en_tn/mat/10/39.md

# He who finds his life will lose it. But he who loses ... will find it

Jesus uses a proverb to teach his disciples. This should be translated with as few words as possible. Alternate translation: "Those who find their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives ... will find them" or "If you find your life you will lose it. But if you lose your life ... you will find it"  (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-proverbs]])

# finds

This is a metaphor for "keeps" or "saves." Alternate translation: "tries to keep" or "tries to save" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# will lose it

This does not mean the person will die. It is a metaphor that means the person will not experience spiritual life with God. Alternate translation: "will not have true life" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# who loses his life

This does not mean to die. It is a metaphor that means a person considers obeying Jesus more important than his own life. Alternate translation: "who denies himself" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# for my sake

"because he trusts me" or "on my account" or "because of me." This is the same idea as "for my sake" in [Matthew 10:18](../10/18.md).

# will find it

This metaphor means the person will experience spiritual life with God. Alternate translation: "will find true life" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])