1 Corinthiens 4
1 Qu'ainsi l'on nous tienne pour des ministres de Christ et des dispensateurs des mystères de Dieu.
So, people ought to consider us [apostles] (OR, Apollos and me) to be [merely] servants of Christ. God has given to us [(exc) the work of] telling others the message that God has now revealed to us.
2 En cette matière, du reste, ce qu'on demande à des dispensateurs, c'est d'être trouvés fidèles.
With respect to doing that, those who are given work are required {give others some work to do require them} to do that work faithfully.
3 Pour moi, il m'importe fort peu d'être jugé par vous ou par un tribunal humain; je ne me juge pas moi-même;
I am not concerned whether you or [the judges in] some court decide whether I have done my work faithfully or not. I do not even judge myself [about that].
4 car, quoique ma conscience ne me reproche rien, cela ne veut pas dire que je sois tenu pour juste: mon juge, c'est le Seigneur.
I do not think that I have done anything wrong, but that does not prove that I have done nothing wrong. The Lord is the one who judges me.
5 En conséquence, ne portez pas de jugement avant le temps; attendez que le Seigneur vienne: il illuminera aussi ce qui est caché dans les ténèbres, et mettra en plein jour les desseins des coeurs. Alors chacun recevra de Dieu la louange qu'il mérite.
So, stop evaluating any of us [(exc)] before the time [when God judges everyone] [MTY]! Do not judge us before the Lord comes. He is the one who will reveal the sinful things that people have done secretly. He will even reveal what people have thought. At that time God will praise each person as [each one of them deserves].
6 Ce que je viens de dire d'Apollos et de moi, n'est qu'une forme que j'ai prise à cause de vous, pour que vous appreniez en nos personnes, la maxime, «pas au delà de ce qui est écrit, » afin que nul de vous ne mette son orgueil en l'un, pour s'élever contre l'autre.
My fellow believers, I have [told you] all these things as illustrations of myself and Apollos. I have done this for your sake, in order that you may learn [to live according to] the saying, “Do not act contrary to what is {what they have} written [in the Scriptures].” If you follow that rule, you will not be proud of one [spiritual leader] and despise another.
7 Car, qui est-ce qui te distingue, toi? Qu'as-tu que tu ne l'aies reçu? et si tu l'as reçu, pourquoi te glorifies-tu, comme si tu ne l'avais pas reçu?
(No one has made any of you superior to others!/Why do any of you think that you are superior to others?) [RHQ] [All the abilities] that you have, you received [from God]. [RHQ] So if you received them all [from God], (you should not boast [thinking], “I got these abilities [from myself], [not from God]!”/why do you boast [thinking], “I got these abilities [from myself], [not from God]?”) [RHQ]
8 Déjà vous êtes rassasiés, déjà vous êtes riches, vous régnez sans nous! Eh! plût à Dieu que vous régnassiez, afin que nous aussi, nous régnassions avec vous!
[It is disgusting that you act as though] [IRO] you have already received everything that you need [spiritually]. You act as though [IRO] you were [spiritually] rich (OR, you had received all [the spiritual gifts you need]). You act as though [IRO] you had already begun to rule as kings with Christ. Well, I wish that you really were ruling [with him], in order that we [apostles] might also rule with you!
9 Car il semble que Dieu nous ait assigné, à nous apôtres, la dernière place, comme à des condamnés à mort, nous donnant en spectacle au monde, aux anges et aux hommes.
But it seems as though God has put us [apostles] on display, [like prisoners] at the end [of the victor’s parade]. We [(exc)] are like men who have been condemned to die, who have been put in the arena where everyone can see [the wild animals] killing them. And not only people, but even angels all over the world [are watching us, as people] watch those who are performing a play [in a theater].
10 Nous sommes fous à cause de Christ; mais vous, vous êtes sages en Christ; nous sommes faibles, vous êtes forts; vous êtes considérés, nous sommes méprisés.
Many people consider us to be [IRO] fools because [we preach about] Christ, but you proudly [think [IRO] that] you are wise because (of your close relationship with/you belong to) Christ. Many people [consider us] [IRO] to be unimpressive, but you [proudly think that you] impress others. People respect you, but they do not respect us.
11 A cette heure encore, nous avons faim, nous avons soif, nous sommes nus, nous sommes battus de coups, nous n'avons ni feu ni lieu,
Up to this present time we have often been hungry. We have often been thirsty. We have ragged clothes. Often we have been beaten {others have beaten us}. We [have traveled so much that we] have no regular homes to live in.
12 et nous nous fatiguons à travailler de nos propres mains. On nous insulte, nous bénissons; on nous persécute, nous supportons;
We work very hard [to earn a living]. When we are cursed [by people] {When [people] curse us}, we [ask God to] bless them. When we are persecuted {When [people] cause us to suffer}, we endure it.
13 on nous dit des injures, nous donnons de bonnes paroles; nous sommes jusqu’à présent comme les balayures du monde, le rebut des hommes.
When we are slandered [by people] {When [people] slander us}, we reply kindly to them. Up to now, [unbelievers consider us to be worthless] [MET], [as though we were] just garbage.
14 Je n'écris pas cela pour vous faire honte; mais je vous avertis comme mes enfants bien-aimés.
I am writing this to you, not to make you feel ashamed, but instead to warn you as [though you were] my own dear children.
15 Quand vous auriez dix mille maîtres en Christ, néanmoins vous n'avez pas plusieurs pères: c'est moi qui vous ai engendrés en Jésus-Christ par l'évangile.
I say that because as [an apostle of] Christ Jesus I [was the first one who] proclaimed the good message to you. As a result, I was the one who enabled you to have eternal life. So even if there were thousands of Christians who instruct you [MET], I am the only one who became [like] a father to you.
16 Je vous en conjure donc, soyez mes imitateurs.
So I urge you to [live for Christ] the way I do.
17 C'est pour cela que je vous ai envoyé Timothée, qui est mon enfant chéri et fidèle, dans le Seigneur; il vous rappellera quelles sont mes voies en Christ, d'après la manière dont j'enseigne partout, dans toutes les églises.
In order to [help you do that], I have sent/will be sending Timothy to you. I love him [as though he were] my son. He serves the Lord faithfully. He will remind you of the way I conduct my life [as one who] (has a close relationship with/belongs to) the Lord. The way I conduct my life is the same as how I teach [others to live] in all the congregations [to whom I have spoken].
18 Quelques-uns se sont enflés, comme si je ne devais pas aller chez vous;
Some of you have become proud, thinking that I will not come there [to rebuke your congregation about what they are doing].
19 mais j'irai bientôt chez vous, s'il plaît au Seigneur, et je prendrai connaissance, non des paroles de ceux qui se sont enflés, mais de ce qu'ils savent faire:
But if the Lord wants me to come, I will come to you soon. Then I will not [pay any attention to] what those proud people say. Instead, I will find out [whether they have God’s] power.
20 le royaume de Dieu consiste, non en paroles, mais en oeuvres.
Remember that God [judges whether or not we are letting him] rule [our lives], not by [listening to how we] talk, but [by seeing whether his] power [is present] ([among us/in our lives]).
21 Que voulez-vous? que j'aille chez vous avec la verge, ou bien avec amour et dans un esprit de douceur?
So which do you prefer? Do you want me to come to you and punish you [because you have not changed your ways], or shall I come to you and act lovingly and gently toward you [because you have done what I told you to do]?
