4 So, you should regard us as the Messiah’s servants, as trustees of God’s secret truths. ² Now the one thing that is asked of a trustee is that he be found trustworthy. ³ And it matters very little to me how I am evaluated by you or by any human court; in fact, I don’t even evaluate myself. ⁴ I am not aware of anything against me, but this does not make me innocent. The one who is evaluating me is the Lord. ⁵ So don’t pronounce judgment prematurely, before the Lord comes; for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness; he will expose the motives of people’s hearts; and then each will receive from God whatever praise he deserves.

⁶ Now in what I have said here, brothers, I have used myself and Apollos as examples to teach you not to go beyond what the Tanakh says, proudly taking the side of one leader against another. ⁷ After all, what makes you so special? What do you have that you didn’t receive as a gift? And if in fact it was a gift, why do you boast as if it weren’t? ⁸ You are glutted already? You are rich already? You have become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we might share the kingship with you! ⁹ For I think God has been placing us emissaries on display at the tail of the parade, like men condemned to die in the public arena: we have become a spectacle before the whole universe, angels as well as men. ¹⁰ For the Messiah’s sake we are fools, but united with the Messiah you are wise! We are weak, but you are strong; you are honored, but we are dishonored. ¹¹ Till this very moment we go hungry and thirsty, we are dressed in rags, we are treated roughly, we wander from place to place, ¹² we exhaust ourselves working with our own hands for our living. When we are cursed, we keep on blessing; when we are persecuted, we go on putting up with it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we continue making our appeal. We are the world’s garbage, the scum of the earth — yes, to this moment!

¹⁴ I am not writing you this to make you feel ashamed, but, as my dear children, to confront you and get you to change. ¹⁵ For even if you have ten thousand trainers in connection with the Messiah, you do not have many fathers; for in connection with the Messiah Yeshua it was I who became your father by means of the Good News. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ This is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord. He will remind you of the way of life I follow in union with the Messiah Yeshua and teach everywhere in every congregation.

¹⁸ When I didn’t come to visit you, some of you became arrogant. ¹⁹ But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills; and I will take cognizance not of the talk of these arrogant people but of their power. ²⁰ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power. ²¹ Which do you prefer — should I come to you with a stick? or with love in a spirit of gentleness?