1 KwabaseKhorinte 15
1 Ngakho, bazalwane, ngilazisa ivangeli engalitshumayeza lona, lani elalemukelayo, njalo elimi kulo,
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm.
2 njalo elisindiswa ngalo; uba libambelela elizwini levangeli engalitshumayela kini, ngaphandle kokuthi lakholwa ize.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 Ngoba ngalinika okokuqala lokho engakwemukelayo lami, ukuthi uKristu wafa ngenxa yezono zethu, njengokwemibhalo;
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 lokuthi wangcwatshwa; lokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu, njengokwemibhalo;
that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 lokuthi wabonakala kuKefasi, emva kwalokho kwabalitshumi lambili;
and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
6 emva kwalokho wabonakala ngesikhathi sinye kubazalwane abedlula amakhulu amahlanu, ubunengi babo basekhona kuze kube lamuhla, kodwa labanye sebalala;
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 emva kwalokho wabonakala kuJakobe, emva kwalokho wabonakala kubaphostoli bonke;
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 lekucineni kwabo bonke wabonakala lakimi njengozelwe ngesikhathi esingaqondanga.
And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth.
9 Ngoba mina ngingomncinyanyana kubaphostoli, engingafanele ukuthiwa ngumphostoli, ngoba ngazingela ibandla likaNkulunkulu.
For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 Kodwa ngomusa kaNkulunkulu ngiyikho lokho engiyikho khona, lomusa wakhe okimi kawubanga yize; kodwa ngitshikatshike okwengezelelwe kulabo bonke, kanti kungesimi, kodwa ngumusa kaNkulunkulu olami.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
11 Ngakho loba kuyimi, loba kuyibo, ngokunjalo siyatshumayela langokunjalo lakholwa.
Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
12 Kodwa uba uKristu etshunyayelwa ukuthi uvusiwe kwabafileyo, batsho njani abanye phakathi kwenu ukuthi kakukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo?
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 Kodwa uba kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, kavuswanga laye uKristu;
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 uba-ke uKristu engavuswanga, ngakho ukutshumayela kwethu kuyize, lokholo lwenu lalo luyize.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
15 Lathi futhi sificwa singabafakazi bamanga bakaNkulunkulu, ngoba safakaza ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wamvusa uKristu, angamvusanga, uba-ke abafileyo bengavuswa.
In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 Ngoba uba abafileyo bengavuswa, kavuswanga laye uKristu;
For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
17 njalo uba uKristu engavuswanga, ukholo lwenu luyize; lisesezonweni zenu.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Ngakho lalabo abalele bekuKristu sebabhubha.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 Uba singabathembela kuKristu kule impilo kuphela, singabalosizi kulabo bonke abantu.
If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.
20 Kodwa khathesi-ke uKristu uvusiwe kwabafileyo, waba yisithelo sokuqala sabaleleyo.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 Ngoba lokhu ngomuntu ukufa kweza, langomuntu ukuvuka kwabafileyo kweza.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
22 Ngoba njengalokhu kuAdamu bonke bayafa, ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bazakwenziwa baphile.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23 Kodwa ngulowo lalowo ngesakhe isigaba; isithelo sokuqala uKristu, besekusiba ngabakaKristu ekufikeni kwakhe,
But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
24 besekusiba yikuphela, lapho esenikela umbuso kuNkulunkulu, uYise, lalapho esenze kwaphela konke ukubusa labo bonke ubukhosi lamandla.
Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
25 Ngoba umele yena ukubusa, aze abeke zonke izitha ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
26 Isitha sokucina esizachithwa yikufa.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 Ngoba izinto zonke uzehlisele ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe. Kodwa nxa esithi izinto zonke zehlisiwe, kusobala ukuthi ungaphandle kwazo yena ozehlisileyo izinto zonke ngaphansi kwakhe.
For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him.
28 Nxa izinto zonke sezehlisiwe ngaphansi kwakhe, khona layo iNdodana ngokwayo izazehlisa ngaphansi kwalowo owehlisela zonke izinto ngaphansi kwayo, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe yikho konke kukho konke.
And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Pho, bazakwenzani ababhabhathizelwa abafileyo uba abafileyo bengavuki isibili? Kungani babhabhathizelwa abafileyo na?
If these things are not so, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
30 Kungani lathi sisengozini ihola ngehola?
And why do we endanger ourselves every hour?
31 Ngiyafa usuku ngosuku, ngiyaqinisa ngokuzincoma ngani engilakho kuKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu.
I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
32 Uba ngokwabantu ngalwa lezilo eEfesu, nzuzo bani kimi, uba abafileyo bengavuki? Asidle sinathe, ngoba kusasa siyafa.
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Lingakhohliswa; ukwejwayelana lababi kuyonakalisa izimilo ezinhle.
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
34 Vusani ingqondo ngokulunga njalo lingoni; ngoba abanye balokungamazi uNkulunkulu; ngikhulumela ukuthi libe lenhloni.
Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
35 Kodwa omunye uzakuthi: Abafileyo bavuswa njani? Njalo beza lomzimba onjani?
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
36 Siphukuphuku, lokho okuhlanyelayo wena, kakwenziwa kuphile ngaphandle kokuthi kufe;
You fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 lalokho okuhlanyelayo, kawuhlanyeli umzimba ozakuba khona, kodwa uhlamvu oluze, mhlawumbe, olwebele kumbe olokunye nje;
And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.
38 kodwa uNkulunkulu uyinika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe, lakuleyo laleyo yenhlanyelo owayo umzimba.
But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
39 Inyama yonke kayisinyamanye; kodwa enye yinyama yabantu, lenye yinyama yenyamazana, lenye eyenhlanzi, lenye eyezinyoni.
Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another.
40 Ikhona lemizimba yezulwini, lemizimba yemhlabeni; kodwa inkazimulo yezulu ingenye, leyemhlabeni ingenye.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another.
41 Enye yinkazimulo yelanga, lenye yinkazimulo yenyanga, lenye yinkazimulo yezinkanyezi; ngoba inkanyezi yehlukile kwenye inkanyezi enkazimulweni.
The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 Kunjalo-ke ukuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuhlanyelwa ekuboleni, kuyavuswa kungekho ekuboleni;
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.
43 kuhlanyelwa ekudelweni, kuvuswe enkazimulweni; kuhlanyelwa ebuthakathakeni, kuvuswe emandleni;
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
44 kuhlanyelwa umzimba wemvelo, kuvuswe umzimba womoya. Kukhona umzimba wemvelo, njalo kukhona umzimba womoya.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Langokunjalo kulotshiwe ukuthi: Umuntu wokuqala uAdamu waba ngumphefumulo ophilayo; uAdamu wokucina ngumoya ophilisayo.
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.
46 Kodwa okokuqala kakusikho okomoya, kodwa okwemvelo, besekusiza okomoya.
The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
47 Umuntu wokuqala wavela emhlabeni, ungowomhlabathi; umuntu wesibili uyiNkosi evela ezulwini.
The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
48 Njengoba enjalo owomhlabathi, banjalo labo abomhlabathi; lanjengoba enjalo owezulwini, banjalo labo abezulwini;
As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 futhi njengoba sibelesimo sowomhlabathi, lathi sizakuba lesimo sowezulwini.
And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.
50 Kodwa ngitsho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama legazi kungelidle ilifa lombuso kaNkulunkulu; lokubola kakulidli ilifa lokungaboli.
Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Khangelani, ngilitshela imfihlo: Kasiyikulala sonke, kodwa sizaphendulwa sonke,
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
52 ngesikhatshana, ngokucwayiza kwelihlo, ekukhaleni kophondo lokucina; ngoba uphondo luzakhala, labafileyo bazavuswa bengelakubola, lathi sizaphendulwa.
in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 Ngoba lokhu okubolayo kumele ukwembatha ukungaboli, lalokho okufayo kwembathe ukungafi.
For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
54 Nxa-ke lokho okubolayo sekwembethe ukungaboli, lalokho okufayo sekwembethe ukungafi, kuzakwenzeka ngalesosikhathi ilizwi elilotshiweyo lokuthi: Ukufa kuginyiwe ekunqobeni.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” (Hadēs g86)
56 Lodonsi lokufa yisono; lamandla esono ngumlayo.
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 Kodwa kabongwe uNkulunkulu osinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 Ngakho, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, manini, linganyikinyeki, lengezelelwe emsebenzini weNkosi kokuphela, lazi ukuthi ukutshikatshika kwenu kakusilo ize eNkosini.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
