1 Corinthians 4

1 Let a man so reckon us as officers of Christ, and stewards of the secrets of God,

Let men look upon us as Christ’s servants, and as stewards of the hidden truths of God.

2 and as to the rest, it is required in the stewards that one may be found faithful,

Now what we look for in stewards is that they should be trustworthy.

3 and to me it is for a very little thing that by you I may be judged, or by man’s Day, but I do not even judge myself,

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 have been conscious of nothing for myself, but I have not been declared right in this—and He who is discerning 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 so, then, judge nothing before the time, until the LORD may come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of the darkness, and will reveal the counsels of the hearts, and then the praise will come to each from God.

Therefore do not pass judgment before the time, but wait till the Lord comes. He will throw light upon what is now dark and obscure, and will reveal the motives in men’s minds; and then every one will receive due praise from God.

6 And these things, brothers, I transferred to myself and to Apollos because of you, that in us you may learn not to think above that which has been written, that you may not be puffed up one for one against the other,

All this, Brothers, 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 makes you to differ? And what do you have, that you did not receive? And if you also received, why do you glory as not having received?

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 Already you are having been filled, already you were rich, apart from us you reigned, and I also wish you reigned, that we also may reign together 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 think that God set forth us the apostles last—as appointed to death, because we became a spectacle to the world, and messengers, and men;

For, as it seems to me, God has exhibited us, the Apostles, last of all, as men doomed to death. We are made a spectacle to the universe, both to angels and to men!

10 we [are] fools because of Christ, and you wise in Christ; we [are] ailing, and you strong; you glorious, and we dishonored;

We, for Christ’s sake, are ‘fools,’ but you, by your union with Christ, are men of discernment. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honoured, but we are despised.

11 to the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are battered, and wander,

To this very hour we go hungry, thirsty, and naked; we are beaten; we are homeless;

12 and labor, working with [our] own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

we work hard, toiling with our own hands. We meet abuse with blessings, we meet persecution with endurance,

13 being spoken evil of, we plead; we became as filth of the world—of all things an outcast—until now.

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 Not [as] putting you to shame do I write these things, but I admonish as my beloved children,

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 if a myriad of child-conductors you may have in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus, through the good news, I begot you;

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 I call on you, therefore, become followers of me;

Therefore I entreat you — Follow my example.

17 because of this I sent to you Timotheus, who is my child, beloved and faithful in the LORD, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, according as everywhere in every assembly I teach.

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 And some were puffed up as if I were not coming to you;

Some, I hear, are puffed up with pride, thinking that I am not coming to you.

19 but I will come quickly to you, if the LORD may will, and I will not know the word of those puffed up, but the power;

But come to you I will, and that soon, if it please the Lord; and then I shall find out, not what words these men use who are so puffed up, but what power they possess;

20 for not in word is the Kingdom of God, but in power.

for the Kingdom of God is based, not on words, but on power.

21 What do you wish? Will I come to you with a rod, or in love, also with a spirit of meekness?

What do you wish? Am I to come to you with a rod, or in a loving and gentle spirit?