¹Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are not *ye* my work in [the] Lord?

¹Je, mimi si mtu huru? Je, mimi si mtume? Je, mimi sikumwona Yesu Bwana wetu? Je, ninyi si matokeo ya kazi yangu kwa ajili ya Bwana?

²If I am not an apostle to others, yet at any rate I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are *ye* in [the] Lord.

²Hata kama kwa watu wengine mimi si mtume, lakini walau kwenu ninyi mimi ni mtume. Ninyi ni uthibitisho wa mtume wangu kwa sababu ya kuungana kwenu na Bwana.

³My defence to those who examine me is this:

³Hoja yangu kwa wale wanaonipinga ndiyo hii:

⁴Have we not a right to eat and to drink?

⁴Je, hatuna haki ya kula na kunywa?

⁵have we not a right to take round a sister [as] wife, as also the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁵Je, hatuna ruhusa kumchukua mke Mkristo katika ziara zetu, kama vile wafanyavyo mitume wengine, ndugu zake Bwana, na pia Kefa?

⁶Or *I* alone and Barnabas, have we not a right not to work?

⁶Au ni mimi tu na Barnaba ambao tunapaswa kujipatia maslahi yetu kwa kufanya kazi?

⁷Who ever carries on war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? or who herds a flock and does not eat of the milk of the flock?

⁷Je, mwanajeshi gani anayelipia utumishi wake jeshini? Mkulima gani asiyekula matunda ya shamba lake la mizabibu? Mchungaji gani asiyekunywa maziwa ya mifugo yake?

⁸Do I speak these things as a man, or does not the law also say these things?

⁸Je, nasema mambo haya kibinadamu tu? Je, Sheria nayo haisemi hivyo?

⁹For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that is treading out corn. Is God occupied about the oxen,

⁹Imeandikwa katika Sheria ya Mose: "Usimfunge kinywa ng'ombe anapoliwata nafaka." Je, ndio kusema Mungu anajishughulisha na ng'ombe?

¹⁰or does he say [it] altogether for our sakes? For for our sakes it has been written, that the plougher should plough in hope, and he that treads out corn, in hope of partaking of [it].

¹⁰Je, hakuwa anatufikiria sisi aliposema hivyo? Naam, haya yaliandikwa kwa ajili yetu; kwani yule anayelima na yule anayevuna, wote wawili wana haki ya kutumaini kupata sehemu ya mavuno.

¹¹If we have sown to you spiritual things, [is it a] great [thing] if *we* shall reap your carnal things?

¹¹Ikiwa sisi tumepanda mbegu ya kiroho kati yenu, je, ni jambo kubwa tukichuma kwenu faida ya kidunia?

¹²If others partake of this right over you, should not rather *we*? But we have not used this right, but we bear all things, that we may put no hindrance in the way of the glad tidings of the Christ.

¹²Ikiwa wengine wanayo haki ya kutazamia hayo kutoka kwenu, je, sisi hatuna haki zaidi kuliko hao? Lakini, sisi hatukuitumia haki hiyo, Badala yake, tumestahimili kila kitu ili tusiiwekee kizuizi chochote Habari Njema ya Kristo.

¹³Do ye not know that they who labour [at] sacred things eat of the [offerings offered in the] temple; they that attend at the altar partake with the altar?

¹³Je, hamjui kwamba wanaotumikia Hekaluni hupata chakula chao Hekaluni, na kwamba wanaotolea sadaka madhabahuni hupata sehemu ya hiyo sadaka?

¹⁴So also the Lord has ordained to those that announce the glad tidings to live of the glad tidings.

¹⁴Bwana aliagiza vivyo hivyo; wahubiri wa Habari Njema wapate riziki zao kutokana nayo.

¹⁵But *I* have used none of these things. Now I have not written these things that it should be thus in my case; for [it were] good for me rather to die than that any one should make vain my boast.

¹⁵Lakini, mimi sikutumia hata mojawapo ya haki hizo. Na wala siandiki nijipatie haki hizo; kwangu mimi ni afadhali kufa kuliko kumfanya yeyote aone kwamba najisifu bure.

¹⁶For if I announce the glad tidings, I have nothing to boast of; for a necessity is laid upon me; for it is woe to me if I should not announce the glad tidings.

¹⁶Ikiwa ninaihubiri Habari Njema, hilo si jambo la kujivunia; hilo ni jukumu nililopewa. Na, ole wangu kama sitaihubiri Habari Njema!

¹⁷For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with an administration.

¹⁷Ningekuwa nimeichagua kazi hii kwa hiari, basi, ningetazamia malipo; lakini maadam naifanya ikiwa ni wajibu, hiyo ina maana kwamba ni jukumu nililopewa nitekeleze.

¹⁸What is the reward then that I have? That in announcing the glad tidings I make the glad tidings costless [to others], so as not to have made use, as belonging to me, of my right in [announcing] the glad tidings.

¹⁸Mshahara wangu ni kitu gani, basi? Mshahara wangu ni fursa ya kuihubiri Habari Njema bure, bila kudai haki ninazostahili kwa kuihubiri.

¹⁹For being free from all, I have made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most [possible].

¹⁹Kwa hiyo, ingawa mimi si mtumwa wa mtu yeyote, nimejifanya mtumwa wa kila mtu ili nimpatie Kristo watu wengi iwezekanavyo.

²⁰And I became to the Jews as a Jew, in order that I might gain the Jews: to those under law, as under law, not being myself under law, in order that I might gain those under law:

²⁰Kwa Wayahudi nimeishi kama Myahudi ili niwapate Wayahudi; yaani, ingawa mimi siko chini ya Sheria, nimejiweka chini ya Sheria kwao, ili niwapate hao walio chini ya Sheria.

²¹to those without law, as without law, (not as without law to God, but as legitimately subject to Christ,) in order that I might gain [those] without law.

²¹Na kwa wale walio nje ya Sheria, naishi kama wao, nje ya Sheria, ili niwapate hao walio nje ya Sheria. Hii haimaanishi kwamba mimi niko nje ya sheria ya Mungu, maana nabanwa na sheria ya Kristo.

²²I became to the weak, [as] weak, in order that I might gain the weak. To all I have become all things, in order that at all events I might save some.

²²Kwao walio dhaifu nimejifanya dhaifu ili niwapate hao walio dhaifu. Nimejifanya kila kitu kwa wote ili nipate kuwaokoa baadhi yao kwa kila njia.

²³And I do all things for the sake of the glad tidings, that I may be fellow-partaker with them.

²³Nafanya haya yote kwa ajili ya Habari Njema, nipate kushiriki baraka zake.

²⁴Know ye not that they who run in [the] race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain.

²⁴Je, hamjui kwamba katika uwanja wa michezo, ingawa wapiga mbio wote hukimbia, ni mmoja tu anayejinyakulia zawadi?

²⁵But every one that contends [for a prize] is temperate in all things: *they* then indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but *we* an incorruptible.

²⁵Wanariadha hujipa mazoezi na nidhamu kali; hufanya hivyo ili wajipatie taji iharibikayo! Lakini sisi twafanya hivyo tupate taji ya kudumu daima.

²⁶*I* therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air.

²⁶Ndivyo basi, ninavyopiga mbio nikiwa na nia ya kushinda; ndivyo ninavyopigana, na si kama bondia anayetupa ngumi zake hewani.

²⁷But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest [after] having preached to others I should be myself rejected.

²⁷Naupa mwili wangu mazoezi magumu na kuutia katika nidhamu kamili, nisije mimi mwenyewe nikakataliwa baada ya kuwahubiria wengine.