Paulo Anisoadehunu
1Ɛwom sɛ ahohoahoa ho nni mfasoɔ biara deɛ, nanso ɛsɛ sɛ mehoahoa me ho. Nanso, afei mɛka anisoadehunu ne adiyisɛm a Awurade ada no adi akyerɛ me no. 2Menim Okristoni bi a mfeɛ dunan nie, biribi hwimm no de no kɔɔ ɔsoro. Mennim sɛ saa asɛm yi sii ampa ara anaasɛ ɛyɛ anisoadehunu. Onyankopɔn nko ara na ɔnim. 3Meti mu bio. Menim sɛ wɔhwimm saa ɔbarima yi kɔɔ Paradise. Bio mennim sɛ saa asɛm yi sii ampa ara anaasɛ ɛyɛ anisoadehunu. Onyankopɔn nko ara na ɔnim. 4Na ɛhɔ na ɔtee nneɛma bi a wɔde ka nsɛm a ɛnyɛ yie, nneɛma a onipa anofafa ntumi nka. 5Enti, mede saa onipa yi bɛhoahoa me ho na meremfa me ara me ho nhoahoa me ho gye sɛ nneɛma a ɛda me adi sɛ meyɛ mmerɛ no ho. 6Sɛ mehoahoa me ho mpo a, anka merenyɛ ɔkwasea, ɛfiri sɛ, nokorɛ ara na meka. Nanso, merenhoahoa me ho, ɛfiri sɛ, mempɛ sɛ obiara bu me otitire sene sɛdeɛ wahunu na wate afiri me nkyɛn no. 7Sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a ɛnam saa adiyisɛm nwanwaso yi enti meremma me ho so no, wɔsomaa ɔbonsam ɔbɔfoɔ ma ɔde honam mu yea a emu yɛ den brɛɛ me de brɛɛ me ase. 8Mebɔɔ yei ho mpaeɛ mprɛnsa kyerɛɛ Awurade na mesrɛɛ no sɛ ɔmma ɛmfiri me so nkɔ. 9Ne mmuaeɛ a ɔmaa me ne sɛ, “Mʼadom nko ara na ɛho hia wo, na ɛberɛ a woayɛ mmerɛ no na me tumi mu yɛ den pa ara.” Enti, ɛyɛ me anigye pa ara sɛ mede me mmerɛyɛ hoahoa me ho, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a mɛte Kristo banbɔ tumi a ɛbɔ me ho ban no nka. 10Esiane Kristo enti, mepene mmerɛyɛ, ɔyea, amanehunu, ɔtaa ne akwansideɛ so. Ɛfiri sɛ, me mmerɛyɛ mu no na meyɛ den.
11Meyɛ me ho sɛ ɔkwasea, nanso mo na moama mayɛ saa. Mo na anka ɛsɛ sɛ mogye me tom. Na sɛ menyɛ hwee a, ɛkwan biara so no, mennyɛ sɛ abomfiaa wɔ mo anim nsene “Asomafoɔ” a mobu wɔn no. 12Mede boasetɔ dii dwuma wɔ mo mu de kyerɛɛ sɛ meyɛ ɔsomafoɔ. 13Dwumadie no bi yɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ ne anwanwadeɛ. Adɛn enti na moyɛ asɔre a aka no mu abomfiaa, ɛfiri sɛ, mammisa mo mmoa bi nti? Mesrɛ mo momfa saa mfomsoɔ no nkyɛ me.
14Yei ne ne mprɛnsa so a masiesie me ho pɛ sɛ mebɛsra mo. Na meba nso a, meremmisa mo biribiara. Mo na merehwehwɛ mo. 15Ɛbɛyɛ me anigye sɛ mo enti, mɛhwere deɛ mewɔ ne mʼadagyeɛ de aboa mo. Esiane sɛ medɔ mo yie no enti, mo dɔ a modɔ me no so bɛte anaa? 16Mobɛte aseɛ sɛ na mennyɛ adesoa mma mo. Nanso, obi bɛka sɛ, meyɛ ɔdaadaafoɔ a mede nnaadaa yii mo. 17Ɛkwan bɛn so? Menam abɔfoɔ a mesomaa wɔn mo nkyɛn no so sisii mo anaa? 18Mesomaa Tito sɛ ɔnkɔ, ɛnna mesomaa onua baako kaa ne ho. Mokyerɛ sɛ Tito sisii mo anaa? Ɔno ne me nyinaa kura adwene korɔ nni dwuma korɔ?
19Ebia, modwene sɛ pɛ ara na yɛpɛ sɛ yɛka biribi de tete yɛn ho wɔ mo anim. Dabi! Yɛkasa sɛdeɛ Kristo pɛ sɛ yɛka wɔ Onyankopɔn anim. Na biribiara a yɛyɛ no nso, me nnamfo pa, yɛyɛ de boa mo. 20Mesuro sɛ, sɛ meduru hɔ a, sɛdeɛ anka mepɛ sɛ mehunu mo no, merenhunu mo saa. Saa ara nso na sɛdeɛ anka mopɛ sɛ mohunu me no, morenhunu me saa. Menim sɛ mɛba abɛto akasakasa ne anibereɛ, abufuo ne pɛsɛmenkomenya, ɔyea ne nsekuro, ahantan ne basabasayɛ no. 21Mesuro sɛ da a mɛba bio no, Onyankopɔn bɛgu mʼanim ase wɔ mo anim na mɛsu ama wɔn a wɔayɛ bɔne dada na wɔnnuu wɔn ho wɔ wɔn akɔnnɔ ne adwamammɔ ho no.
Paul’s Vision and His Thorn
1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
11I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”12:11 Or the most eminent apostles even though I am nothing. 12I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. 13How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
14Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? 18I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?
19Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
