1 Corinthians 4
1 Let a man so thinke of vs, as of the ministers of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of God:
Let people look on us as Christ’s servants, and as stewards of the hidden truths of God.
2 And as for the rest, it is required of the disposers, that euery man be found faithfull.
Now what we look for in stewards is that they should be trustworthy.
3 As touching me, I passe very litle to be iudged of you, or of mans iudgement: no, I iudge not mine owne selfe.
But it weighs very little with me that I am judged by you or by any human tribunal. No, I do not even judge myself;
4 For I know nothing by my selfe, yet am I not thereby iustified: but he that iudgeth me, is the Lord.
for, though I am conscious of nothing against myself, that does not prove me innocent. It is the Lord who is my judge.
5 Therefore iudge nothing before the time, vntill the Lord come, who will lighten things that are hid in darkenesse, and make the counsels of the hearts manifest: and then shall euery man haue praise of God.
Therefore do not pass judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes. He will throw light on what is now dark and obscure, and will reveal the motives in people’s minds; and then everyone will receive due praise from God.
6 Nowe these things, brethren, I haue figuratiuely applied vnto mine owne selfe and Apollos, for your sakes, that ye might learne by vs, that no man presume aboue that which is written, that one swell not against another for any mans cause.
All this, friends, I have, for your sakes, applied to Apollos and myself, so that, from our example, you may learn to observe the precept – “Keep to what is written,” that none of you may speak boastfully of one teacher to the disparagement of another.
7 For who separateth thee? and what hast thou, that thou hast not receiued? if thou hast receiued it, why reioycest thou, as though thou haddest not receiued it?
For who makes any one of you superior to others? And what have you that was not given you? But if you received it as a gift, why do you boast as if you had not?
8 Nowe ye are full: nowe ye are made rich: ye reigne as kings without vs, and would to God ye did reigne, that we also might reigne with you.
Are you all so soon satisfied? Are you so soon rich? Have you begun to reign without us? Would indeed that you had, so that we also might reign with you!
9 For I thinke that God hath set forth vs the last Apostles, as men appointed to death: for we are made a gasing stocke vnto the worlde, and to the Angels, and to men.
For, as it seems to me, God has exhibited us, the apostles, last of all, as people doomed to death. We are made a spectacle to the universe, both to angels and to people!
10 We are fooles for Christes sake, and ye are wise in Christ: we are weake, and ye are strong: ye are honourable, and we are despised.
We, for Christ’s sake, are fools, but you, by your union with Christ, are people of discernment. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honoured, but we are despised.
11 Vnto this houre we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and haue no certaine dwelling place,
To this very hour we go hungry, thirsty, and naked; we are beaten; we are homeless;
12 And labour, working with our owne handes: we are reuiled, and yet we blesse: we are persecuted, and suffer it.
we work hard, toiling with our own hands. We meet abuse with blessings, we meet persecution with endurance,
13 We are euill spoken of, and we pray: we are made as the filth of the world, the offskowring of all things, vnto this time.
we meet slander with gentle appeals. We have been treated as the scum of the earth, the vilest of the vile, to this very hour.
14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloued children I admonish you.
It is with no wish to shame you that I am writing like this; but to warn you as my own dear children.
15 For though ye haue tenne thousand instructours in Christ, yet haue ye not many fathers: for in Christ Iesus I haue begotten you through the Gospel.
Though you may have thousands of instructors in the faith of Christ, yet you have not many fathers. It was I who, through union with Christ Jesus, became your father by means of the good news.
16 Wherefore, I pray you, be ye folowers of me.
Therefore I entreat you – Follow my example.
17 For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timotheus, which is my beloued sonne, and faithfull in the Lord, which shall put you in remembrance of my wayes in Christ as I teache euery where in euery Church.
This is my reason for sending Timothy to you. He is my own dear faithful child in the Master’s service, and he will remind you of my methods of teaching the faith of Christ Jesus – methods which I follow everywhere in every church.
18 Some are puffed vp as though I woulde not come vnto you.
Some, I hear, are puffed up with pride, thinking that I am not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will knowe, not the wordes of them which are puffed vp, but the power.
But come to you I will, and that soon, if it please the Lord; and then I will find out, not what words these people use who are so puffed up, but what power they possess;
20 For the kingdome of God is not in worde, but in power.
for the kingdom of God is based, not on words, but on power.
21 What will ye? shall I come vnto you with a rod, or in loue, and in ye spirite of meekenes?
What do you wish? Am I to come to you with a rod, or in a loving and gentle spirit?
