1 Corintios 4

1 Seamos juzgados como siervos de Cristo, y como aquellos que son administradores de las cosas secretas de Dios.

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 Y se requiere que los administradores, sean dignos de confianza.

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 En cuanto a mi respecta, muy poco me preocupa ser juzgado por ustedes, o por el juicio del hombre; Ni siquiera me juzgo a mí mismo.

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 Porque no soy consciente de ningún error en mí mismo; pero esto no me justifica que sea libre de culpa, porque es el Señor quien es mi juez.

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 Por lo cual, no juzguemos antes de tiempo, hasta que venga el Señor, que aclarará lo secreto de la oscuridad, y manifestará las intenciones del corazón; y entonces cada hombre tendrá su alabanza de Dios.

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 Hermanos míos, es por ustedes que tomé Apolos y a mí mismo como ejemplos de estas cosas, para que en nosotros puedan ver que no es prudente ir más allá de lo que está escrito, para que nadie se enorgullezca de favorecer uno en perjuicio de otro.

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 Porque ¿quién te hizo mejor que tu hermano? o ¿qué tienes que no te haya sido dado? pero si se te ha dado, ¿qué motivo tienes para el orgullo, como si no te hubiera sido dado?

(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 Porque incluso ahora están llenos, incluso ahora tienen riquezas, han sido hecho reyes sin nosotros: en verdad, me alegraría si fueran reyes, para reinar con ustedes.

[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 Porque me parece que Dios nos ha puesto últimos Apóstoles, como hombres cuyo destino es la muerte; porque somos puestos a la vista del mundo, y de los ángeles, y de los hombres.

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 Hemos sido hechos tontos por Cristo, pero ustedes sabios en Cristo; somos débiles, pero ustedes fuertes; se les honra, pero a nosotros se nos desprecia.

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 Aún a esta hora estamos sin comida, bebida y ropa, recibimos golpes y no tenemos un lugar seguro para descansar;

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 Y con nuestras manos hacemos el trabajo más duro: cuando nos dan maldiciones, damos bendiciones, cuando sufrimos un castigo lo tomamos en silencio;

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 Cuando nos difaman, rogamos, contestamos con bondad: somos hechos como las cosas inmundas del mundo, como aquello para lo cual nadie tiene ningún uso, incluso hasta ahora.

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 No estoy diciendo estas cosas para avergonzarlos, sino para darles un consejo como mis queridos hijos.

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 Porque si tuvieran diez mil maestros en Cristo, no tienen más de un padre; porque en Cristo Jesús yo los engendré a través de las buenas nuevas.

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 Así que mi deseo es que me tomen como su ejemplo que me imiten a mí.

So I urge you to [live for Christ] the way I do.

17 Por esta causa he enviado a Timoteo a ustedes que es mi querido y verdadero hijo en el Señor; Él les recordará de mi conducta como creyente en Cristo Jesús, así como yo estoy enseñando en todas partes en cada iglesia.

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 Ahora algunos están llenos de orgullo, como si yo no fuera a ustedes.

Some of you have become proud, thinking that I will not come there [to rebuke your congregation about what they are doing].

19 Pero iré a ustedes dentro de poco tiempo, si es agradable al Señor, y tomaré nota, no de la palabra de aquellos que están llenos de orgullo, sino del poder.

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 Porque el reino de Dios no consiste en palabras, sino en poder.

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 ¿Cuál es tu deseo? ¿Que vaya dispuesto a castigarlos, o que vaya a verlos con amor y espíritu gentil?

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]?