1 Va Korinte 1

1 Paulusi, ava sumpwa kwa Jesu Kreste ku va muapositola che tanto ya Ireeza, mi ni Sosthene mukwetu,

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.

2 kwi kereke ye Ireeza ya Makorinte, kwavo va va njolozwa ni Jesu Kreste, va supitwe ku va vantu va njolola. Tu ñolela vulyo vonse avo va supa izina lya Simwine Jesu Kreste mu zivaka zonse, Simwine wavo ni wetu.

[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.

3 Chishemo ni konzo zi ve kwenu kuzwilila kwe Reeza Muzazi wetu ni Simwine Jesu Kreste.

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.

4 Inako yonse ni litumela kwe Reeza wangu chenu vakeñi cha chishemo che Reeza chi va hewa kwenu cha Jesu Kreste.

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.

5 A vami tendi va vahumi mwi nzila zonse, ni mu zi wambo zonse ni nzivo yonse,

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.

6 sina ha kuva pakiwa za Jesu Kreste zi ve zuzilizwa ku va zeniti mukati kenu.

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

7 Linu hanu ka mu vulite impo za luhuho sina ha mu lindile zi ungilwe za Simwine Jesu Kreste.

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].

8 Ka wole ku mi koza ku twala ku ma manimani, kutendela kuti mu vule kusa swaviswa mwi zuva lya Simwine wetu Jesu Kreste.

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].

9 Ireeza u sepahala, ya va mi sumpi kuva mu chilikani cha Mwan'a kwe, Jesu Kreste Simwin”e tu.

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.

10 Linu ni mi kumbila, vakwangu, che zina lya Simwine Jesu Kreste, kuti mwese mu zumina, mi kuti sanzi ku vi ni kauhano mukati kenu. Ni mi kumbila kuti mu kopane ha mwina che ngana yonke ni mutendo u swana.

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.

11 Imi iva vikwa munzila yi zuweka kwangu, va kwangu, cha vantu va Kloe kuti mitendo yavo yi tendahale mukati kenu.

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

12 Chi ni wamba nje chi: zumwi ni zumwi kwenu ati, “ni wa Paulusi,” kapa “wa Apolosi,” kapa wa Kefasi; kapa ni wa Kreste.

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].”

13 Nji kuti Kreste u kauhene? Kana Paulusi ava kokotelwa ka chenu? Kana mu va kolovezwa mwi nzina lya Paulusi?

[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]

14 Ni litumela kwe Reeza kuti kana ni va kolovezi nangati umwina kwenu, kunde a Krispusi ni Gaius.

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

15 Ku vavi vulyo ku tendela kuti ka kwina nangati umwina yo wamba kuti ava kolovezwa mwi nzina lwa ngu.

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).”

16 (Ni va kolovezi vulyo ni vezuvo ya Setefanisi. Kuzwaho, kanizi heva ni va kolovezi vamwi.)

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

17 Imi Kreste kena avani tumi kwiza ku koloveza kono kwiza ku ruta linzwi. Kena avani tumi kwiza ku ku ruta cha manzwi a vutali vwa muntu, kutendela kuti chifapano cha Kreste sanzi chivuli ziho.

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.

18 Imi ituto kuamana ni chifapano ivonisa vuholo kwavo va chi vafwa. Kono mukati kavo avo va kwete kuhaza Ireeza, ziho ze Reeza.

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].

19 Imi ku ñoletwe, “Mu ni sinye vutali bwavo vena vutali. Mu ni filikanye yi kutwisiso ya wina maano.”

[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.

20 Winahi muntu muchinu? winahi muñoli? winahi Muwambi we nako zinu za sunu? Kena kuti Ireeza ava sanduli maano e kanda kuva isena intuso? (aiōn g165)

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)

21 Kuzwila uko inkanda kena ivena maano akwi ziva Ireeza, ku va sangisi Ireeza chavo ziholeluli va sena va vena maano a ku ruta za ku lukulula avo va zumina.

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.

22 Majuda va saka imakazo mi Magerike va saka maano.

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.

23 Iswe tukutaza Kreste ya va kokotelwa, chi sitataliso ku Majuda ni vuholo luli ku Magerike.

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.

24 Kono kwavo vava sumpi Ireeza, vonse Majuda ni Magerike, tu ruta Kreste ziho ni maano a Ireeza.

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.

25 Imi vuholo luli vwe Reeza vwina vutali luli kuhita vwa vantu, mi ku vula ziho luli kwe Reeza ku kolete kuzamba kwa vantu.

[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.

26 Mu lole ipinzo zenu, vakwangu, kena vungi vwenu vena maano ena mazimo a vuntu. Kena vungi vwenu va vena ziho. Kena vungi vwenu va pepywa nenza.

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.

27 Kono Ireeza ava keti zintu mwi inkanda zivoneka vuhole ku swavisa vatali. Ireeza ava keti zi sena ziho mwi inkanda ku swavisa vena ziho.

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.

28 Ireeza ava keti zintu ze inkanda hansi ni zikendetwe. Ava keti vulyo ni zintu zi vonahala kuva zi sena tuso, ni zi sa kwina ni zina kwateni ava zitendi ku sa va za vutokwa.

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].

29 Ava tendi vulyo kutendela kuti ka kwina yo swanela kuli katula havusu vwakwe.

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

30 Vakeñi cha va tendi Ireeza, hanu twina kwa Jesu Kreste, ya va tendwa maano kwetu ke Reeza. Avavi yo shiyeme, yo njolwezwe, ni mu sumununwa.

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].

31 Che kalavo, sina linzwi ha li wamba, “mu siye yo liyemuna, ali nyemune mwi zina ya Simwine.”

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].