1 Khawrin 9
1 A hoep la ka om moenih a? Caeltueih la ka om moenih a? Mamih Boeipa Jesuh ka hmuh moenih a? Nangmih te Boeipa ah ka kutngo la na om uh moenih a?
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen our Lord Jesus? Aren’t you yourselves my work achieved in union with the Lord?
2 Hlang tloe taengah caeltueih la ka om pawt cakhaw nangmih ham ka om ngawn dae ta. Kai kah caeltueih coengnah kutnoek tah Boeipa ah nangmih na om uh ta.
If I am not an apostle to others, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal that stamps me as an apostle in union with the Lord.
3 Kai aka boelh rhoek taengah kai kah olthungnah tah he coeng ni.
The defence that I make to my critics is this:
4 Ka caak tih ka ok ham saithainah la ka khueh uh pawt moenih a?
Haven’t we a right to food and drink?
5 A tloe caeltueih rhoek, Boeipa kah manuca rhoek neh Kephas bangla ngannu, ka yuu khaw khuen ham saithainah ka khueh uh pawt moenih a?
Haven’t we a right to take a wife with us, if she is a Christian, as the other apostles and the Master’s brothers and Cephas all do?
6 Kai neh Barnabas bueng long khaw saii pawt ham saithainah ka khueh rhoi moenih a?
Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?
7 Amah buhcun neh aka vathoh noek te unim? Misur a tue dae a thaih aka ca pawt te unim? Tuping a dawn tih tuping kah suktui aka o pawt te unim?
Does anyone ever serve as a soldier at his own expense? Does anyone plant a vineyard and not eat its produce? Or does anyone look after a herd and not drink the milk?
8 Hekah he hlang lamloh ka thui moenih. Hekah he olkhueng long khaw a thui bal moenih.
Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?
9 Moses kah olkhueng dongah a daek coeng ta. Cang aka til vaito te a ka poi boeh. Vaito ham te Pathen a ngai a huet moenih a?
For in the Law of Moses it is said – “You should not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it the bullocks that God is thinking of?
10 Mamih ham khaw a thui van ta. Mamih ham khaw a daek coeng. Aka thol loh ngaiuepnah neh a thol ham a kuek. Cangtil long khaw ngaiuepnah neh a cabol ham om ta.
Or is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the ploughman ought not to plough, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.
11 Kaimih loh nangmih taengah mueihla cangti ka tuh uh. Tedae kaimih loh nangmih kah te pumsa la ka at uh koinih rhoekoe aih ni ta.
Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?
12 A tloe rhoek loh nangmih kah saithainah he a cabol uh atah kaimih ngai pawt nim? Tedae hekah saithainah he ka rhoidoeng uh moenih. Tedae boeih ka ueh uh daengah ni tomtanah pakhat khaw om mueh la Khrih kah olthangthen te kam paek uh eh.
If others share in this right over you, don’t we even more? Still we did not avail ourselves of this right. No, we endure anything rather than impede the progress of the good news of the Christ.
13 Aka cim la aka saii rhoek loh Bawkim kah te a caak uh te na ming uh pawt nim? hmueihtuk aka bulbo rhoek loh hmueihtuk taengkah te a bawn ta.
Don’t you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?
14 Te vanbangla olthangthen aka doek rhoek te khaw olthangthen neh hing saeh tila Boeipa loh a uen coeng.
So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the good news should get their living from the good news.
15 Tedae kai loh hekah he khat khaw ka rhoidoeng moenih. Tekah bangla kai taengah om sak ham khaw hekah he ka daek moenih. Kai kah thangpomnah te a tlongtlai sak pawt atah ka duek te kai ham lat then ngai.
I, however, have not availed myself of any of these rights. I am not saying this to secure such an arrangement for myself; indeed, I would far rather die – Nobody will make my boast a vain one!
16 Olthangthen ka phong atah kai ham thangpomnah om mahpawt nim? A kueknah khaw kai ham tah lalh bal. Phong kolla om cakhaw anunae kai ham aih he.
If I proclaim the good news, I have nothing to boast of, for I am compelled to do so. Woe is me if I do not share it!
17 He he thahlue la ka saii atah thapang ka dang. Tedae ka ngaihak akhaw hnokhoemnah he kai n'kungsut coeng.
If I do this work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.
18 Te koinih kai ham mebang thapang nim aka om. Olthangthen ka phong he a yoeyap la ka khueh mai eh. Olthangthen dongah ka saithainah te ka lawn sak moenih.
What is my reward, then? To present the good news free of all cost, and so make but a sparing use of the rights which it gives me.
19 Hlang boeih taeng lamkah aka loeih la ka om dae hlang boeih taengah kamah ka pinyen uh. Te daengah ni muep ka dang eh.
Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.
20 Judah rhoek taengah Judah la ka om daengah ni Judah rhoek te ka dang eh. Kamah tah olkhueng hmuiah ka om pawt dae olkhueng hmuikah rhoek taengah olkhueng hmuikah bangla ka om daengah ni olkhueng hmuikah rhoek te ka dang eh.
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews. To those who are subject to Law I became like a man subject to Law – though I was not myself subject to Law – to win those who are subject to Law.
21 Lailak rhoek taengah lailak bangla ka om dae Pathen taengah lailak la ka om pawt tih Khrih kah a rhimong dongah ni ka om. Te daengah ni lailak rhoek te ka dang eh.
To those who have no Law I became like a man who has no Law – not that I am free from God’s Law; no, for I am under Christ’s Law – to win those who have no law.
22 Tattloel taengah tattloel la ka om daengah ni tattloel rhoek te ka dang eh. Hlang boeih taengah cungkuem la ka om daengah ni pakhat khaw ka khang tangloeng eh.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so as at all costs to save some.
23 Olthangthen ham a soep ka saii daengah ni te te aka bawn la ka om eh.
And I do everything for the sake of the good news, so that with them I may share in its blessings.
24 Phalong khat ah aka yong rhoek loh boeih yong uh ngawn dae pakhat long ni kutdoe a dang tila na ming uh moenih a? Na yong uh van daengah ni na dang uh eh.
Don’t you know that on a racecourse, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 Te dongah aka loehlang boeih loh boeih kuemsuem saeh. Te pataeng khaw amih loh aka hmawn koi rhuisam ni a dang uh eh. Tedae mamih tah aka kuei ham ni n'thingthueluh.
Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.
26 Te dongah khungrhap la kai ka yong van moenih. Yilh aka bop bangla ka thoek van moenih.
I, therefore, do not run aimlessly. I do not box like a man hitting the air.
27 Tedae ka pum he ka ngae tih ka phaep. Hlang tloe taengah amah kah a lolhmaih aka hoe la ka om boel eh.
No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, so that I, who have called others to the contest, will not myself be rejected.
