Ɔsomafoɔ Dwumadie
1Menne me ho anaa? Menyɛ ɔsomafoɔ anaa? Menhunuu Yesu yɛn Awurade anaa? Na monyɛ me nsa ano adwuma wɔ Awurade mu anaa? 2Na sɛ afoforɔ mpo nnye me ntom sɛ ɔsomafoɔ a, mo deɛ, mogye me tom saa. Sɛdeɛ mo ankasa mo abrabɔ te wɔ Awurade mu no di ho adanseɛ sɛ meyɛ ɔsomafoɔ.
3Sɛ nnipa ka me ho asɛm a, saa ɛkwan yi so na mefa yi me ho ano. 4Menni ho ɛkwan sɛ mʼadwuma enti, wɔma me aduane di ma me nsuo nom anaa? 5Menni ho ɛkwan sɛ meyɛ deɛ asomafoɔ a aka no yɛeɛ no bi, sɛdeɛ Awurade nuanom ne Petro yɛeɛ, na meware Okristoni baa de no ka me ho tu mʼakwan yi? 6Anaasɛ Barnaba ne me nko ara na ɛsɛ sɛ yɛyɛ adwuma de bɔ yɛn ho akɔnhoma?
7Ɔsraani bɛn na ɔtua ɔno ankasa ne ho ka wɔ ɛberɛ a ɔdi sraa? Okuafoɔ bɛn na ɔnni nʼafuo mu nnɔbaeɛ bi? Odwanhwɛfoɔ bɛn na ɔnnom ne nnwan a ɔyɛn wɔn no nufosuo bi? 8Ɛnsɛ sɛ meti nhwɛsoɔ a ɛwɔ yɛn abrabɔ dada no mu ɛfiri sɛ, Mmara no ka asɛm korɔ no ara. 9Yɛkan wɔ Mose Mmara no mu sɛ, “Sɛ wode nantwie retiatia aburoo so a, nkyekyere nʼano.” Nantwie ho asɛm na ɛhia Onyankopɔn anaa? 10Anaasɛ na asɛm a ɔreka no fa yɛn ho? Nokorɛm wɔtwerɛɛ yei de maa yɛn. Onipa a ɔfuntum ne deɛ ɔtwa aba no nyinaa, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔn nyinaa yɛ wɔn adwuma sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, wɔbɛnya wɔn kyɛfa wɔ wɔn dwumadie no mu. 11Yɛadua honhom aba wɔ mo mu na sɛ yɛnya ewiase nnepa firi mo nkyɛn a, ɛdɔɔso dodo anaa? 12Na sɛ afoforɔ wɔ tumi sɛ wɔhwɛ yeinom anim firi mo nkyɛn a, yɛn deɛ, yɛnni tumi a ɛboro saa?
Nanso, yɛnni saa tumi yi ho dwuma biara. Mmom, yɛatena ase saa ara sɛdeɛ yɛremfa suntidua biara nto asɛmpa a ɛfa Kristo ho no.
13Monim sɛ wɔn a wɔyɛ adwuma wɔ asɔredan mu no nya wɔn aduane firi asɔredan mu, na wɔn nso a wɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ afɔrebukyia so no nso nya wɔn afɔrebɔdeɛ. 14Saa ara nso na Awurade ahyɛ sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔn a wɔka asɛmpa no nya wɔn asetena firi mu.
15Nanso, menkaa saa asɛdeɛ yi ho hwee. Ɛnyɛ sɛ meretwerɛ seesei sɛ meregye saa asɛdeɛ no afa. Ɛnneɛ anka mɛdi ɛkan mawu. Obiara rentumi mfa mʼasɛdeɛ no nni agorɔ. 16Menni tumi sɛ, ɛsiane sɛ meka asɛmpa no enti, mehoahoa me ho. Mehyɛ mmara ase na meka asɛmpa no. Na sɛ manka asɛmpa no a, mɛhunu amane. 17Sɛ meyɛ adwuma no sɛdeɛ ɛfiri mʼankasa me pɛ mu a, na ɛsɛ sɛ mehwɛ akatua anim. Nanso meyɛ no sɛ mʼadwuma, ɛfiri sɛ, Onyankopɔn na ɔde ato me so. 18Ɛnneɛ, na akatua bɛn na ɛsɛ sɛ menya? Ɛyɛ ahohoahoadeɛ sɛ wobɛka asɛmpa no na wonnye hwee na wommisa asɛdeɛ biara nso.
19Mede me ho; menyɛ obi akoa. Nanso, meyɛ me ho obiara akoa sɛdeɛ mɛsesa akra dodoɔ biara a mɛtumi. 20Ɛberɛ a me ne Yudafoɔ te no, meyɛɛ me ho sɛ Yudani sɛdeɛ mɛtwetwe wɔn aba me nkyɛn. Mʼankasa nso na menhyɛ Mose Mmara ase, nanso metenaa ase sɛdeɛ Mose Mmara di me so sɛdeɛ mɛtwetwe wɔn a wɔhyɛ saa Mmara no ase aba me nkyɛn. 21Saa ara na mekɔfraa amanamanmufoɔ mu no nso meyɛɛ me ho sɛ wɔn ara pɛ, sɛdeɛ mɛtumi matwetwe wɔn aba me nkyɛn. Yei nkyerɛ sɛ menni Onyankopɔn Mmara so; mehyɛ Kristo Mmara ase. 22Wɔn a wɔn gyidie yɛ mmerɛ no, meyɛɛ sɛ wɔn ara sɛdeɛ mɛtwetwe wɔn aba me nkyɛn. Meyɛɛ me ho sɛdeɛ ɛfata biara maa nnipa nyinaa, sɛdeɛ mɛtumi afa ɛkwan biara a ɛbɛyɛ yie so magye wɔn mu bi nkwa. 23Asɛmpa no enti na meyɛɛ yeinom nyinaa na manya mu nhyira bi.
24Monim sɛ mmirika akansie mu, mmirikatufoɔ no nyinaa tu mmirika no bi, nanso wɔn mu baako pɛ na ɔnya akradeɛ no. Enti, tu mmirika no ɛkwan bi so na nya akradeɛ no. 25Obiara a ɔsi agodie mu akan no siesie ne ho di mmara so. Ɔyɛ saa sɛdeɛ ɔbɛnya ahenkyɛ a ɛrenkyɛre, nanso yɛn deɛ yi deɛ, ɛbɛkyɛ akɔsi daapem nyinaa. 26Ɛno enti na meretu mmirika kɔ mʼanim tee akɔwie no. Ɛno enti na mete sɛ okuturukubɔni a ne kuturuku mfom no. 27Mebɔ mmɔden hyɛ me onipadua so na medi no nya, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, sɛ meka Asɛmpa no kyerɛ afoforɔ a me nso merenyɛ deɛ ɛmfra.
Paul’s Rights as an Apostle
1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren’t you the result of my work for the Lord? 2Others may not think of me as an apostle. But I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.
3That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me. 4Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord’s brothers do. Peter does. 6Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to do other work for a living? Are we the only ones who can’t just do the work of apostles all the time?
7Who serves as a soldier but doesn’t get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn’t eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn’t drink any of the milk? 8Do I say this only on human authority? The Law says the same thing. 9Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about? 10Doesn’t he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. Whoever plows and separates the grain hopes to share the harvest. And it is right for them to hope for this. 11We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some things we need? 12Others have the right to receive help from you. Don’t we have even more right to do so?
But we didn’t use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn’t want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.
13People who serve in the temple get their food from the temple. Don’t you know this? People who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar. Don’t you know this? 14So those who preach the good news should also receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.
15But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than allow anyone to take away my pride in my work. 16But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news! 17If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. 18Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do this without using all my rights as a person who preaches the good news.
Paul Uses His Freedom to Share the Good News
19I am free and don’t belong to anyone. But I have made myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law. I did this even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law. 21To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I did this even though I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law. 22To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people. I have done this so that in all possible ways I might save some. 23I do all this because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.
Training to Win the Prize
24In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. 25All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. 27No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules. If I did break them, I would fail to win the prize.
