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 not my work 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, to you at least I am; 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 reply to my critics.
4 Aleke bum miele le ŋutinye? Ɖe mɔɖeɖe meli be mava dze mia gbɔ abe apostolo bubuawo ene le nye mɔzɔzɔwo me oa?
Have I no right to claim food and 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 I no right to take a believing wife with me on my journey, as the rest of the apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter do?
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?
Are we the only ones, Barnabas and I, who have no right to give up manual labor?
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?
What soldier ever serves at his own expense? What farmer ever plants a vineyard and his flock and does not taste the milk?
8 Menye amegbetɔwo ƒe susu ko gblɔm mele o; Mawu ƒe se gɔ̃ hã ɖo kpe nu siawo dzi pɛpɛpɛ
Am I saying this on human authority only, or does not the Law also say the same?
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?
Yea, in the Law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle an ox while he is treading out the grain.
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.
Is it the oxen that God is thinking about, or is it really said for our sakes? It was written for us; because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher in hope of getting a share of the crop.
11 Míedo gbɔgbɔmenuku nyuiwo ɖe miaƒe dziwo me, eya ta ne míebia nuɖuɖu kple avɔtata tso mia gbɔ la, megblẽ kura o.
If I have sown for you the seeds of spiritual good, is it a great thing if I reap from you temporal goods?
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 share this authority over you, do not I far more? Yet I have not availed myself of it, but am patiently enduring; so that I may not in any way hinder the progress of Christ’s gospel.
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.
You know, do you not, that those who minister in the temple, and those who serve at the altar, get their portion of the sacrifices?
14 Nenema ke Aƒetɔ ɖe gbe be ame siwo gblɔa nyanyui la fiana la, woakpɔ agbemenuwo tso nyanyui la me.
Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by 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 for my part, I have never availed myself of any of these rights. I do not say this to bring it about in my own case. I would rather die than let any one make void this boast of mine.
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!
Proclaiming the gospel gives me no ground of boasting; for necessity is laid upon me; woe is me if I preach not 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.
For if I do this of my own accord, I have my pay; but if unwilling, I have at least discharged my stewardship.
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 wage? This, that I can make the gospel free where I carry it; and that I can refrain from using my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
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 free from all men, I make myself the slave of all, that I may win the more.
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 am become like a Jew, that I may win Jews; to those under the Law, like one under the Law, though I am not under the Law, myself;
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 outside the Law, as one outside the Law, to win those outside the Law (though I am not outside the law of God, but inside the law of Christ).
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.
I am become weak to the weak, to win the weak. I am become all these things to all men that, by any and by all means, I may save some.
23 Mewɔ esia be makaka nyanyui la na amewo katã eye to esia me la, nye hã maxɔ yayra tɔxɛ.
And I am doing it all for the gospel’s sake, that I may become a copartner in it.
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 foot-race, though all run, only one receives the prize? So run that you may win.
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.
Every man who contends in the games continually trains himself by all manner of self-restraint. Now they do it to get a fading garland, but we, one that is unfading.
26 Eya ta nyemele duɖime kem taɖodzinu manɔsitɔe o, eye nyemele kɔ dam abe ŋutsu si le kɔ dam ɖe yame la ene o,
For my part, then, I run with no wavering to the goal. I box not as one 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.
but I bruise my body and keep it in subjection, lest having called others to the contest, I should myself be disqualified.
