1 Corinthians 4:8-20

New Living Translation

⁸You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. ⁹Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.

¹⁰Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. ¹¹Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. ¹²We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. ¹³We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

¹⁴I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. ¹⁵For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. ¹⁶So I urge you to imitate me.

¹⁷That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

¹⁸Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. ¹⁹But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. ²⁰For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

Read full chapter

1 Corinthians 4:8-20

Amplified Bible

⁸[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you. ⁹For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men. ¹⁰We are [regarded as] fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are highly esteemed, but we are dishonored. ¹¹To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are continually poorly dressed, and we are roughly treated, and wander homeless. ¹²We work [for our living], working hard with our own hands. When we are reviled and verbally abused, we bless. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently and endure. ¹³When we are slandered, we try to be conciliatory and answer softly. We have become like the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

¹⁴I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn and advise you as my beloved children. ¹⁵For even if you were to have ten thousand teachers [to guide you] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers [who led you to Christ and assumed responsibility for you], for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the good news [of salvation]. ¹⁶So I urge you, be imitators of me [just as a child imitates his father]. ¹⁷For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my way of life in Christ [my conduct and my precepts for godly living], just as I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸Now some of you have become arrogant and pretentious, as though I were not coming to see you. ¹⁹But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not just the talk of these arrogant people, but [evaluate] their [spiritual] power [whether they live up to their own claims]. ²⁰For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power.

Read full chapter

1 Corinthians 4:8-20

New International Version

⁸Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!^(A) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! ⁹For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die^(B) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle^(C) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ,^(D) but you are so wise in Christ!^(E) We are weak, but you are strong!^(F) You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.^(G) ¹²We work hard with our own hands.^(H) When we are cursed, we bless;^(I) when we are persecuted,^(J) we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage^(K) of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴I am writing this not to shame you^(L) but to warn you as my dear children.^(M) ¹⁵Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father^(N) through the gospel.^(O) ¹⁶Therefore I urge you to imitate me.^(P) ¹⁷For this reason I have sent to you^(Q) Timothy,^(R) my son^(S) whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.^(T)

¹⁸Some of you have become arrogant,^(U) as if I were not coming to you.^(V) ¹⁹But I will come to you very soon,^(W) if the Lord is willing,^(X) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰For the kingdom of God is not a matter of^(Y) talk but of power.^(Z)