First Corinthians 9:1-27
9 I no dey free? I no be apostle? I never see Jesus our Lord? No be una be my work for the Lord?
2 Even if I no be apostle to other people, true-true, I be apostle to una! Because na una be the stamp wey prove say I be apostle for the Lord.
3 My answer to the people wey de judge me na say:
4 We get the right* to chop and drink, or we no get?
5 We get the right make our wife wey believe the good news* de follow us, just as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Ce′phas* de do, or we no get the right?
6 Or na only Bar′na·bas and me no get the right to stop the work wey we de do to support ourself?
7 Which soldier de ever spend from im own pocket to do im work? Who de plant vine for farm wey no de chop from the fruit? Or who de care for sheep wey no de drink some of the milk of the animals?
8 I de talk this things from wetin people de think? Or no be the Lord still talk this things?
9 Them write-am for the Law of Moses say: “When you de use bull de separate grain, make you no cover im mouth.” Na bulls God de think about?
10 Or na really because of us e talk this one? Them really write-am because of us, because the person wey de make ridge and the person wey de separate grain, suppose to do this one with the hope say e go get im share.
11 If we don plant things of the spirit among una, e dey too much if we harvest things wey we need from una to support ourself?
12 If other men get the right to expect this things from una, we no get more right to do this one? Even with that one, we never use this right.* But we de endure everything so that we no go block the good news about the Christ for any way.
13 Una no know say the men wey de do holy work them de chop things from the temple, and say the people wey de always work for the altar de get share from the altar?
14 For the same way too, the Lord command say make people wey de preach the good news de survive from the good news.
15 But I never use any of this right. The truth na say, I no de write this things so that una go do-am for me. Because e go better make I die, than—nobody go take the right wey I get to boast!
16 Now if I de preach the good news, no be reason for me to boast, because na wetin I suppose do. True-true, na trouble for me if I no preach the good news!
17 If I do this one from my heart, I get reward. But even if I no do-am from my heart, I still get the work wey God don put for my hand to care for.
18 So, wetin be my reward? Na to preach the good news free of charge so that I no go use my right* anyhow to preach the good news.
19 Even though say I dey free from everybody, I don make myself slave to everybody, so that I fit gain plenty people as I fit.
20 To Jew people, I don be like Jew person, so that I go fit gain Jew people. To people wey dey under law, I don be like person wey dey under law, even though say I no dey under law, so that I go fit gain people wey dey under law.
21 To people wey no get law, I don be like person wey no get law, even though say I de follow the law of God and I dey under the law of Christ, so that I go fit gain people wey no get law.
22 To people wey dey weak, I don dey weak, so that I go fit gain people wey dey weak. I don be everything to different kind of people, so that I go fit do everything wey I fit do to save some of them.
23 But I de do everything because of the good news, so that I go fit preach-am to other people.
24 Una no know say all the people wey de run for race de run, but na only one person de receive the prize? Make una run for way wey una go fit win the prize.
25 Now, everybody wey de join for competition de control imself for everything. Na true say them de do this one to receive crown wey fit spoil, but for us, we de receive the one wey no de spoil.
26 So, the way wey I de run no be anyhow, the way wey I de target my blows no be to de hit the air;
27 but I de train* my body, and de control-am as slave, so that after I don preach to people, God no go reject me* somehow.
Footnotes
^ For Greek na, “authority.”
^ Or “make sister wey be wife.”
^ Them still de call-am Peter.
^ For Greek na, “authority.”
^ Or “authority.”
^ Or “punish; really beat.”
^ Or “e no go happen say I no qualify.”
