1 Corinthians 1

1 I, Paul, [am writing this letter]. Sosthenes, our fellow believer, is with [me as I write it]. [God] appointed me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus because that is what God desired.

Saa krataa yi fi me, Paulo a ɛnam Onyankopɔn pɛ so nti, wɔafrɛ me sɛ menyɛ Kristo Yesu somafo no ne onua Sostene nkyɛn,

2 [I am sending this letter] to all you who are God’s believers in Corinth [city]. You have been set apart [by God] {[God] has set you apart} for himself because (of your close relationship with/you belong to) Christ Jesus. God has appointed you to be his people and to live in a morally pure way, just like he has appointed all the people everywhere who belong to him to live in a morally pure way. You and they have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ [MTY]. He is their sovereign Lord as well as the sovereign Lord of all of us [(inc)] who have trusted in him.

Yɛde rekɔma Onyankopɔn asafo a ɛwɔ Korinto no ne wɔn a wɔafrɛ wɔn se wɔmmɛyɛ Onyankopɔn akyidifo kronkron no, ne wɔn a wɔwɔ baabiara a wɔbɔ yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo din sɛ ɔyɛ wɔn ne yɛn Awurade no:

3 We [(exc)] desire that God, who is our [heavenly] Father, and Jesus Christ, who is our sovereign Lord, will continue to act kindly toward you and cause you to experience [inner] peace.

Ɔdom ne asomdwoe a efi yɛn Agya Onyankopɔn ne yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo nka mo.

4 I very often [HYP] thank God for you because he has acted toward you kindly, acting in ways that you do not deserve. He has done this because of your (having a close relationship with/being united to) Christ Jesus.

Esiane adom a Onyankopɔn nam Kristo Yesu so dom mo no nti, daa meda Onyankopɔn ase ma mo.

5 That is, [God] has [HYP] helped you spiritually very much because of your (having a close relationship with/being united to) Christ. Specifically, God has very much [HYP] enabled you to speak messages [that his Spirit revealed to you], and he has very much enabled you to know many things [HYP] that his Spirit revealed to you.

Ɛnam ne so ama moayɛ ma biribiara mu, ɔkasa ne adwene mu.

6 In that way, [he] confirmed to you that what we [(exc)] proclaimed about Christ is true.

Kristo ho asɛm atim wɔ mo mu.

7 As a result, while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to return, within your group you truly have [LIT] every ability that [God’s] Spirit gives [to believers].

Esiane sɛ moretwɛn ama wɔada yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo adi no nti munya nhyira biara bi.

8 God will also cause you to steadfastly [trust Christ to the very end of your lives] [EUP]. The result will be that God will not consider you guilty [of any sin] when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth [MTY].

Ɔbɛhyɛ mo den akosi awiei sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, da a Awurade Yesu Kristo bɛba no, wɔrennya mo ho mfomso biara.

9 You can depend on God to do that. He is the one who chose you to become intimately associated with his Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord.

Onyankopɔn a wafrɛ mo aba ne Ba Yesu Kristo ayɔnkofa mu no yɛ ɔnokwafo.

10 My fellow believers, by the authority of [MTY] our Lord Jesus Christ, I urgently appeal to all of you to agree with one another. What I mean is, stop dividing into groups. Instead, be united [MET] concerning what you understand [about spiritual matters], and be united in what you decide.

Anuanom, menam Awurade Yesu Kristo tumi so tu mo fo se asɛm biara a mobɛka no, monyɛ adwene na mo mu ampaapae. Munso adwene ne botae baako mu na ama moayɛ baako.

11 My fellow believers, [I urge this] because some members of Chloe’s household have told me that you are quarreling among yourselves.

Anuanom, nnipa bi a wofi Kloe fi apae mu aka akyerɛ me se, akasakasa wɔ mo asafo yi mu.

12 That is, some of you say, “Paul is the one to whom we [are loyal],” and others say, “Peter is the one to whom we [are loyal],” and still others say, “Christ is the one to whom we [are loyal].”

Asɛm a mepɛ sɛ meka ne sɛ, wɔn mu biara ka asɛm a ɔpɛ. Oyi ka se, “Mewɔ Paulo afa” a, ɔfoforo se, “Mewɔ Apolo afa.” Obi sɔre na ose, “Mewɔ Petro afa” a, ɔbaako nso se, “Mewɔ Kristo afa.”

13 [It is ridiculous that] [RHQ] [you are quarreling and] dividing up [into groups instead of being loyal to] Christ alone. Christ certainly has not divided himself into parts and distributed those parts out [to groups of people who oppose each other]! [MET, RHQ] I, Paul, certainly did not die on the cross for you! [RHQ] When you were baptized {When someone baptized you}, you certainly did not promise that you were submitting to me! [RHQ]

Wɔakyekyɛ Kristo mu akuwakuw? Paulo na owui wɔ asennua no so maa mo ana? Wɔbɔɔ mo asu wɔ Paulo din mu ana?

14 I thank [God] that Crispus and Gaius were the only ones from among you whom I baptized.

Meda Onyankopɔn ase sɛ mammɔ mo mu biara asu ka Krispo ne Gaio ho.

15 As a result, no one [there in Corinth except those two] can say, “Paul baptized me so that I would become (his disciple/submissive to him).”

Obiara rentumi nka se wɔbɔɔ mo asu sɛ mʼasuafo.

16 [Now I remember that] I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I do not remember baptizing anyone else [there].

Mekae sɛ mebɔɔ Stefana ne ne fifo asu. Na menkae sɛ mebɔɔ obi foforo asu bio.

17 Christ sent me not [primarily] to baptize people but to preach the good message about him. When I do that, he does not want me to use words that human philosophers [consider] wise [IRO]. I do not want the message about [what] he [accomplished when he was nailed to] the cross [MTY] to lose its power.

Kristo ansoma me se memmɛbɔ asu, na mmom ɔsomaa me se memmɛka asɛmpa a emfi nnipa nyansa mu, na obi annyina so amma Kristo wu a owui wɔ asennua no so no mu tumi anyɛ ɔkwa.

18 Those who are perishing spiritually [because they do not believe that message consider] that the message [about what Christ accomplished when he was nailed to the] cross [MTY] [is] foolish. But to us who are being saved {whom [God] is saving} [spiritually because we believe that message], it [demonstrates that] God acts powerfully [in order to save us].

Asɛnka a ɛkyerɛ Kristo asennuambɔ no yɛ nsɛm a aba nni mu ma wɔn a wɔreyera. Nanso yɛn a wɔregye yɛn nkwa no de, ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn tumi.

19 [It is like what God said that] a prophet wrote long ago, [By the things that I will do], I will show that the ideas of those who [think] [IRO] they are wise are completely useless. I will ignore the ideas that they think are [IRO] so smart.

Kyerɛwsɛm no ka se, “Mɛsɛe anyansafo nyansa, na mɛma nimdefo adenim ayɛ ɔkwa.”

20 So, do you know [what God thinks] about what [RHQ] people who [IRO] consider themselves to be wise and scholars and philosophers say? [He does not pay attention to what they say, because] [RHQ] he has shown clearly that what unbelievers [think is] [IRO] wise is [not wise at all], but is really foolish. (aiōn g165)

Enti onyansafo wɔ he? Onimdefo nso wɔ he? Wiase yi mu akyinnyegyefo wɔ he? Onyankopɔn akyerɛ sɛ wiase yi mu nyansa yɛ ohunu (aiōn g165)

21 God, acting very wisely, made it impossible for unbelievers to know God by doing what they thought was [IRO] wise. Instead, he was happy to save those who trust [in Christ] as the result of their hearing [the message that] was proclaimed to them, a message that others consider to be foolish.

Enti Onyankopɔn nam ɔno ara ne nyansa so yɛɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔfa wɔn ara wɔn nyansa so hu no no renhu no da. Na mmom Onyankopɔn yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ wɔn a wogye asɛm a “aba nni mu” a yɛka no di no, obegye wɔn nkwa.

22 The Jews want [people to prove, by performing] miracles, [that their message is true]. The non-Jews want to hear only messages consisting of talk that they consider to be very wise.

Yudafo hwehwɛ sɛ wohu nsɛnkyerɛnne, na Helafo nso hwehwɛ nyansa.

23 As for us, we proclaim [the message about what] Christ [accomplished for us when] he was nailed {[when they] nailed him} to the cross. That message offends Jews [because they do not think that the Messiah will die, and] non-Jews think it is [IRO] a foolish message.

Nanso yɛn de, yɛka Kristo wu a owui wɔ asennua no so no ho asɛm. Saa asɛm no yɛ Yudafo abufuw na ɛyɛ asɛm a aba nni mu ma amanamanmufo;

24 But to us whom God has chosen to belong to himself, both Jews and non-Jews, that message shows that God acted powerfully and wisely [by sending] Christ [to die] for us.

nanso Yudafo ne amanamanmufo a Onyankopɔn afrɛ wɔn no, Kristo yɛ Onyankopɔn tumi ne Onyankopɔn nyansa.

25 [Unbelievers may think] [IRO] [that] God was [acting] foolishly [by doing that], but [the truth is that] he was acting more wisely than unbelievers who [just think that] [IRO] they are wise. And unbelievers may think that God was [acting] weakly [by sending his son to die], but he was acting more powerfully than unbelievers who [just think] [IRO] [that they] act powerfully.

Onyankopɔn asɛm a ɛyɛ sɛ aba nni mu no, aba wɔ mu sen nnipa nyansa, na saa ara nso na nea ɛyɛ sɛ ɛyɛ mmerɛw wɔ Onyankopɔn fam no yɛ den sen nnipa ahoɔden.

26 My fellow believers, remember what [kind of people you] were when God chose you. [Not many of you] whom he chose are people whom [unbelievers considered to be] wise. Very few of you were considered to be important. Very few of you came from families with a high social standing.

Afei anuanom, monkae bere a Onyankopɔn frɛɛ mo no tebea a na mowɔ mu. Nnipa fam de, na mo mu bebree nyɛ anyansafo, na mo mu bebree nni tumi, na mo mu bebree nyɛ adehye nso.

27 Instead, it was [usually] those whom [unbelievers considered to be] foolish whom God chose. He did that in order to shame/discredit those whom [unbelievers consider] [IRO] wise. It was [usually] those [whom unbelievers] considered [IRO] unimportant whom God chose, in order to shame/discredit those whom unbelievers consider important.

Nanso Onyankopɔn faa wiase yi mu nsɛm a aba nni mu no, nam so guu anyansafo anim ase. Onyankopɔn faa nneɛma a ɛyɛ mmerɛw wɔ wiase, nam so de guu ahoɔden anim ase.

28 It was usually those who are despised and considered {whom [unbelievers] despise and consider} worthless whom God chose, in order to make completely ineffective [what unbelievers consider to be important].

Ɔfaa nea wiase mmu na wɔmfa nyɛ hwee no de sɛee nea wiase susuw sɛ ɛho hia no.

29 [He did that] in order that no one could boast to God about being wise or important.

Eyi kyerɛ sɛ obi ntumi nhoahoa ne ho wɔ Onyankopɔn anim.

30 It is because of what God [has done] that you (have a close relationship with/belong to) Christ Jesus. God [put into effect] his wise [plan to save us] by what Christ did for us. As a result of what Christ did, God erases the record of our sins, sets us apart for himself, and frees us from our being guilty [for our sins].

Nanso Onyankopɔn aka mo abata Kristo Yesu ho na Onyankopɔn nam Kristo so ama yɛn nyansa; ɛnam ne so ma yɛateɛ wɔ Onyankopɔn anim. Yɛyɛ Onyankopɔn ahotefo a wama yɛade yɛn ho.

31 So, it is the Lord whom we should boast about, [not about one spiritual leader being better than another]. We should do as ([a prophet/Jeremiah]) wrote [in the Scriptures that we should do]: Those who boast should boast [only] about what the Lord [has done].

Enti sɛnea Kyerɛwsɛm no ka no, “Obiara a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔhoahoa ne ho no, ɔnhoahoa ne ho wɔ nea Awurade ayɛ mu.”