< 1 Corinthians 9 >
1 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?
Githĩ niĩ ndirĩ na wĩyathi? Githĩ niĩ ndirĩ mũtũmwo? Githĩ niĩ ndionire Jesũ Mwathani witũ? Anga inyuĩ mũtirĩ maciaro ma wĩra wakwa thĩinĩ wa Mwathani?
2 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.
O na angĩkorwo andũ arĩa angĩ mationaga ta ndĩ mũtũmwo-rĩ, ti-itherũ niĩ harĩ inyuĩ ndĩ mũtũmwo! Nĩgũkorwo nĩ inyuĩ kĩmenyithia kĩa ũtũmwo wakwa thĩinĩ wa Mwathani.
3 The defense that I make to my critics is this:
Gwĩtetera gwakwa harĩ arĩa manjiirithagia nĩ gũkũ:
4 Haven’t we a right to food and drink?
Githĩ ithuĩ tũtirĩ na kĩhooto gĩa kũrĩa na kũnyua?
5 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?
Githĩ ithuĩ tũtirĩ na kĩhooto kĩa mũndũ gũtwarana rũgendo-inĩ na mũtumia wake mwĩtĩkia, o ta ũrĩa atũmwo arĩa angĩ, na ariũ a nyina na Mwathani, o na Kefa mekaga?
6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to give up working for our bread?
Kana no niĩ tũrĩ na Baranaba arĩ o nginya tũrutage wĩra nĩguo tuone ũteithio witũ?
7 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?
Nũũ ũtungataga ta mũthigari na akeerĩha na indo ciake we mwene? Nĩ mũndũ ũrĩkũ ũhaandaga mũgũnda wa mĩthabibũ na ndarĩe thabibũ cia mũgũnda ũcio? Ningĩ-rĩ, nĩ kũrĩ mũndũ ũrĩithagia rũũru na ndanyue iria rĩa rũũru rũu?
8 Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?
Ndĩraaria ũhoro ũyũ ndĩ na meciiria ma ũ-mũndũ tu? Githĩ Watho o naguo nduugĩte o ũguo?
9 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?
Nĩgũkorwo nĩ kwandĩkĩtwo watho-inĩ wa Musa atĩrĩ, “Ndũkanohe ndegwa kanua hĩndĩ ĩrĩa ĩkũranga ngano ĩkĩmĩhũũra.” Ngai akiuga ũguo-rĩ, nĩ ndegwa aracaaĩra?
10 Or is not is said entirely for our sakes? Surely it was written for our sakes, for the plowman ought not to plow, nor the thrasher to thrash, without expecting a share of the grain.
Ti-itherũ oigaga ũguo nĩ ũndũ witũ, githĩ tiguo? Ĩĩ-ni, ũndũ ũyũ waandĩkirũo nĩ ũndũ witũ, tondũ rĩrĩa mũrĩmi ekũrĩma, nake mũhũũri ngano amĩhũũrage-rĩ, nĩ kwagĩrĩire mekage ũguo marĩ na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro atĩ nĩmakagayana magetha.
11 Since we, then, sowed spiritual seed for you, is it too much that we should reap from you an earthly harvest?
Tũngĩkorwo ithuĩ nĩtũhaandĩte mbeũ ya kĩĩroho thĩinĩ wanyu-rĩ, kaĩ akĩrĩ ũndũ mũnene ithuĩ tũngĩgetha indo cia gũtũũria mwĩrĩ kuuma kũrĩ inyuĩ?
12 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.
Angĩkorwo andũ angĩ marĩ na kĩhooto gĩa gũteithio nĩ inyuĩ-rĩ, ithuĩ githĩ tũtikĩagĩrĩirwo nĩgũteithio makĩria? No ithuĩ tũtiahũthĩrire kĩhooto kĩu. Handũ ha ũguo-rĩ, nĩ gũkirĩrĩria tũkiragĩrĩria ũndũ o wothe nĩguo tũtikae kũhĩngĩca Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega wa Kristũ.
13 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?
Kaĩ inyuĩ mũtooĩ atĩ andũ arĩa marutaga wĩra thĩinĩ wa hekarũ marutaga irio ciao kuuma kũu hekarũ, nao arĩa matungataga kĩgongona-inĩ magayanaga kĩrĩa kĩrutĩtwo kĩgongona-inĩ?
14 So, too, the Master has appointed that those who tell the good news should get their living from the good news.
O ta ũguo-rĩ, Mwathani nĩathanĩte atĩ arĩa mahunjagia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega nĩmagĩrĩirwo kuonaga gĩa kũmatũũria kuuma kũrĩ Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega.
15 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!
No niĩ ndirĩ ndaahũthĩra kĩhooto o na kĩmwe gĩa cio. Ningĩ ndiraandĩka ũhoro ũyũ ndĩ na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro atĩ nĩmũkũnjĩka maũndũ ta macio. Nĩ kaba ngue gũkĩra mũndũ o naũ agirie ndĩĩrahĩre ũndũ ũcio.
16 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!
No rĩrĩ, ndingĩhota kwĩraha rĩrĩa ngũhunjia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega, nĩgũkorwo nĩhatagĩrĩrio mũno ndĩũhunjie. Na niĩ ingĩaga kũhunjia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega kaĩ ndagĩa na haaro-ĩ!
17 If I do this work willingly, I have a reward; but, if unwillingly, I have been charged to perform a duty.
Ingĩhunjia nĩ ũndũ wa kwĩyendera-rĩ, ndaheo mũcaara; no angĩkorwo ti na ũndũ wa kwĩyendera-rĩ, niĩ no kũhingia ndĩrahingia ũndũ ũrĩa ndĩhokeirwo.
18 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.
Hakĩrĩ ũguo-rĩ, mũcaara wakwa ũkĩrĩ kĩ? Nĩ atĩrĩ: Atĩ harĩ ũhoro wa kũhunjia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega-rĩ, hunjagie tũhũ itekũrĩhwo, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio njage gwĩtagia kĩhooto gĩakwa rĩrĩa ngũhunjia Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega.
19 Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone’s slave.
O na gũtuĩka ndĩ muohore na ndirĩ ngombo ya mũndũ-rĩ, niĩ ndĩĩtuaga ngombo ya o mũndũ wothe, nĩguo nguucĩrĩrie andũ aingĩ o ta ũrĩa kwahoteka.
20 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.
Kũrĩ Ayahudi ndaatuĩkire ta Mũyahudi nĩguo nguucagĩrĩrie Ayahudi. Na kũrĩ arĩa marĩ rungu rwa watho-rĩ, ndaatuĩkire ta mũndũ ũrĩ rungu rwa watho, o na gũtuĩka niĩ mwene ndirĩ rungu rwa watho, nĩguo nguucagĩrĩrie arĩa marĩ rungu rwa watho.
21 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.
Kũrĩ arĩa matarĩ watho-inĩ-rĩ, ndaatuĩkire ta mũndũ ũtarĩ watho-inĩ ũcio, o na gũtuĩka ndirĩ muohore kuuma kũrĩ watho wa Ngai, no ndĩ watho-inĩ wa Kristũ, nĩguo nguucagĩrĩrie arĩa matarĩ watho-inĩ ũcio.
22 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.
Kũrĩ arĩa matarĩ hinya-rĩ, ndaatuĩkire ta itarĩ hinya nĩguo nguucagĩrĩrie arĩa matarĩ hinya. Nduĩkĩte maũndũ mothe kũrĩ andũ othe nĩgeetha kũngĩhoteka na njĩra ciothe ngerie kũhonokia amwe ao.
23 And I do everything for the sake of the good news, so that with them I may share in its blessings.
Njĩkaga maũndũ maya mothe nĩ ũndũ wa Ũhoro-ũrĩa-Mwega, nĩgeetha ngaagaĩrwo irathimo ciaguo.
24 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.
Kaĩ inyuĩ mũtooĩ atĩ andũ arĩa mahĩtahĩtanaga ihenya-inĩ mahanyũkaga othe, no rĩrĩ, no ũmwe wao ũheagwo kĩheo? Kĩhanyũkei na njĩra ĩrĩa ĩngĩtũma mũkaaheo kĩheo.
25 Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.
Mũndũ o wothe ũrĩa ũhĩtahĩtanaga thĩinĩ wa mathako-rĩ, ehataga na akemenyeria maũndũ-inĩ mothe hatarĩ itherũ. Mekaga ũguo nĩguo maheo thũmbĩ ĩtarĩ ya gũtũũra; no ithuĩ twĩkaga ũguo nĩguo tũkaaheo thũmbĩ ya gũtũũra nginya tene.
26 I, therefore, do not run aimlessly. I do not box like a man hitting the air.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, niĩ ndihanyũkaga ta mũndũ ũtooĩ gĩtũmi gĩa kũhanyũka; na ndirũaga ta mũndũ ũgũikia ngundi ciake o ũguo tũhũ.
27 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.
Aca, nĩ mwĩrĩ wakwa hũũraga ngaũtua ngombo yakwa, nĩgeetha ndaarĩkia kũhunjĩria andũ arĩa angĩ-rĩ, niĩ mwene ndikanatuĩke wa kũregwo nyimwo kĩheo.