1 KwabaseKhorinte 15
1 Ngakho, bazalwane, ngilazisa ivangeli engalitshumayeza lona, lani elalemukelayo, njalo elimi kulo,
Next, friends, I would like to remind you of the good news which I told you, and which you received – the good news on which you have taken your stand,
2 njalo elisindiswa ngalo; uba libambelela elizwini levangeli engalitshumayela kini, ngaphandle kokuthi lakholwa ize.
and by means of which you are being saved. I would like to remind you of the words that I used in telling it to you, since you are still holding fast to it, and since it was not in vain that you became believers in Christ.
3 Ngoba ngalinika okokuqala lokho engakwemukelayo lami, ukuthi uKristu wafa ngenxa yezono zethu, njengokwemibhalo;
For at the very beginning of my teaching I gave you the account which I had myself received – that Christ died for our sins (as the scriptures had foretold),
4 lokuthi wangcwatshwa; lokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu, njengokwemibhalo;
that he was buried, that on the third day he was raised (as the scriptures had foretold),
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 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have gone to their rest.
7 emva kwalokho wabonakala kuJakobe, emva kwalokho wabonakala kubaphostoli bonke;
After that, he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.
8 lekucineni kwabo bonke wabonakala lakimi njengozelwe ngesikhathi esingaqondanga.
Last of all, he appeared even to me, who am, as it were, a miscarried baby – born untimely.
9 Ngoba mina ngingomncinyanyana kubaphostoli, engingafanele ukuthiwa ngumphostoli, ngoba ngazingela ibandla likaNkulunkulu.
For I am the least of the apostles, I who am unworthy of the name of “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 it is through the love of God that I am what I am, and the love that he showed me has not been wasted. No, I have toiled harder than any of them, and yet it was not I, but the love of God working with me.
11 Ngakho loba kuyimi, loba kuyibo, ngokunjalo siyatshumayela langokunjalo lakholwa.
Whether, then, it was I or whether it was they, this we proclaim, and this you believed.
12 Kodwa uba uKristu etshunyayelwa ukuthi uvusiwe kwabafileyo, batsho njani abanye phakathi kwenu ukuthi kakukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo?
Now, if it is proclaimed of Christ that he has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?
13 Kodwa uba kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, kavuswanga laye uKristu;
But, if there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised;
14 uba-ke uKristu engavuswanga, ngakho ukutshumayela kwethu kuyize, lokholo lwenu lalo luyize.
and, if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without meaning, and our faith without meaning also!
15 Lathi futhi sificwa singabafakazi bamanga bakaNkulunkulu, ngoba safakaza ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wamvusa uKristu, angamvusanga, uba-ke abafileyo bengavuswa.
Yes, and we are being proved to have borne false testimony about God; for we testified of God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise, if, indeed, the dead do not rise!
16 Ngoba uba abafileyo bengavuswa, kavuswanga laye uKristu;
For, if the dead do not rise, then even Christ himself has not been raised,
17 njalo uba uKristu engavuswanga, ukholo lwenu luyize; lisesezonweni zenu.
and, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is folly – your sins are on you still!
18 Ngakho lalabo abalele bekuKristu sebabhubha.
Yes, and they, who have passed to their rest in union with Christ, perished!
19 Uba singabathembela kuKristu kule impilo kuphela, singabalosizi kulabo bonke abantu.
If all that we have done has been to place our hope in Christ for this life, then we of all people are the most to be pitied.
20 Kodwa khathesi-ke uKristu uvusiwe kwabafileyo, waba yisithelo sokuqala sabaleleyo.
But, in truth, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are at rest.
21 Ngoba lokhu ngomuntu ukufa kweza, langomuntu ukuvuka kwabafileyo kweza.
For, since through a man there is death, so, too, through a man there is a resurrection of the dead.
22 Ngoba njengalokhu kuAdamu bonke bayafa, ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bazakwenziwa baphile.
For, as through union with Adam all die, so through union with the Christ will all be made to live.
23 Kodwa ngulowo lalowo ngesakhe isigaba; isithelo sokuqala uKristu, besekusiba ngabakaKristu ekufikeni kwakhe,
But each in their proper order – Christ the first-fruits; afterwards, at his coming, those who belong to the Christ.
24 besekusiba yikuphela, lapho esenikela umbuso kuNkulunkulu, uYise, lalapho esenze kwaphela konke ukubusa labo bonke ubukhosi lamandla.
Then will come the end – when he surrenders the kingdom to his God and Father, having overthrown all other rule and all other authority and power.
25 Ngoba umele yena ukubusa, aze abeke zonke izitha ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe.
For he must reign until God “has put all his enemies under his feet.”
26 Isitha sokucina esizachithwa yikufa.
The last enemy to be overthrown 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 placed all things under Christ’s feet. (But, when it is said that all things have been placed under Christ, it is plain that God is excepted who placed 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 everything has been placed under him, the Son will place himself under God who placed everything under him, so that God may be all in all!
29 Pho, bazakwenzani ababhabhathizelwa abafileyo uba abafileyo bengavuki isibili? Kungani babhabhathizelwa abafileyo na?
Again, what good will they be doing who are baptised on behalf of the dead? If it is true that the dead do not rise, why are people baptised on their behalf?
30 Kungani lathi sisengozini ihola ngehola?
Why, too, do we risk our lives every hour?
31 Ngiyafa usuku ngosuku, ngiyaqinisa ngokuzincoma ngani engilakho kuKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu.
Daily I face death – I swear it, friends, by the pride in you that I feel through my union with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
32 Uba ngokwabantu ngalwa lezilo eEfesu, nzuzo bani kimi, uba abafileyo bengavuki? Asidle sinathe, ngoba kusasa siyafa.
If with only human hopes I had fought in the arena at Ephesus, what should I have gained by it? If the dead do not rise, then let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die!
33 Lingakhohliswa; ukwejwayelana lababi kuyonakalisa izimilo ezinhle.
Do not be deceived. “Good character is marred by evil company.”
34 Vusani ingqondo ngokulunga njalo lingoni; ngoba abanye balokungamazi uNkulunkulu; ngikhulumela ukuthi libe lenhloni.
Wake up to a righteous life, and cease to sin. There are some who have no true knowledge of God. I speak in this way to shame you.
35 Kodwa omunye uzakuthi: Abafileyo bavuswa njani? Njalo beza lomzimba onjani?
Someone, however, may ask “How do the dead rise? And in what body will they come?”
36 Siphukuphuku, lokho okuhlanyelayo wena, kakwenziwa kuphile ngaphandle kokuthi kufe;
You foolish person! The seed you yourself 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 when you sow, you sow not the body that will be, but a mere grain – perhaps of wheat, or something else.
38 kodwa uNkulunkulu uyinika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe, lakuleyo laleyo yenhlanyelo owayo umzimba.
God gives it the body that he pleases – to each seed its special body.
39 Inyama yonke kayisinyamanye; kodwa enye yinyama yabantu, lenye yinyama yenyamazana, lenye eyenhlanzi, lenye eyezinyoni.
All forms of life are not the same; there is one for people, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fish.
40 Ikhona lemizimba yezulwini, lemizimba yemhlabeni; kodwa inkazimulo yezulu ingenye, leyemhlabeni ingenye.
There are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies; but the beauty of the heavenly bodies is not the beauty of the earthly.
41 Enye yinkazimulo yelanga, lenye yinkazimulo yenyanga, lenye yinkazimulo yezinkanyezi; ngoba inkanyezi yehlukile kwenye inkanyezi enkazimulweni.
There is a beauty of the sun, and a beauty of the moon, and a beauty of the stars; for even star differs from star in beauty.
42 Kunjalo-ke ukuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuhlanyelwa ekuboleni, kuyavuswa kungekho ekuboleni;
It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. Sown a mortal body, it rises immortal; sown disfigured, it rises beautiful;
43 kuhlanyelwa ekudelweni, kuvuswe enkazimulweni; kuhlanyelwa ebuthakathakeni, kuvuswe emandleni;
sown weak, it rises strong; sown a human body, it rises a spiritual body.
44 kuhlanyelwa umzimba wemvelo, kuvuswe umzimba womoya. Kukhona umzimba wemvelo, njalo kukhona umzimba womoya.
As surely as there is a human body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Langokunjalo kulotshiwe ukuthi: Umuntu wokuqala uAdamu waba ngumphefumulo ophilayo; uAdamu wokucina ngumoya ophilisayo.
That is what is meant by the words – “Adam, the first man, became a human being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 Kodwa okokuqala kakusikho okomoya, kodwa okwemvelo, besekusiza okomoya.
That which comes first is not the spiritual, but the human; afterwards comes the spiritual;
47 Umuntu wokuqala wavela emhlabeni, ungowomhlabathi; umuntu wesibili uyiNkosi evela ezulwini.
the first man was from the dust of the earth; the second man from heaven.
48 Njengoba enjalo owomhlabathi, banjalo labo abomhlabathi; lanjengoba enjalo owezulwini, banjalo labo abezulwini;
Those who are of the dust are like him who came from the dust; and those who are of heaven are like him who came from heaven.
49 futhi njengoba sibelesimo sowomhlabathi, lathi sizakuba lesimo sowezulwini.
And as we have borne the likeness of him who came from the dust, so let us bear the likeness of him who came from heaven.
50 Kodwa ngitsho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama legazi kungelidle ilifa lombuso kaNkulunkulu; lokubola kakulidli ilifa lokungaboli.
This I say, friends – Flesh and blood can have no share in the kingdom of God, nor can the perishable share the imperishable.
51 Khangelani, ngilitshela imfihlo: Kasiyikulala sonke, kodwa sizaphendulwa sonke,
Listen, I will tell you God’s hidden purpose! We will not all have passed to our rest, but we will all be transformed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
52 ngesikhatshana, ngokucwayiza kwelihlo, ekukhaleni kophondo lokucina; ngoba uphondo luzakhala, labafileyo bazavuswa bengelakubola, lathi sizaphendulwa.
at the last trumpet-call; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise immortal, and we, also, will be transformed.
53 Ngoba lokhu okubolayo kumele ukwembatha ukungaboli, lalokho okufayo kwembathe ukungafi.
For this perishable body of ours must put on an imperishable form, and this dying body a deathless form.
54 Nxa-ke lokho okubolayo sekwembethe ukungaboli, lalokho okufayo sekwembethe ukungafi, kuzakwenzeka ngalesosikhathi ilizwi elilotshiweyo lokuthi: Ukufa kuginyiwe ekunqobeni.
And, when this dying body has put on its deathless form, then indeed will the words of scripture come true –
“death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, Death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” (Hadēs g86)
56 Lodonsi lokufa yisono; lamandla esono ngumlayo.
It is sin that gives death its sting, and it is the Law that gives sin its power.
57 Kodwa kabongwe uNkulunkulu osinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
58 Ngakho, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, manini, linganyikinyeki, lengezelelwe emsebenzini weNkosi kokuphela, lazi ukuthi ukutshikatshika kwenu kakusilo ize eNkosini.
Therefore, my dear friends, stand firm, unshaken, always diligent in the Lord’s work, for you know that, in union with him, your toil is not in vain.
