1 Corinthians 4:1–21

¹Let a man so appraise us as being subordinates of Christ and stewards of sacred secrets of God.²Besides, in this case, what is looked for in stewards is for a man to be found faithful.³Now to me it is a very trivial matter that I should be examined by ​YOU​ or by a human tribunal. Even I do not examine myself.⁴For I am not conscious of anything against myself. Yet by this I am not proved righteous, but he that examines me is Jehovah.⁵Hence do not judge anything before the due time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring the secret things of darkness to light and make the counsels of the hearts manifest, and then each one will have his praise come to him from God.

⁶Now, brothers, these things I have transferred so as to apply to myself and A‧pol′los for ​YOUR​ good, that in our case ​YOU​ may learn the [rule]: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” in order that ​YOU​ may not be puffed up individually in favor of the one against the other.⁷For who makes you to differ from another? Indeed, what do you have that you did not receive? If, now, you did indeed receive [it], why do you boast as though you did not receive [it]?

⁸YOU​ men already have ​YOUR​ fill, do ​YOU? YOU​ are rich already, are ​YOU? YOU​ have begun ruling as kings without us, have ​YOU? And I wish indeed that ​YOU​ had begun ruling as kings, that we also might rule with ​YOU​ as kings.⁹For it seems to me that God has put us the apostles last on exhibition as men appointed to death, because we have become a theatrical spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.¹⁰We are fools because of Christ, but ​YOU​ are discreet in Christ; we are weak, but ​YOU​ are strong; ​YOU​ are in good repute, but we are in dishonor.¹¹Down to this very hour we continue to hunger and also to thirst and to be scantily clothed and to be knocked about and to be homeless¹²and to toil, working with our own hands. When being reviled, we bless; when being persecuted, we bear up;¹³when being defamed, we entreat; we have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now.

¹⁴I am writing these things, not to shame ​YOU, but to admonish ​YOU​ as my beloved children.¹⁵For though ​YOU​ may have ten thousand tutors in Christ, [YOU] certainly [do] not [have] many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have become ​YOUR​ father through the good news.¹⁶I entreat ​YOU, therefore, become imitators of me.¹⁷That is why I am sending Timothy to ​YOU, as he is my beloved and faithful child in [the] Lord; and he will put ​YOU​ in mind of my methods in connection with Christ Jesus, just as I am teaching everywhere in every congregation.

¹⁸Some are puffed up as though I were in fact not coming to ​YOU.¹⁹But I will come to ​YOU​ shortly, if Jehovah wills, and I shall get to know, not the speech of those who are puffed up, but [their] power.²⁰For the kingdom of God [lies] not in speech, but in power.²¹What do ​YOU​ want? Shall I come to ​YOU​ with a rod, or with love and mildness of spirit?