Barome 14
1 Boyamba malamu moto oyo alenda te na kondima, na kotiana lisusu tembe te na tina na makanisi.
As for those whose faith is weak, always receive them as friends, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on their scruples.
2 Moto oyo azali na kondima aliaka bilei nyonso, kasi moto oyo alenda te na kondima aliaka kaka bandunda.
One man’s faith permits of his eating food of all kinds, while another whose faith is weak eats only vegetable food.
3 Moto oyo aliaka bilei nyonso asengeli te kotiola moto oyo aponaka bilei, mpe moto oyo aponaka bilei asengeli te kosambisa moto oyo aliaka bilei nyonso, pamba te Nzambe asila koyamba ye.
The man who eats meat must not despise the man who abstains from it; nor must the man who abstains from eating meat pass judgment on the one who eats it, for God himself has received him.
4 Boni, ozali nani mpo na kosambisa mosali ya moto mosusu? Atelema to akweya, ezali likambo ya nkolo na ye. Tembe ezali te, akotelema kaka, pamba te Nkolo na ye azali na makoki ya kotelemisa ye.
Who are you, that you should pass judgment on the servant of another? His standing or falling concerns his own master. And stand he will, for his Master can enable him to stand.
5 Moko akanisaka ete mokolo songolo ezali bule koleka mokolo pakala, mpe mosusu akanisaka ete mikolo nyonso ezali kaka ndenge moko: tika ete moto na moto kati na bango andimisama makasi na makanisi na ye.
Again, one man considers some days to be more sacred than others, while another considers all days to be alike. Every one ought to be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 Moto oyo akesenisaka mikolo asalaka yango mpo na lokumu ya Nkolo. Moto oyo aliaka bilei nyonso asalaka yango mpo na lokumu ya Nkolo, mpe azongisaka matondi epai ya Nzambe; mpe moto oyo aponaka bilei asalaka yango mpo na lokumu ya Nkolo, mpe azongisaka matondi epai ya Nzambe.
He who observes a day, observes it to the Master’s honour. He, again, who eats meat eats it to the Master’s honour, for he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains from it abstains from it to the Master’s honour, and also gives thanks to God.
7 Moko te kati na biso abikaka bomoi mpo na ye moko, mpe moko te akufaka mpo na ye moko.
There is not one of us whose life concerns himself alone, and not one of us whose death concerns himself alone;
8 Soki tozali kobika bomoi, tozali kobika yango mpo na Nkolo; soki mpe tokufi, tokufi mpo na Nkolo. Yango wana, tobika bomoi to tokufa, tozali kaka bato ya Nkolo.
for, if we live, our life is for the Master, and, if we die, our death is for the Master. Whether, then, we live or die we belong to the Master.
9 Ezali mpo na yango nde Klisto akufaki mpe asekwaki, mpo ete azala Nkolo ya bakufi mpe ya bato ya bomoi.
The very purpose for which Christ died and came back to life was this — that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.
10 Bongo yo, mpo na nini ozali kosambisa to kotiola ndeko na yo? Biso nyonso tokotelema na esambiselo ya Nzambe mpo na kosamba.
I would ask the one man ‘Why do you judge your Brother?’ And I would ask the other ‘Why do you despise your Brother?’ For we shall all stand before the Bar of God.
11 Pamba te ekomama: « Na Kombo na Ngai, » elobi Nkolo, « mabolongo nyonso ekofukama liboso na Ngai, mpe minoko nyonso ekotatola Nzambe. »
For Scripture says — ‘“As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bend before me; and every tongue shall make acknowledgment to God.”’
12 Boye, moko na moko kati na biso akosamba liboso ya Nzambe mpo na makambo na ye moko.
So, then, each one of us will have to render account of himself to God.
13 Yango wana, totika kosambisana biso na biso. Nzokande, bosalela mayele na bino te mpo na kobetisa ndeko moko libaku to mpo na kokweyisa ye.
Let us, then, cease to judge one another. Rather let this be your resolve — never to place a stumbling-block or an obstacle in a Brother’s way.
14 Nayebi mpe nandimisami kati na Nkolo Yesu ete eloko ya mbindo ezalaka te. Nzokande, soki moto moko amoni ete eloko songolo ezali mbindo, wana ezali mbindo mpo na ye.
Through my union with the Lord Jesus, I know and am persuaded that nothing is ‘defiling in itself.’ A thing is ‘defiling’ only to him who holds it to be so.
15 Boye soki, likolo ya bilei, ozali koyokisa ndeko na yo motema pasi, wana ozali lisusu kotambola na bolingo te. Likolo ya bilei, kobungisa te ndeko na yo, oyo Klisto akufelaki.
If, for the sake of what you eat, you wound your Brother’s feelings, your life has ceased to be ruled by love. Do not, by what you eat, ruin a man for whom Christ died!
16 Yango wana, tika ete bolamu na bino etiolama te.
Do not let what is right for you become a matter of reproach.
17 Pamba te Bokonzi ya Nzambe ezali te likambo ya kolia to ya komela, kasi ezali nde likambo ya bosembo, ya kimia mpe ya esengo kati na Molimo Mosantu.
For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
18 Moto oyo asalelaka Klisto na lolenge oyo asepelisaka Nzambe, mpe bato bandimaka ye.
He who serves the Christ in this way pleases God, and wins the approval of his fellow men.
19 Yango wana, tolukaka tango nyonso makambo oyo ememaka kimia mpe elendisaka bamoko mpe bamosusu kati na kondima.
Therefore our efforts should be directed towards all that makes for peace and the mutual building up of character.
20 Kobebisa mosala ya Nzambe te likolo ya biloko ya kolia. Solo, biloko nyonso ezali peto, kasi ezali mabe kolia eloko oyo ekoki kobetisa moto mosusu libaku.
Do not undo God’s work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is ‘clean,’ yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling-block in the way of others, he does wrong.
21 Likambo oyo eleki malamu ezali: koboya kolia misuni, koboya komela vino, koboya kosala eloko nyonso oyo ekoki kobetisa ndeko na yo libaku.
The right course is to abstain from meat or wine or, indeed, anything that is a stumbling-block to your Brother.
22 Boye, batela mpo na yo moko liboso ya Nzambe, kondima oyo ozali na yango. Esengo na moto oyo amikweyisaka te na nzela ya makambo oyo andimaka!
As for yourself — keep this faith of yours to yourself, as in the presence of God. Happy is he who never has to condemn himself in regard to the very thing which he thinks right!
23 Kasi moto oyo alie, wana motema na ye ezali kopamela ye, asili kokweyisama na miso ya Nzambe, pamba te asali te kolanda kondima na ye; mpe nyonso oyo esalemaka te kolanda kondima ezali lisumu.
He, however, who has misgivings stands condemned if he still eats, because his doing so is not the result of faith. And anything not done as the result of faith is a sin.
