1 Corinthians 9
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have not I seen Jesus Christ, our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord?
Mimi si huru? Mimi si mtume? Mimi sikumwona Yesu Bwana wetu? Ninyi si matunda ya kazi yangu katika Bwana?
2 If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Ikiwa mimi si mtume kwa wengine, angalau ni mtume kwenu ninyi. Kwa maana ninyi ni uthibitisho wa utume wangu katika Bwana.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this:
Huu ndio utetezi wangu kwa wale wanaonichunguza mimi.
4 Have we no right to eat and to drink?
Je hatuna haki ya kula na kunywa?
5 Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Hatuna haki kuchukua mke aliye amini kama wafanyavyo mitume wengine, na ndugu wa Bwana, na Kefa?
6 Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?
Au ni mimi peke yangu na Barnaba ambao tunapaswa kufanya kazi?
7 What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and does not drink from the flock’s milk?
Ni nani afanyaye kazi kama askari kwa gharama zake mwenyewe? Ni nani apandaye mzabibu na asile matunda yake? Au ni nani achungaye kundi asiyekunywa maziwa yake?
8 Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or does not the law also say the same thing?
Je ninasema haya kwa mamlaka ya kibinadamu? Sheria nayo haisemi haya?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it for the oxen that God cares,
Kwa kuwa imeandikwa katika sheria ya Musa, “usimfunge ng'ombe kinywa apulapo nafaka.” Ni kweli kwamba hapa Mungu anajali ng'ombe?
10 or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope.
Au je hasemi hayo kwa ajili yetu? imeandikwa kwa ajili yetu, kwa sababu yeye alimaye nafaka inampasa kulima kwa matumaini, naye avunaye inampasa avune kwa matarajio ya kushiriki katika mavuno.
11 If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?
Ikiwa tulipanda vitu vya rohoni miongoni mwenu, Je! Ni neno kubwa kwetu tukivuna vitu vya mwilini kutoka kwenu?
12 If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.
Ikiwa wengine walipata haki hii kutoka kwenu, Je! Sisi si zaidi? Hata hivyo, hatukuidai haki hii. Badala yake, tulivumilia mambo yote badala ya kuwa kikwazo cha injili ya Kristo.
13 Do not you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?
Hamjui ya kuwa wote wafanyao kazi hekaluni hupata chakula chao kutoka hekaluni? Hamjui ya kuwa wote watendao kazi madhabahuni hupata sehemu ya kile kilichotolewa madhabahuni?
14 Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News.
Kwa jinsi iyo hiyo, Bwana aliagiza ya kuwa wote wanaoitangaza injili sharti wapate kuishi kutokana na hiyo injili.
15 But I have used none of these things, and I do not write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.
Lakini sijawadai haki zote hizi. Na siandiki haya ili jambo lolote lifanyike kwa ajili yangu. Ni heri mimi nife kuliko mtu yeyote kubatilisha huku kujisifu kwangu.
16 For if I preach the Good News, I have nothing to boast about, for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me if I do not preach the Good News.
Maana ikiwa naihubiri injili, sina sababu ya kujisifu, kwa sababu ni lazima nifanye hivi. Na ole wangu nisipoihubiri injili!
17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.
Kwa maana nikifanya hivi kwa hiari yangu, nina thawabu. Lakini ikiwa si kwa hiari, bado nina jukumu nililopewa kuwa wakili.
18 What then is my reward? That when I preach the Good News, I may present the Good News of Christ without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.
Basi thawabu yangu ni nini? Ya kuwa nihubiripo, nitaitoa injili pasipo gharama na bila kutumia kwa utimilifu wa haki yangu niliyonayo katika Injili.
19 For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
Maana japo nimekuwa huru kwa wote, nilifanyika mtumwa wa wote, ili kwamba niweze kuwapata wengi zaidi.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
Kwa Wayahudi nilikuwa kama Myahudi, ili niwapate Wayahudi. Kwa wale walio chini ya sheria, nilikuwa kama mmoja wao aliye chini ya sheria ili niwapate wale walio chini ya sheria. Nilifanya hivyo ingawa mimi binafsi sikuwa chini ya sheria.
21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.
Kwa wale walio nje ya sheria, nilikuwa kama mmoja wao nje ya sheria, ingawa mimi binafsi sikuwa nje ya sheria ya Mungu, bali chini ya sheria ya Kristo. Nilifanya hivyo ili niwapate wale walio nje ya sheria.
22 To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
Kwa walio wanyonge nilikuwa mnyonge, ili niwapate walio wanyonge. Nimekuwa hali zote kwa watu wote, ili kwa njia zote nipate kuwaokoa baadhi.
23 Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.
Nami nafanya mambo yote kwa ajili ya injili, ili nipate kushiriki katika baraka.
24 Do not you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, so that you may win.
Hamjui ya kuwa katika mbio wote washindanao hupiga mbio, lakini apokeaye tuzo ni mmoja? Hivyo pigeni mbio ili mpate tuzo.
25 Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
Mwana michezo hujizuia katika yote awapo katika mafunzo. Hao hufanya hivyo ili wapokee taji iharibikayo, lakini sisi tunakimbia ili tupate taji isiyoharibika.
26 I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air,
Kwa hiyo mimi sikimbii bila sababu au napigana ngumi kama kupiga hewa.
27 but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
Lakini nautesa mwili wangu na kuufanya kama mtumwa, ili kwamba nijapokwisha kuwahubiri wengine, mimi mwenyewe nisiwe wa kukataliwa.
