2 Corinthians 10
1 Now I myself, Paul, appeal to you in a gentle and humble way, like Christ [would. Certain people among you have falsely accused me by saying], “When [Paul] is with you, he is humble [and speaks gently] to you, but when he is away from you, [in the letters he writes to you] he threatens [to punish] you.” [Those people claim that I do not have authority over you as an apostle].
Azɔ la, nye Paulo ŋutɔ mele nu xlɔ̃m mi kple dzigbɔɖi kple tufafa abe ale si Kristo ŋutɔ awɔ ene. Ke mia dometɔ aɖewo le gbɔgblɔm be, ne mele adzɔge la, nye nya dzi “sesẽna”, gake ne meva yewo gbɔ ko la, menɔa anyi abe “vɔvɔ̃nɔtɔ” ene.
2 I strongly plead with you, “[Please do not listen to people who say things like that!]” [I strongly plead with you not to listen to them], so that when I am there [with you] I will not [need to] speak severely [to you] in the same severe way as I [plan to] speak to those people who think that I behave like people who are not believers.
Mele kuku ɖem na mi be migana makplɔ mi kple asi sesẽ ne meva mia gbɔ o. Menya be ŋusẽ le asinye mazã ɖe ame siwo buna le mia dome be amegbetɔ ƒe nunya kple ŋusẽ ko metsɔ le dɔ wɔmii la dzi, gake nyemedi be mawɔ alea o.
3 [Remember that] although I am [human like everyone else] in the world, I do not fight [against those who oppose me] in the way that people who are not believers fight those who oppose them.
Enye nyateƒe be míele ŋutilã me zɔm gake, míewɔa aʋa le ŋutilã nu o.
4 [I will tell you what I mean by that: Just like soldiers use] various weapons [to fight their enemies] [MET], [I] ([fight against/oppose]) [those who] oppose God’s message, but I do it in a different way. I do not [use human arguments and clever/sweet talk], like unbelievers do. Instead, [I fight against my opponents] with the powerful means that God [has given me]. With that power [I destroy their arguments against God’s message and against me, just like soldiers destroy] [MET] the fortresses [of their enemies].
Menye amegbetɔwo ƒe aʋawɔnuwo míezãna o, ke boŋ Mawu ƒe ŋusẽ si tri akɔ wu nu sia nu lae míetsɔna ɖua Abosam ƒe ŋusẽwo katã dzi.
5 [Specifically], I show that the [human] arguments that they use to deceive [people are completely wrong]. When they [proudly say things that] keep other people from knowing God, [I show them that they are completely wrong. I also enable people to] change their ways of thinking so that they think about everything as Christ [wants them to think].
Míetsɔa Mawu ƒe ŋusẽ sia ɖua nya vlo siwo katã amegbetɔwo gblɔna ɖe Mawu ŋuti la dzi, eye eyae míetsɔna gbãa nugɔmemasemase ƒe gli si wòtu ƒo xlã amewo be woagadze si Mawu o. Eye to ŋusẽ sia me la, míeléa ame si dze aglã ɖe Mawu ŋuti la kluvii be wòatrɔ gbɔ va Mawu gbɔ, eye míetrɔa eƒe susuwo be wòaɖo to Kristo.
6 I am also ready to discipline everyone [among you] who has not obeyed [the things that Christ taught. I will do this] as soon as you [who truly want to obey Christ show me that] you are [going to] obey him completely.
Eye míele dzadzraɖo me be ne miaƒe toɖoɖo made blibo o la, ekema míahe to na ame siwo me aglãdzegbɔgbɔ gale la.
7 [I want you to understand what is] happening among you. There are certain [people there who are telling you that] they know for sure that they are Christ’s [representatives and that I am not]. Those people should realize that I [represent] Christ as much as they do.
Nu si le fu ɖem na mi lae nye be mietsɔ ameŋkumekpɔkpɔ ɖo dɔe, eye miele nye hã kpɔm be ŋusẽ aɖeke mele ŋunye o. Ke medi be miase egɔme be ne ame aɖe ate ŋu agblɔ be Kristo ƒe ŋusẽ le ye si tututu la, míawo hã míate ŋu agblɔ esia.
8 [I say that] because the authority that the Lord gave me [as his apostle] is to help you to become mature believers, not to cause you to stop [trusting in Christ]. So even if I were to boast a little more than I have [already done] (OR, proudly talk a little more than I have [already talked] about the authority the Lord gave me [as his apostle]), [no one would be able to make me] ashamed [by proving that Jesus has not given me that authority].
Ɖewohĩ la, awɔ na mi abe ɖe mele adegbe ƒom akpa le Aƒetɔ la ƒe ŋusẽ si wònam la ta ene, gake nye la, menye ŋukpe nam o, elabena ɖe wòna ŋusẽ siam be matsɔ tu mi ɖe edzi, menye be matsɔ agblẽ nu le mia ŋu o.
9 I do not intend to make you afraid of me by the letters that I [write to you].
Nyemedi be miabu be ɖeko mele vɔvɔ̃ dom na mi kple nye agbalẽwo o.
10 [I say that] because some people are saying, “[When Paul writes] letters, he says severe things [in order to make you obey him], but when he is here with you, [people look at him and say] he is weak, and he certainly is not a skillful speaker.”
Mia dometɔ aɖewo gblɔ be, “Ne ele adzɔge la, eyae wòŋlɔa agbalẽ nɔa ŋɔdzi kple vɔvɔ̃ dom na ame, gake ne eya ŋutɔ va la, megatea ŋu gblɔa nya mawo dometɔ aɖeke o, ke boŋ eƒoa nu abe ɖevi ene.”
11 The [people who say] such things should think carefully about this: The kind of [severe] person that [you think] me to be when you read my letters is exactly the kind of person I will be when I come. [I will do what I wrote that I would do].
Ke medi be ame siwo le nya mawo gblɔm la, nadzra ɖo ɖi, elabena ne míeva la, ŋusẽ si míetsɔ ŋlɔ agbalẽawo la, míele eɖe ge afia wo.
12 [Those who oppose me] tell others how good they are. [If they really were superior to me] [IRO], I would not be so bold as to say that I [was equal to them, or] to compare myself with them. [But they are not superior to me]. They make up their own standards [about what God’s servants should be like], and then they look at their own [conduct] and decide [whether or not they meet those standards. By doing that, they show that] they are foolish.
Míedi be míawɔ abe ale si mia dometɔ aɖewo wɔna nɔa wo ɖokuiwo kafum eye wonɔa nya ʋlim le wo ɖokuiwo dome be ame kae nye gãtɔ hã o. Nu siawo katã nye movidzɔdzɔ be miadi be yewoakpɔ be, ame kae nye gãtɔ wu le yewo dome hã?
13 But as for me, I will not boast about [working among people living in] areas outside of the areas [that God sent/assigned me to work in]. But [it is right for] me to say that [I have worked] in the areas that God assigned to me. [And since those areas] include the one where you live,
Ke míawo la, míaƒo adegbe le nu si le mía si la ko ŋu; míaƒo adegbe le dɔ si Mawu de mía si be míawɔ, eye esi míewɔ le mia dome la koe nye míaƒe taɖodzinu.
14 [when I talk about working among you], I am not boasting [about working in an area where God did not give me the right to work. What those who oppose me say about my not having authority as an apostle to you might be true] if I had not already come all the way to your area. [But that is not true], because I was the one who first brought the message about Christ to you. [I came to Corinth before they did]!
Míedze agɔ ne míegblɔ be ŋusẽ le mía si ɖe mia dzi o, elabena míawoe nye ame gbãtɔ siwo tsɔ Kristo ƒe nyanyui la vɛ na mi.
15 Also, [my opponents] boast about work that others have done [as if it were their own work]. It is improper for them to do that, but I do not do as they do. I confidently expect that as you trust more and more [in the gospel that I preach], you will more and more [agree that God has given me the right to] work [as Christ’s representative] among you.
Eye menye ɖe míele didim be míaƒo adegbe le ame bubu ƒe dɔ si wòwɔ le mia dome la ta o, ke míaƒe didi vevie nye be miaƒe xɔse natsi ɖe edzi be míate ŋu awɔ dɔ gãwo le mia dome le ɖoɖo si wona mí la nu.
16 Then I will be able to go to places beyond where you [are]. I will be able to tell the good message about Christ [to people in areas where no one has yet gone to tell that message]. And [I will be able to talk about the work I myself have done in that area], instead of boasting about work that someone else has already done [as if it were my work].
Le esia megbe la, miate ŋu akpɔ mɔ atsɔ Kristo ƒe nyanyui la ayii na dukɔ siwo le adzɔge le mia gbɔ afi si ame aɖeke mede haɖe o, be woawo hã nadze si Kristo. Ale be ame aɖeke magagblɔ be yee nye ame gbãtɔ si tsɔ nyanyui la yi du ma me hafi míeva o.
17 [I try to do according to what someone/Jeremiah wrote in the Scriptures], If anyone wants to boast [about something], he should boast [only] about what the Lord [God has done].
Mawunya gblɔe be, “Ame sia ame si di be yeaƒo adegbe la naƒoe le nu si Aƒetɔ la wɔ la ko ŋu.”
18 [You can realize, then, that] it is not those who (praise themselves/tell you what great things they have done), [as my opponents do], whom you should accept [as apostles]. Instead, you [should accept as true apostles only] those whom the Lord commends.
Elabena ame si ƒoa adegbe le eya ŋutɔ ƒe dɔwo ŋuti la medzea Aƒetɔ la ŋu o, ke ame si ƒe dɔwɔwɔ ŋu Aƒetɔ la kpɔ ŋudzedze nyui le lae nye dɔwɔla nyuitɔ.
