Korintotɔwo 1 9
1 Ɖe nyemevo oa? Menye apostoloe menye oa? Ɖe nyemekpɔ Yesu, míaƒe Aƒetɔ la oa? Ɖe menye miawoe nye nye dɔ si mewɔ na Aƒetɔ la ƒe metsonu oa?
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my workmanship in the Lord?
2 Ne ame bubuwo mebum ɖe apostolowo dome o hã la, miawo ya mienya be apostolo menye elabena dzinyee mieto le Aƒetɔ la me hafi zu kristotɔwo fifia.
Even if I am not an apostle to others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 Esia koe nye nya si le asinye na ame siwo nɔa ɖi kem kplim la.
This is my defense to those who scrutinize me:
4 Aleke bum miele le ŋutinye? Ɖe mɔɖeɖe meli be mava dze mia gbɔ abe apostolo bubuawo ene le nye mɔzɔzɔwo me oa?
Have we no right to food and to drink?
5 Ɖe mɔɖeɖe meli be makplɔ srɔ̃nyɔnu si nye xɔsetɔ ɖe asi ava dze mia gbɔ abe ale si apostolo bubuawo, Yesu nɔviwo kple Kefa hã wɔna ene oa?
Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
6 Alo miesusu be nye kple Barnabas koe anɔ fu kpem, anɔ dɔ wɔm be míakpɔ mía ɖokuiwo dzi, le esime miawo miele ame bubuwo dzi kpɔm nyuie ɣe sia ɣia?
Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?
7 Miese kpɔ be asrafo si le aʋagbedzi la kpɔ eya ŋutɔ ɖokui dzi le aʋagbedzi kpɔ oa? Alo miese kpɔ be agbledela mekpɔ mɔ aɖu eya ŋutɔ ƒe agblemenukuwo oa? Alo lãnyila kae mekpɔ mɔ ano notsi si wòfia tso eƒe lã ƒe nowo me la ƒe ɖe o?
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?
8 Menye amegbetɔwo ƒe susu ko gblɔm mele o; Mawu ƒe se gɔ̃ hã ɖo kpe nu siawo dzi pɛpɛpɛ
Do I say this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?
9 elabena woŋlɔe ɖe Mose ƒe segbalẽ la me be, “Megabla nu na nyitsu ne ele mɔlu tugum o.” Nyitsuwo ŋue Mawu tsi dzi ɖoa?
For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
10 Ɖe menye míawo tae wògblɔ nya sia ɖo oa? Ɛ̃, míawo tae, elabena Mawu di be yeaɖee afia be ame si ŋlɔa nu la, naŋlɔe le mɔkpɔkpɔ me, eye ame si tugua mɔlu la natugui le mɔkpɔkpɔ me, be wòakpɔ gome le eme.
Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.
11 Míedo gbɔgbɔmenuku nyuiwo ɖe miaƒe dziwo me, eya ta ne míebia nuɖuɖu kple avɔtata tso mia gbɔ la, megblẽ kura o.
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?
12 Miewɔnɛ abe ale si wòdze ene na nyagblɔla bubuawo. Ke míawo la, togbɔ be ele be miakpɔ mía dzi hã la, míebia naneke mi kpɔ gbeɖe o. Ke boŋ míawo ŋutɔ míekpɔa mía ɖokuiwo dzi ɣe sia ɣi. Míelĩ fe ame aɖeke kpɔ o, elabena míele vɔvɔ̃m be ne míewɔ esia la, dzi aɖe le mia ƒo eye miagbɔdzɔ le Kristo ƒe nyanyui si míetsɔ vɛ na mi la ŋuti.
If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Nɔviwo, ɖe mienya be Mawu ŋutɔ ɖe mɔ na ame siwo nɔ dɔ wɔm le gbedoxɔ la me be woatsɔ nunana siwo amewo tsɔ vɛ na Mawu la ƒe ɖe awɔ wo ŋu dɔ faa oa? Ame siwo hã wɔa dɔ le Mawu ƒe vɔsamlekpui la ŋu la ɖua nu siwo amewo tsɔ vɛ be yewoatsɔ sa vɔe na Mawu la ƒe ɖe faa.
Do you not know that those who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the altar partake of its offerings?
14 Nenema ke Aƒetɔ ɖe gbe be ame siwo gblɔa nyanyui la fiana la, woakpɔ agbemenuwo tso nyanyui la me.
In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
15 Gake nyemebia pesewa ɖeka hã tso mia gbɔ kpɔ o. Menye ɖe mele esia gblɔm na mi ne miabu be ɖe medi be miaɖo ga ɖem azɔ o. Le nyateƒe me, ne dɔ wum meku la, enyo wu be maxɔ ga le mia si, eye mabu dzidzedze gã si mekpɔna ne megblɔ mawunya na mi faa.
But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify my boast.
16 Elabena nyemedze na kafukafu tɔxɛ aɖeke le nye mawunyagbɔgblɔ ta o. Ele nam kokoko be manɔ egbɔgblɔ dzi ɣe sia ɣi madzudzɔmadzudzɔe. Ne meke atse dzudzɔ la, baba nam!
Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
17 Nenye nye ŋutɔ nye lɔlɔ̃nue metsɔ le dɔa wɔm la, ekema maxɔ nunana tɔxɛ tso Aƒetɔ la gbɔ gake mele eme alea o, ke boŋ Mawu ŋutɔe tiam tsɔ dɔ xɔasi sia de asi nam eya ta nyemate ŋu agbe o.
If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility.
18 Le esia ta la, nye fetu koe nye dzidzɔ tɔxɛ si yɔa menye ne megblɔ nyanyui na amewo faa, naneke maxɔmaxɔe, zi ale si wòle ɖoɖo nu be maxɔ fetu ɖe nye dɔwɔna ta hafi.
What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.
19 Viɖe tɔxɛ aɖe le esia me, eye eyae nye be ame aɖeke mate ŋu azi dzinye le mɔ aɖeke nu o, elabena ame aɖeke kura mele fe xem nam o. Gake melɔ̃ faa be mawɔ ɖokuinye kluvi na ame sia ame ƒomevi, ale be to esia me la, mate ŋu akplɔe va Yesu Kristo gbɔ.
Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 Ne mele Yudatɔwo dome la, mewɔa nu sia nu abe Yudatɔ ene, ale be woalɔ̃ aɖo to nyanyui si gblɔm mele na wo la. Ke mezu abe ame si le sea te ene hena ame siwo le sea te (evɔ la, nye ŋutɔ nyemele sea te hafi o), be asinye nasu ame siwo le sea te la dzi.
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law.
21 Mezu abe semanɔsitɔ ene hena semanɔsitɔwo (gake nyemenye semanɔsitɔ na Mawu o, ke mele Kristo ƒe se la me boŋ), be asinye nasu semanɔsitɔwo dzi.
To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law.
22 Ne mele ame siwo ƒe xɔse meli ke tututu haɖe o la dome la, megbɔa dzi ɖi na wo ale be woalɔ̃ be makpe ɖe yewo ŋu. Ɛ̃, medzea agbagba be masɔ kple ame sia ame le mɔ ɖe sia ɖe dzi, ale be makpɔ mɔnu aɖe kokoko aƒo nu nɛ tso Kristo ŋu be wòakpɔ ɖeɖe tso egbɔ.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
23 Mewɔ esia be makaka nyanyui la na amewo katã eye to esia me la, nye hã maxɔ yayra tɔxɛ.
I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
24 Ɖe mienyae be ne wole duɖime kem le dusiƒe la, dusilawo katãe kea duɖime, gake ame ɖeka koe xɔa dziɖuɖufetu la oa? Misi du la ale be miaxɔ dziɖuɖufetua.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.
25 Ame sia ame si di be yeakpɔ gome le hoʋiʋli aɖe me la toa hehexɔxɔ sesẽwo me. Wowɔa esia be woaxɔ dziɖuɖukuku si gblẽna; ke míawo la, míekea duɖime be míaxɔ dziɖuɖukuku magblẽmagblẽ.
Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
26 Eya ta nyemele duɖime kem taɖodzinu manɔsitɔe o, eye nyemele kɔ dam abe ŋutsu si le kɔ dam ɖe yame la ene o,
Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
27 ke boŋ meƒoa nye ŋutilã hewɔnɛ nye kluvie ale be nyemabu dziɖuɖufiakuku la o, le esime wònye nyee gblɔ agbenya la na amewo hafi.
No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
