Korintotɔwo 1 4
1 Eya ta ele be miakpɔ Apolo kple nye Paulo ŋutɔ abe Kristo ƒe subɔlawo ko ene. Míaƒe dɔe nye be míaɖe Mawu ƒe nu ɣaɣlawo ɖe go, eye to esia me la, míahe yayra geɖe vɛ na amewo.
So, people ought to consider us [apostles] (OR, Apollos and me) to be [merely] servants of Christ. God has given to us [(exc) the work of] telling others the message that God has now revealed to us.
2 Nu si le vevie na dɔla lae nye be wòakpɔ egbɔ be yenye nuteƒewɔla.
With respect to doing that, those who are given work are required {give others some work to do require them} to do that work faithfully.
3 Ke ame aɖe abia be, ɖe nye Paulo hã mewɔ dɔ abe dɔla nyui enea? Esia menye nya si ɖea fu na nye susu o. Nyemetsɔ ɖeke le nu si miawo alo ame bubu aɖewo buna le nye dɔwɔwɔ ŋu la me o. Azɔ hã nyemeka ɖe nye ŋutɔ nye nyametsotso hã dzi le nya sia me o.
I am not concerned whether you or [the judges in] some court decide whether I have done my work faithfully or not. I do not even judge myself [about that].
4 Togbɔ be nye dzitsinya meɖea fu nam o hã la, esia mefia kokoko be mele nye dɔ wɔm abe ale si dze ene o. Mawu ŋutɔ koe ate ŋu ana nyametsotso le nye dɔwɔna ŋu, be mewɔe nyuie alo nyemewɔe nyuie o.
I do not think that I have done anything wrong, but that does not prove that I have done nothing wrong. The Lord is the one who judges me.
5 Eya ta nɔvinyewo, mikpɔ nyuie be miaganɔ nya me tsom le ame aɖe ƒe dɔwɔwɔ ŋuti, hafi Aƒetɔ la nava, be ewɔe nyuie alo mewɔe nyuie o. Ne Aƒetɔa ŋutɔ va la, eƒe kekeli gã la aklẽ ɖe ame sia ame dzi gãa, ale be nu si mía dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe nye tututu le eƒe dzi me la adze nyuie. Ale ame sia ame anya taɖodzinu si tututu nɔ mía si hafi míenɔa kutri kum ɖe Aƒetɔ ƒe dɔa ŋu. Eye Mawu ŋutɔ ana kafukafu si dze la ame sia ame le ɣe ma ɣi me.
So, stop evaluating any of us [(exc)] before the time [when God judges everyone] [MTY]! Do not judge us before the Lord comes. He is the one who will reveal the sinful things that people have done secretly. He will even reveal what people have thought. At that time God will praise each person as [each one of them deserves].
6 Nɔviwo, ɖeko metsɔ Apolo kple nye ŋutɔ le kpɔɖeŋu ɖom na mi be maɖe nu si gblɔm mele la me na mi nyuie, ale be miase nya siwo woŋlɔ ɖi la gɔme; nya si woŋlɔ be, “Mègatsɔ naneke kpe nu si woŋlɔ da ɖi la o.” Ale miagade bubu ame aɖe ŋu wu ame bubu o.
My fellow believers, I have [told you] all these things as illustrations of myself and Apollos. I have done this for your sake, in order that you may learn [to live according to] the saying, “Do not act contrary to what is {what they have} written [in the Scriptures].” If you follow that rule, you will not be proud of one [spiritual leader] and despise another.
7 Elabena ame kae wɔ mi mieto vovo tso ame bubuwo gbɔ? Nu kae le mia si, si menye Mawue na mi o? Ke ne mielɔ̃ ɖe edzi be nu siwo katã le mia si la nye nunana tso Mawu gbɔ la, nu ka ta miele dadam abe ɖe wosu mia si to mia ŋutɔwo ƒe agbagbadzedze me ene?
(No one has made any of you superior to others!/Why do any of you think that you are superior to others?) [RHQ] [All the abilities] that you have, you received [from God]. [RHQ] So if you received them all [from God], (you should not boast [thinking], “I got these abilities [from myself], [not from God]!”/why do you boast [thinking], “I got these abilities [from myself], [not from God]?”) [RHQ]
8 Nu sia nu su mia si xoxo! Miezu kesinɔtɔwo xoxo! Miezu fiawo xoxo míawo manɔmee. Ne ɖe mienye fiawo xoxo la, adzɔ dzi nam ŋutɔ be míawo hã míanye fiawo kpli mi.
[It is disgusting that you act as though] [IRO] you have already received everything that you need [spiritually]. You act as though [IRO] you were [spiritually] rich (OR, you had received all [the spiritual gifts you need]). You act as though [IRO] you had already begun to rule as kings with Christ. Well, I wish that you really were ruling [with him], in order that we [apostles] might also rule with you!
9 Elabena edzena nam be Mawu tsɔ mí apostolowo da ɖe fli la ƒe nuwuwu abe ame siwo wotso kufia na woyina wuwu ge le dutoƒo la ene. Wodo kpɔkpɔ mí le xexea me katã le mawudɔlawo kple amegbetɔwo gbɔ.
But it seems as though God has put us [apostles] on display, [like prisoners] at the end [of the victor’s parade]. We [(exc)] are like men who have been condemned to die, who have been put in the arena where everyone can see [the wild animals] killing them. And not only people, but even angels all over the world [are watching us, as people] watch those who are performing a play [in a theater].
10 Le Kristo ta la, míezu abe bometsilawo ene, ke miawo mienye kristotɔ nunyalawo. Míegbɔdzɔna le ŋutilã me gake ŋusẽ le miawo ya ŋu. Wobua mi nyuie, ke míawo la, míezu ame ɖigbɔ̃wo ɖeɖe ko!
Many people consider us to be [IRO] fools because [we preach about] Christ, but you proudly [think [IRO] that] you are wise because (of your close relationship with/you belong to) Christ. Many people [consider us] [IRO] to be unimpressive, but you [proudly think that you] impress others. People respect you, but they do not respect us.
11 Va sa ɖe fifi laa hã la, dɔ le mía wum, tsikɔ hã le mía wum, eye míekpɔ awu vuvu teti hã ado be vuvɔ nagawɔ mí o. Eye esi aƒe aɖeke mele mía si o ta la, wotua asi mí tso afii yi afi mɛ.
Up to this present time we have often been hungry. We have often been thirsty. We have ragged clothes. Often we have been beaten {others have beaten us}. We [have traveled so much that we] have no regular homes to live in.
12 Míawo ŋutɔ míetsɔa asi wɔa dɔ kple kutrikuku be míakpɔ mía ɖokuiwo dzii. Míeyraa ame siwo ƒoa fi dea mí la, eye míegbɔa dzi ɖi blewu na míaƒe futɔwo.
We work very hard [to earn a living]. When we are cursed [by people] {When [people] curse us}, we [ask God to] bless them. When we are persecuted {When [people] cause us to suffer}, we endure it.
13 Ne ame aɖe gblɔ nya vɔ̃ɖi tso mía ŋu hã la, míewɔa dzre kplii o. Ke esiawo katã meɖe vi aɖeke o, elabena va se ɖe fifia hã la, amewo mebua mí o. Míele ko abe xexe sia me ƒe aɖukpodzinu si ŋu ŋudɔwɔnu aɖeke kura mele o la ene.
When we are slandered [by people] {When [people] slander us}, we reply kindly to them. Up to now, [unbelievers consider us to be worthless] [MET], [as though we were] just garbage.
14 Menye ɖe mele nu siawo ŋlɔm ɖo ɖe mi be ŋu nakpe mi o, ke boŋ be maka mo na mi eye maɖo aɖaŋu na mi abe vinye lɔlɔ̃awo ene.
I am writing this to you, not to make you feel ashamed, but instead to warn you as [though you were] my own dear children.
15 Elabena, togbɔ be ame akpe ewo gɔ̃ hã afia nu mi tso Kristo ŋu hã la, nye koe nye mia fofo. Nyee nye ame si to nyanyui la gbɔgblɔ na mi me he mi va Kristo Yesu gbɔe.
I say that because as [an apostle of] Christ Jesus I [was the first one who] proclaimed the good message to you. As a result, I was the one who enabled you to have eternal life. So even if there were thousands of Christians who instruct you [MET], I am the only one who became [like] a father to you.
16 Eya ta mele kuku gã aɖe ɖem na mi be miato nye afɔtoƒe, eye miawɔ nu si mewɔna la.
So I urge you to [live for Christ] the way I do.
17 Esia tututu ta mele Timoteo ɖom ɖe mi be wòava kpe ɖe mia ŋu. Eya hã nye ame siwo mehe va Kristo Yesu gbɔ la dometɔ ɖeka eye enye vinye lɔlɔ̃tɔ kple nuteƒewɔla vavã le Aƒetɔ la me. Timoteo sia agaɖo ŋku nu siwo katã mefiana le hawo katã me la dzi na mi.
In order to [help you do that], I have sent/will be sending Timothy to you. I love him [as though he were] my son. He serves the Lord faithfully. He will remind you of the way I conduct my life [as one who] (has a close relationship with/belongs to) the Lord. The way I conduct my life is the same as how I teach [others to live] in all the congregations [to whom I have spoken].
18 Menya nyuie be dadagbɔgbɔ yɔ mia dometɔ aɖewo me, eye miele gbɔgblɔm gɔ̃ hã be nyemate ŋu ava he nya ɖe yewo ŋu o.
Some of you have become proud, thinking that I will not come there [to rebuke your congregation about what they are doing].
19 Ne Aƒetɔ la lɔ̃ la, mava mia gbɔ kpuie eye nyemegbɔna be mava nya nu siwo gblɔm dadala siawo le la ɖeɖe ko o, ke boŋ be manya afi si wokpɔ ŋusẽ hã tsoe hafi le nyawo gblɔm.
But if the Lord wants me to come, I will come to you soon. Then I will not [pay any attention to] what those proud people say. Instead, I will find out [whether they have God’s] power.
20 Mawufiaɖuƒe la me nɔnɔ menye nukpoloeƒoƒo wònye o, ke boŋ enye agbenɔnɔ le Mawu ƒe ŋusẽ me.
Remember that God [judges whether or not we are letting him] rule [our lives], not by [listening to how we] talk, but [by seeing whether his] power [is present] ([among us/in our lives]).
21 Kae adze mia ŋu wu, be mava mia gbɔ kple ameƒoti loo alo be mava le lɔlɔ̃ kple tufafa me?
So which do you prefer? Do you want me to come to you and punish you [because you have not changed your ways], or shall I come to you and act lovingly and gently toward you [because you have done what I told you to do]?
