɔnaaniri ki-ṯurmun-nǝ, laakin ǝṯireere ṯɔgthi ṯɔthɔgtha-thi ṯǝthi ṯurmun mac. 4 Nǝ kwomne kwǝthi ŋǝriyǝ kwǝṯir-gi ṯɔgthi, nɔŋweere oro kwǝthi ṯurmun-nǝ mac, laakin nɔŋworo kwǝthi ŋɔma ŋǝthi Allah, kwǝṯinyii-gi kiirasi ŋɔma-lɔ ŋǝthi ŋwɔfeeɽer. 5 Ǝṯiny kiirasi ṯɔppathalɔ ṯǝthi ṯippiŋǝ rogɽo, ṯir ḏiḏ ṯilŋithinǝ ṯǝthi Allah; mindaŋ ǝṯinyii mithǝ ǝfkǝrǝ tatap ŋɔwaaya, ethi iinyici Kwɔrɔstɔ-ŋw nana. 6 Nyiiŋǝ kɔlɔ linaanalɔ cɔgwo-cɔgwop ethi inḏǝthǝ ŋɔdɔrllathɔ ŋaalɔ ŋette nyithak jiizǝ, mǝ ṯiinya naana ṯaalɔ oro min-min.
7 Ŋaaŋa lǝṯi ecce kwomne ŋgwa kwiijinǝ parŋgala. Mǝ kweere nyithak aarɔŋw, nyii kwir kwǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ, ethi-ŋwɔ aari fǝkirǝ ki-rogɽo-na ruuŋwun, kaka nɔrɔ-ŋgwɔ kwǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ, nǝ nyiiŋǝ tok ninyoro luuŋwun. 8 Kaka niti niithiny-gwɔ ṯɔrony mac, kinaŋw nǝllinǝny-gwɔ ki-rogɽo ṯǝllinǝ-thi ṯithǝmthǝ-lɔ ṯokwo, ŋiɽaŋal-ŋi ŋǝthi sɔlṯa ŋgwa kwinḏǝthǝ-nyji Kweeleny, ethi-gi kikindǝsi ŋaaŋwɔsi, laakin etheere kiirasi ŋaaŋwɔsi-lɔ mac. 9 Nyii kwiti kwɔnaŋna ŋiɽaŋali ŋɔ ethoro kaka nyii kwɔnaŋna-ŋǝsi ethi ǝnyjici ŋithenya juwaab-gi mac. 10 Kaka naarir-gwɔ lokwoŋw, “Lijuwaab luuŋwun, lǝṯi raari ṯeṯṯec nǝ nǝr ferlle tok, laakin mɔŋw naani yǝy-lɔ kwir aŋna tǝ, ǝṯɔŋw ajli cige-cigep, nǝ ǝṯi kandisa kuuŋun ere ǝthi faayithana kweere mac.” 11 Ethisi lizi lir kaka ṯaŋw, elŋe ethaarɔŋw, ŋǝ ŋǝṯinǝsi lo ki-lijuwaab-na a-naani-nyii tuk, ŋinḏi-ṯǝ ethoroŋw ŋette-ŋette mǝnyii naani yǝy-lɔ ŋaaŋa-li. 12 Nyiiŋǝ liti lɔbɔɔnya mac ethi biɽithi rogɽo rǝri lizi-li kila lǝṯi piŋi rogɽo reeŋen beṯṯen. Laakin mǝr ṯǝccicini-nǝ wɔɽe-wɔɽeny, nǝ mǝr bibɽithi rogɽo-na reeŋen tǝ, ǝṯir ǝni liti lilŋithisi ŋeere mac! 13 Laakin nyiiŋǝ liti lǝthi ŋɔma ethi ǝllini ṯǝllinǝ-thi ṯithǝmthi kǝblǝlɔ mac, laakin ǝṯɔŋw tǝ nannitha kǝblǝnǝ ŋga kǝthi ŋothɽor ŋinḏǝthǝ-nyji Allah, ethi-gi ɔppatha naaniŋa-gwɔ. 14 Nǝ kaka a-naaniŋa-gwɔ ki-yǝblǝ-nǝ kiya, mindaŋ ninyjeere ṯǝmthicǝlɔ mac kinaŋw mǝnyii iila naaniŋa-gwɔ, nǝvicǝr-ŋǝsi-gwɔ lnyjiilǝ wǝthi Kwɔrɔstɔ. 15 Ŋwɔṯaŋw ninyeere ǝthi ŋɔma mac ethi ṯamthɔ yǝblǝlɔ ṯǝllinǝ-thi, ki-ŋothɽor-na ŋǝthi kila lithaathɔ mac; laakin nǝ ṯǝkkizǝ kizǝn ṯǝri ǝniŋw, mǝ ṯǝmminǝ ṯaalɔ kikindǝnni tǝ, ǝmǝ ŋothɽor ŋǝthi ṯɔrɔny ṯǝri daŋgal-na orona dar-dar. 16 Ŋwɔṯaŋw mindaŋ minyǝthi ŋɔma ethaari bǝshirǝ Inyjiilǝ ki-libǝlǝḏ lir ter, liti lǝllinǝthi ŋothɽor naana ŋakkisi kwizi kweere mac kwir ter ki-ṯɔrɔny-na ṯuuŋwun. 17 Laakin kaka naarɔ-gwɔ Kiṯaab ŋwɔ, “Ŋgwa kwǝṯi naŋni ethi ǝllini, ethi-ŋw ǝllini Kweeleny-ŋgi.” 18 Kaka ŋgwa kwǝṯi Kweeleny iiɽinǝ, ǝṯɔŋworo kwǝṯɔŋw ǝmmini, laakin nɔŋweere oro ŋgwa kwǝṯi iiɽi rogɽo-na ruuŋwun mac.
Paul Defends His Ministry
1 I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you—I who am said to be meek and mild when I am with you, but harsh with you when I am away. By the gentleness and kindness of Christ 2 I beg you not to force me to be harsh when I come; for I am sure I can deal harshly with those who say that we act from worldly motives. 3 It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. 4 The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; 5 we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. 6 And after you have proved your complete loyalty, we will be ready to punish any act of disloyalty.
7 You are looking at the outward appearance of things. Are there some there who reckon themselves to belong to Christ? Well, let them think again about themselves, because we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 For I am not ashamed, even if I have boasted somewhat too much about the authority that the Lord has given us—authority to build you up, not to tear you down. 9 I do not want it to appear that I am trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 Someone will say, “Paul's letters are severe and strong, but when he is with us in person, he is weak, and his words are nothing!” 11 Such a person must understand that there is no difference between what we write in our letters when we are away and what we will do when we are there with you.
12 Of course we would not dare classify ourselves or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly. How stupid they are! They make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and they judge themselves by their own standards! 13 As for us, however, our boasting will not go beyond certain limits; it will stay within the limits of the work which God has set for us, and this includes our work among you. 14 And since you are within those limits, we were not going beyond them when we came to you, bringing the Good News about Christ. 15 So we do not boast about the work that others have done beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, we hope that your faith may grow and that we may be able to do a much greater work among you, always within the limits that God has set. 16 Then we can preach the Good News in other countries beyond you and shall not have to boast about work already done in someone else's field.
17 But as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast about what the Lord has done.” 18 For it is when the Lord thinks well of us that we are really approved, and not when we think well of ourselves.