Ŋen ŋəd̶əma
1 Na ŋen ŋəŋen iŋi ñagəwerd̶əṯiñi, ndə ed̶a gənəŋ gero gəməd̶ia kwai kwai ŋen iŋi ŋame. 2 Orn ṯa led̶a alerṯe ləɽaŋa lijila ɽrəto, ŋgiṯr ed̶a aŋəme wasen gəlëɽəŋu na com ŋgiṯr wuji gəɽəbwa aŋerṯe ebaŋgen gəlëɽəŋu. 3 Ŋgiṯr ed̶a aŋərəmoṯe ŋen ŋəwasen, na wuji aŋərəmoṯe ŋen ŋebaŋgen com. 4 Wuji gero gəberṯia ŋələŋe egaŋəno ilëɽəŋu, orn ebaŋgen gerṯo, na orra gero gəberṯia ŋələŋe egaŋəno ilëɽəŋu, orn wasen gerṯo. 5 Ñerṯe ñaŋgiṯia ed̶a gənəŋ gəned̶a wasen walla wuji gəned̶a ebaŋgen ṯa laldəgəɽaŋa, illi ndə ñagərreid̶u ŋen ṯa ñid̶i ṯia iliga lobəlano, ŋen ŋanṯa ñekeɽəd̶ia Rəmwa, na ñopbəd̶e ñaŋ ndəm, ṯa Seṯan aiyerṯe yindirndeicia ŋen ŋanṯa d̶aməraṯa ed̶alo id̶ërəkəd̶ia aŋəno. 6 Igandəlwaɽəṯia ŋen iŋi, orn gerṯe ŋenŋa ŋəŋabəɽa d̶eṯəm ṯa endaməd̶aṯe. 7 Egwonaṯa ṯa led̶a pred̶ aləñarneṯe. Orn led̶a pred̶ lerṯo d̶əneinia i-Rəmwa, ed̶a gənəŋ gerṯo d̶əneinia d̶ənəŋ na ed̶a gwomən gerṯo d̶əneinia d̶womən.
8 Orn igalwaɽəṯia led̶a ildi ləmulu ləmaməd̶ia na ləmulu ləmamənia, na liji əɽəlda ildi ləṯëd̶ənialo ṯa, ŋen ŋame ndə ləɽaŋa larno ñi. 9 Orn ndə lero ləɽwad̶aṯia lerkəd̶ia aŋəno, ŋgiṯərldo almaniəd̶e na almaməni. Ŋen ŋaŋəra ndə ed̶a gəməd̶o, ŋaməñaṯo ŋen ṯa d̶wonaṯa d̶ed̶a d̶amuɽia.
10 Na led̶a ildi ləmaməd̶o na ləmamənu, igallwaɽəṯia orn gerṯe fiñi, orn Eləŋ Rəmwa, ñerṯe ñaŋgiṯia wuji ṯa ganed̶a ebaŋgen 11 Orn ndə wuji gəned̶o ebaŋgen, ŋgiṯəmar aŋaɽaŋe ŋepia, walla aŋoɽəbaṯe ebaŋgen nano, na ñerṯe ñaŋgiṯia maje ṯa ganed̶a wasen.
12 Đəñid̶i egalwaɽa, gerṯe Eləŋ Rəmwa, ṯa ndə ed̶a gənəŋ ikanisa gerṯo wasen gero gəbëndia ŋeu ŋə-Rəmwa na wasen gəmwonaṯa aldəgəɽaŋe ñerṯe ñaŋgiṯia maje igi ṯa ganed̶a wasen. 13 Na ndə wuji gerṯo ebaŋgen gero gəbëndia ŋen ŋə-Rəmwa na ebaŋgen gəmwonaṯa aldəgəɽaŋe ñerṯe ñaŋgiṯia wuji igi ṯa ganed̶a ebaŋgen. 14 Ŋen ŋanṯa maje gero gəbëndia ŋen ŋə-Rəmwa gëbəd̶ənia gətəɽe wasenga na wuji gero gəbëndia ŋen ŋə-Rəmwa gëbəd̶ənia gətəɽe ebaŋgenga ndə ŋen ŋero ŋəfia ṯia ñere eñalo ñataŋa, orn d̶əñid̶i ñatəɽe. 15 Orn ndə ed̶a gero gəbëndia ŋen ŋə-Rəmwa gwonaṯa gəbəla, ŋgiṯəmar aŋəɽe. Ndə ŋen ŋəfəṯia oraiñ gəɽorra walla gəɽəbwa aŋerṯe gəbakaseid̶ənia eŋen iŋi. Rəmwa rwoṯənde ṯa ñaɽaŋe id̶ëuṯaralo. 16 Wuji, agaləŋeṯo ŋen ṯau? Aŋgaica agid̶i ŋëbəri ebaŋgalo. Maje, agaləŋeṯo ŋen ṯau? Aŋgaica agid̶i ŋëbəri wasalo.
Məṯr ŋen ŋarno Rəmwa rundəd̶iande
17 Ŋgiṯr ed̶a gənəŋ aŋəɽaŋe eŋen Eləŋ Rəmwa rənaicəma, na eŋen ŋarno Rəmwa rundəd̶əma. Fəŋen iŋi igəbəgëɽia ikanisa pred̶. 18 Ed̶a gənəŋ gundəd̶ənu igi guɽəd̶ənu? Ñerṯe ñamaŋgiṯia ṯa gaŋgəd̶ənia ŋwëɽiña ŋəd̶uɽəd̶ənia. Na ndə ed̶a gənəŋ gundəd̶ənu igi gero guɽəd̶ənia? Ñerṯe ñamaŋgiṯia aŋuɽəd̶əni. 19 Đuɽəd̶ənia d̶arno wagero, na d̶uɽəd̶ənia d̶ero d̶arno wagero, orn ŋen ṯa ed̶a garəmoṯwa ŋen ŋalganun yi-Rəmwa ŋerṯo ŋeniano. 20 Ŋgiṯr ed̶a gənəŋ aŋəfeṯe eŋen ŋarno iŋi Rəmwa rundəd̶əmau. 21 Agafo agaɽo ebai ŋen Rəmwa rundəd̶iaŋa? Gerṯe ageiciano, orn ndə liga lëni ŋaɽeṯe ed̶a gero gəbëndənia, mo debəreinialo. 22 Ŋen ŋanṯa ed̶a igi gəfo gəɽo ebai ŋen Rəmwa rundəd̶əma, gënəŋu gid̶ənu gəɽo ed̶a gero gəbëndənia g-Eləŋ Rəmwa, na com ed̶a gero gəbëndənia ŋen Rəmwa rundəd̶əma gënəŋu gaɽo ebai g-Almasiya. 23 Ñaŋ ñagilid̶ənu ilia. Ñerṯe ñagəɽia ləbai ləled̶a. 24 Lorldaiñ, ŋgiṯr ed̶a gənəŋ alɽaŋe Rəmwara, eŋen iŋi gəfo gəfau ŋen ŋarno Rəmwa rundəd̶əma.
Ŋen ŋəled̶a ildi lero ləmaməd̶ia na ildi lədəṯëd̶ənialo
25 Eləŋ Rəmwa rero rəñəlwaɽəṯia ŋen ŋənəŋ eŋen ŋəliji lero ləməd̶ia walla ləmamənia, orn igandəlwaɽəṯia ŋen ŋəlëɽəñi, garno ed̶a igi gəd̶urwaṯo eŋen ŋəbaiyaŋa ŋə-Rəmwa. 26 Egaṯa aŋgaica ŋen ŋame iliga ildi ləd̶aicwarənia ndə ed̶a gəɽaŋa ŋen ŋarno ŋəbətaŋəɽan. 27 Agakaseid̶ənu wasaləga? Ŋerṯe agwonaṯa d̶əndəd̶iano. Agafo məɽəməɽeñ wasalo gero? Ŋerṯe agapwaiña wuji. 28 Orn ndə agəməd̶o, agero agəbəd̶ia mənna, na ndə ŋere ŋəɽo ŋowa ŋəmənu, ŋënəŋu ŋero ŋəbəd̶ia mənna, orn led̶a ildi ləmaməd̶ia lid̶i aləfid̶i ŋen ŋubwa alo, na egwonaṯa igəndəmiña eŋen iŋi. 29 Igandəlwaɽəṯia lorldaiñ ṯa, liga ləṯënu lobəlano. Nṯia ŋgiṯr led̶a lerṯo wasenanda alarneṯe led̶a lero wasenanda, 30 na led̶a ildi ləbara alarneṯe led̶a ildi ləber ləbara, na led̶a ildi ləŋəra nano alarneṯe led̶a ildi lero d̶əŋəra nano, na led̶a ildi ləbərldid̶a alarneṯa led̶a ildi lero laŋge, 31 na led̶a ildi ləbəd̶ia ŋen laŋgela lalo, alarneṯe led̶a ildi ləber ləbəd̶ia ŋen laŋgela lalo kwai kwai, ŋen ŋanṯa ŋen ŋalo ŋaməndëd̶ənia.
32 Egwonaṯa ṯa ñerṯe ñagagərd̶ia. Ed̶a gero gəməd̶ia gərəmoṯwa ŋen ŋə-Rəmwa, ṯa aŋid̶i Eləŋ Rəmwa rəŋəra nano, 33 orn ed̶a gəməd̶o garəmoṯwa ŋen ŋalo, ṯa aŋid̶i wasen gəŋəra nano. 34 Na wasen com gerṯo ŋen ŋəɽijan egare. Ŋere ŋəɽo ŋowa iŋi ŋero ŋəmənia ŋarəmoṯwa ŋen ŋ-Eləŋ Rəmwa ṯa ŋënəŋu aŋətəɽeṯe egaŋəno na igusila com, orn wuji gəmənu garəmoṯwa ŋen ŋalo ṯa aŋid̶i ebaŋgen gəŋəra nano. 35 Egalwaɽa ṯia ŋen ŋanṯa endaməd̶aṯe, gerṯe ŋen ŋanṯa indiɽəweici, orn ŋen ŋanṯa ŋen aŋəfeṯe ŋopia, na ṯa ñarəmoṯe ŋen ŋ-Eləŋ Rəmwa, waŋge gero gənəŋ gəndətësia iŋəmëɽria ŋəlëɽəŋu.
36 Orn ndə ed̶a gənəŋ gəbaṯa ṯa gaber gəɽwad̶aṯa gəbəd̶ia ŋen ŋəfo ŋopia ŋen ŋanṯa ŋere ŋəlëɽəŋu iŋi ŋero ŋəmənia, na ŋënəŋu ŋoɽra aten, na ŋafo ŋopia d̶eṯəm, ŋgiṯəmar aŋəməd̶e ŋen ŋarno gwonaṯa. Gënəŋu gaber gəbəd̶ia mənna. Ŋgiṯu ŋere aŋəməni. 37 Orn ndə ed̶a igi gəlwaɽo eŋəṯəɽa ŋəlëɽəŋu d̶eṯəm, ndə gaṯa gaɽaŋa məɽəməɽeñ, na gerṯo ŋələŋe ṯa aŋid̶i ŋen iŋi gwonaṯa, nəŋëɽi ŋen egare ṯa gaber gəməd̶ia, gënəŋu gëbəd̶ia ŋen ŋəŋəra. 38 Ŋen ŋafəṯia ed̶a igi gəma ŋere ŋero ŋəmənia gëbəd̶ia ŋen ŋame, orn ed̶a igi gəned̶o d̶əma gëbəd̶ia ŋen ŋame kaiñ gəməñaṯo orəba.
39 Wuji gakaseid̶ənu ebaŋgenga iliga gəməṯo, orn ndə ebaŋgen gaiyo gaɽwad̶aṯa gəmənia eged̶a gəmwonaṯa orn illi maje gëndu ŋen ŋə-Eləŋ Yesu. 40 Orn wuji gënəŋu gid̶i aŋəreṯe nano gəməñaṯo orəba ndə gəɽaŋa məɽəməɽeñ. Fəŋen igënəñi egəlwaɽo na egaṯa, egerṯo Usila gə-Rəmwa com.
Questions about Marriage
1 Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, “Is it best for people not to marry?” 2 Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral. 3 Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. 4 A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. 5 So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don't know of anything the Lord said about this matter. 7 I wish all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us.
8 My advice for the unmarried and for widows is that it is acceptable for them to remain single, just as I am. 9 But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire.
10 I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband 11 should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.
12 I don't know of anything else the Lord said about marriage. All I can do is to give you my own advice. If your wife isn't a follower of the Lord, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce her. 13 If your husband isn't a follower, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce him. 14 Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a partner. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.
15 If your husband or wife isn't a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace. 16 And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn't a follower?
Obeying the Lord at All Times
17 In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you. 18 If you are already circumcised, don't try to change it. If you are not circumcised, don't get circumcised. 19 Being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't really what matters. The important thing is to obey God's commands. 20 So don't try to change what you were when God chose you. 21 Are you a slave? Don't let that bother you. But if you can win your freedom, you should. 22 When the Lord chooses slaves, they become his free people. And when he chooses free people, they become slaves of Christ. 23 God paid a great price for you. So don't become slaves of anyone else. 24 Stay what you were when God chose you.
Unmarried People
25 I don't know of anything the Lord said about people who have never been married. But I will tell you what I think. And you can trust me, because the Lord has treated me with kindness. 26 We are now going through hard times, and I think it is best for you to stay as you are. 27 If you are married, stay married. If you are not married, don't try to get married. 28 It isn't wrong to marry, even if you have never been married before. But those who marry will have a lot of trouble, and I want to protect you from this.
29 My friends, what I mean is that the Lord will soon come, and it won't matter if you are married or not. 30 It will be all the same if you are crying or laughing, or if you are buying or are completely broke. 31 It won't make any difference how much good you are getting from this world or how much you like it. This world as we know it is now passing away.
32 I want all of you to be free from worry. An unmarried man worries about how to please the Lord. 33 But a married man has more worries. He must worry about the things of this world, because he wants to please his wife. 34 So he is pulled in two directions. Unmarried women and women who have never been married worry only about pleasing the Lord, and they keep their bodies and minds pure. But a married woman worries about the things of this world, because she wants to please her husband. 35 What I am saying is for your own good—it isn't to limit your freedom. I want to help you to live right and to love the Lord above all else.
36 But suppose you are engaged to someone old enough to be married, and you want her so much that all you can think about is getting married. Then go ahead and marry. There is nothing wrong with that. 37 But it is better to have self-control and to make up your mind not to marry. 38 It is perfectly all right to marry, but it is better not to get married at all.
39 A wife should stay married to her husband until he dies. Then she is free to marry again, but only to a man who is a follower of the Lord. 40 However, I think I am obeying God's Spirit when I say she would be happier to stay single.