^4:1 So let a man count us as attendants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ^4:2 But furthermore, what is required in stewards is that^* some should be found faithful. ^4:3 But it is at the least thing to me in-order-that I might be judged by you^° or by a human judgment day. But I am not even judging myself. ^4:4 For^* I have been conscious of nothing in myself, but I have not been made righteous in this thing. But he who is judging me is the Lord. ^4:5 So-then, do^° not judge anything before the time, until the Lord should come, who will both be illuminating the hidden things of the darkness and will be manifesting the plans of the hearts, and then the praise will happen to each from God.

      ^4:6 Now brethren, I shaped these things to myself and Apollos because of you^°, in-order-that you^° should learn in us not to have a mindset to go beyond what has been written, in-order-that no one should be arrogant on behalf of one against the other. ^4:7 For^* who made you a distinction {i.e., special}? But what do you have which you did not receive? But if you also received it, why are you boasting as having not received it? ^4:8 Already you^° are being satisfied, already you^° were enriched, you^° reigned as kings without us, and yet, I wish-that you^° had reigned, in-order-that we might also reign together-with you^°. ^4:9 For^* I am thinking that God showed us, the apostles, to be last, as men doomed to death, because we became a spectacle to the world, both to messengers and men. ^4:10 We are foolish because of Christ, but you^° are prudent in Christ. We are weak, but you^° are strong. You^° are glorious, but we are dishonored. ^4:11 We are both hungry and thirsty, till the current hour, and are naked and are battered and are homeless; ^4:12 and we are laboring, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we are speaking well of them; being persecuted, we are tolerating it; ^4:13 being blasphemed, we are encouraging. We became like scums of the world, the garbage of all things, even until now.

      ^4:14 I am not writing these things to be embarrassing you^°, but I am admonishing you^° as my beloved children. ^4:15 For^* even if you^° have ten-thousand guardians^* in Christ, but not many fathers, for^* I fathered you^° in Christ Jesus through the good-news, ^4:16 therefore, I am encouraging you^°: become^° imitators of me. ^4:17 Because of this, I sent Timothy to you^°, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will be reminding you^° of my ways, the ones in Christ, just-as I am teaching everywhere in every congregation^*. ^4:18 Now as of me not coming to you^°, some were being arrogant. ^4:19 But I will be coming to you^° shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the speech of the ones who have been arrogant, but the power. ^4:20 For^* the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power. ^4:21 What do you^° wish? Should I come to you^° with^* a rod, or in love^* and a spirit of meekness?