Galatiatɔwo 2

1 Le ƒe wuiene megbe la, megayi Yerusalem. Azɔ la, mekplɔ Barnabas kple Tito ɖe asi.

After 14 years passed, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas. I took Titus also.

2 Meyi le nu si Mawu ɖe fiam la nu, be mayi aɖawɔ takpekpe kple ame siwo wobuna abe kplɔlawo ene le afi ma. Megblɔ nyanyui si megblɔna na ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la na wo. Medi be makpɔ kakaɖedzi be nyemele du ƒum, eye nye duƒuƒu nye dzodzro o.

But [I tell you that] I went up there because of what God revealed to me. [It was not because someone there asked me to come]. I told people what was the good message that I was preaching in regions where non-Jews live. But I talked privately to those whom your new teachers highly respect. I did that in order that what I was doing and what I had done [MET] might not become useless [MET] [as a result of people rejecting my message because they thought that I was teaching something that was not true].

3 Togbɔ be Tito, ame si le ŋunye nye Helatɔ hã la, womezi edzi be wòatso aʋa o.

But [even though the leaders of the believers usually insisted that when non-Jews trusted in Christ someone must circumcise them], they did not even insist that Titus be circumcised, even though he was a Greek man who was with me.

4 Kuxi sia do mo ɖa, elabena aʋatsoxɔsetɔ aɖewo va ge ɖe mía dome, be yewoalé ŋku ɖe ablɔɖe, si su mía si le Kristo Yesu me la ŋu, ne yewoawɔ mí kluviwoe.

[I talked to them privately] because some people [successfully] pretended that they were fellow believers and associated with the true believers. They did that in order that they might observe closely what we do because we are free [from having to obey all the Jewish laws and rituals] because of our close relationship with Christ Jesus [MET]. Those people wanted to make us [like] slaves [MET] [of those rituals by convincing us that we cannot trust Christ solely but that we must also obey all the Jewish rituals].

5 Míeɖo to wo kura o, kple susu be míalé nyanyui la ƒe nyateƒenyenye me ɖe asi na mi.

But not even briefly did we [(exc)] do what they wanted [about circumcision. We(exc) resisted them] in order that the truth of the message about Christ might continue to [benefit] you.

6 Ke ame siwo ŋu wodea bubui la, ame ka ke wonye hã la, nyemetsɔ ɖeke le eme o; Mawu mekpɔa ame ŋkume o, ame siwo buna bena wonye nane la, womegblɔ nya aɖeke fiam o.

The [leaders in Jerusalem], whom your new teachers respect, did not add anything to what I preach. [And I would add that] what status those leaders had did not influence me, because God does not favor certain/important persons [IDM] more than others.

7 Ke boŋ wode dzesii be wotsɔ nyanyui la gbɔgblɔ de asi nam be magblɔ na aʋamatsomatsotɔwo abe ale si wodee asi na Petro be wòagblɔ na aʋatsotsotɔwo la ene.

Instead of those leaders adding to the message that I tell people, they understood that I had been given the good message {God had given the good message to me} so that I might proclaim it to the non-Jews [MTY], just like [God] had given the good message to Peter so that he might tell it to those who are Jews [MTY].

8 Elabena Mawu, ame si li kple Petro le eƒe dɔwɔwɔ me abe apostolo na aʋatsotsotɔwo ene la, eya kee li kple nye hã le nye dɔwɔwɔ me abe apostolo na ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la ene.

That is, just like [God] had empowered/authorized Peter in order that he might be an apostle [to bring God’s message] to the Jews [MTY], he also had empowered/authorized me in order that I might be an apostle to [bring his message to] the non-Jews.

9 Yakobo, Kefa kple Yohanes, ame siwo amewo buna be wonye sɔtiwo na hamea la, woxɔ nye kple Barnabas ɖe hamea me esi wode dzesi amenuveve si wonam la. Wolɔ̃ ɖe edzi be míawo míayi ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la gbɔ, eye woawo nayi aʋatsotsotɔwo gbɔ.

And [those leaders] knew that God had kindly given to me this special work. So James, Peter, and John, the ones whom your new teachers [respect because they are] leaders [MET] [of the believers], shook hands with us [IDM] [to show that they agreed that Barnabas and I are serving the Lord just like they are, and that we are preaching the same message that they are preaching]. They also agreed that we [(exc)] are the ones whom God was sending to [tell his message to] non-Jews, but that God is sending them to [tell his message to] Jews [MTY].

10 Nya si wogblɔ koe nye be míanɔ ŋku ɖom ame dahewo dzi, nu si medina be mawɔ ɣe sia ɣi.

They merely urged that we [(exc)] still remember to help the poor [fellow believers who live in Jerusalem]. That is exactly what I have been eager to do.

11 Ke esi Kefa va Antioxia la, metsi tsitre ɖe eŋu, elabena wotso enu.

But [later while I was at] Antioch [city], after Peter came there, I told him directly [SYN] that what he was doing was wrong.

12 Elabena hafi ŋutsu aɖewo natso Yakobo gbɔ ava la, enɔa nu ɖum kple ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la. Gake esi wova ɖo la, ehe ɖe megbe, eye wòɖe eɖokui ɖe aga tso ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la ŋu, elabena enɔ vɔvɔ̃m na ame siwo nye aʋatsotsotɔwo.

[This is what happened]: [Peter went to Antioch and started eating regularly with non-Jewish believers there]. Later there were certain [Jewish believers who] came [to Antioch who claimed that] James, [the leader of the congregations in Jerusalem], had sent them. But when [those certain] men came, Peter gradually quit [eating] with the non-Jewish believers and would not associate with them. He was afraid that the Jewish [believers from Jerusalem would criticize him for associating with non-Jews].

13 Yudatɔ bubuawo hã dze eƒe alakpanuwɔwɔ yome, eye woƒe alakpanuwɔwɔ na be Barnabas gɔ̃ hã tra mɔ.

Also, the other Jewish [believers who were in Antioch] [SYN] acted (insincerely/in a way that they knew was not right) along with [Peter]. The result was that they convinced even Barnabas to [stop associating with the non-Jewish believers]!

14 Esi mede dzesii be woƒe agbenɔnɔ mesɔ ɖe nyanyui la ƒe nyateƒe la nu o la, meka mo na Kefa le wo katã ƒe ŋkume be, “Yudatɔ nènye, gake èle agbe nɔm abe ame si menye Yudatɔwo o la ene. Nu ka ta nèzi ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo o la dzi be woawɔ ɖe Yudatɔwo ƒe sewo dzi ɖo?

But when I realized that they were not acting according to the truth of the message about Christ, [when] all [the fellow believers there] were present, I told Peter [the following]: “Although you [(sg)] are a Jew, [you often conduct yourself] like non-Jews [do by disregarding Jewish laws about food. When you are among non-Jews], you [(sg)] do not customarily conduct yourself at all like Jews [do]. So, (now it is wrong that you [(sg)] are causing non-Jews [to think that they must obey all] the Jewish rituals and customs!/why are you [(sg)] causing non-Jews [to think that they must obey all] the Jewish rituals and customs?) [RHQ]”

15 “Ke mí ame siwo nye Yudatɔwo tso dzɔdzɔme eye míenye nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo abe ame siwo menye Yudatɔwo ene o la,

Some of us [believers] were born as Jews. We [(exc)] were not born as non-Jews. [We Jews have always considered non-Jews to be] ‘sinners’ [because they do not obey the Jewish rituals and laws].

16 míenyae be wometsoa afia na ame to se la ƒe dɔwɔwɔwo me o, ke boŋ to Yesu Kristo dzixɔse me. Eya ta míawo hã míexɔ Yesu Kristo dzi se be woatso afia na mí to xɔse me le Kristo me, eye menye to se la ƒe dɔwɔwɔwo me o, elabena wometsoa afia na ame aɖeke to se la ƒe dɔwɔwɔwo me o.

But we [(exc)] now know that it is not because some person obeys the laws [that God gave to Moses] that [God] erases the record of that person’s sins. [God erases the record of a person’s sins only if that person trusts in what Jesus Christ has done]. Even we [(exc)] Jews trusted Christ Jesus. We [(exc)] did that in order that [God] would erase the record of our sins because of our trusting Christ, and not because of our obeying the laws [that God gave to Moses. God has said that] he will [never] erase the record of people’s sins just because of their obeying those laws.

17 “Gake ne míedi be woatso afia na mí le Kristo me eye mí Yudatɔwo hã míele nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo dome ɖe, ɖe mefia be Kristo le nu vɔ̃ dzi dem o mahã? Gbeɖe!

Furthermore, because we [(exc) Jews] desired that [God] would erase the record of our sins because of our relationship with Christ, [it means that] we realized that we ourselves were sinners [like non-Jews, whom we called] sinners, [because we(exc) also were not obeying the Jewish rituals and laws]. [But] ([we(inc) certainly cannot conclude] that it is Christ who causes us to sin./[should we conclude] that it is Christ who causes us to sin?) [RHQ] [No, Christ] certainly does not [cause anyone to sin].

18 Ne megbugbɔ nu siwo megblẽ la ɖɔɖola, ekema mezu sedzidala.

So if I should again believe [that God would erase the record of my sins because of my obeying the laws that he gave to Moses] [MET], [I would be like a man who] rebuilds an old building that he tore down. It would [soon] be clear that I am one who disobeys those same laws [that God gave to Moses].

19 “Elabena to se la me la, meku na se la, be manɔ agbe na Mawu.

When [I realized that I could not earn God’s favor] by [obeying] the laws [that he gave to Moses, I decided not] to [respond to what those laws demanded] [MET], [just like] a dead person [does not respond to anything]. Now I live to [honor/serve] God.

20 Woklã nye kple Kristo ɖe ati ŋu, eye meganye nyee le agbe o, ke boŋ Kristoe le agbe le menye. Agbe si mele fifia le ŋutilã me la, mele agbe la to Mawu ƒe Vi la dzixɔse me, ame si lɔ̃m, eye wòtsɔ eƒe agbe na ɖe tanye.

[It is as though] I was with Christ when he was crucified {died on the cross} [MET] (OR, [It is as though] my [old way of life ended when] Christ died on the cross.) No longer am I [directing the way I behave as I did before I believed in Christ]. Now Christ [is directing how] I [behave. And whatever I do] now while I live, I do it trusting in God’s Son. He is the one who loved me and offered himself [as a sacrifice] for me.

21 Nyemegbe nu le Mawu ƒe amenuveve la gbɔ o, elabena ne míakpɔ dzɔdzɔenyenyenye to se la me la, ekema Kristo ku dzodzro!”

I am not rejecting [as useless] what God [did for me] ([kindly/that I did not deserve]), [as my opponents are doing. I fully accept that God saved me by acting kindly towards me]. If it is because people [obey the] laws [that God gave to Moses] that God erases the record of their sins, then Christ died (for nothing/needlessly).