1 Wakorintho 4

Utumishi wa mitume

1 Mtu na atuone sisi kuwa ni watumishi wa Kristo tuliokabidhiwa siri za Mungu. 2 Kinachotakiwa kwa yeyote yule aliyekabidhiwa kazi ni kuwa mwaminifu. 3 Kwangu mimi si kitu nikihukumiwa na nyinyi, au na mahakama ya kibinadamu; wala sijihukumu mimi mwenyewe. 4 Dhamiri yangu hainishtaki kwa jambo lolote, lakini hiyo haionyeshi kwamba sina lawama. Bwana ndiye anayenihukumu. 5 Basi, msihukumu kabla ya wakati wake; acheni mpaka Bwana atakapokuja. Yeye atayafichua mambo ya giza yaliyofichika, na kuonesha wazi nia za mioyo ya watu. Ndipo kila mmoja atapata sifa anayostahili kutoka kwa Mungu.

6 Ndugu, hayo yote niliyosema juu ya Apolo na juu yangu, ni kielelezo kwenu: Kutokana na mfano wangu mimi na Apolo nataka mwelewe maana ya msemo huu: “Zingatieni yaliyoandikwa.” Kati yenu pasiwe na mtu yeyote anayejivunia mtu mmoja na kumdharau mwingine. 7 Nani amekupendelea wewe? Una kitu gani wewe ambacho hukupewa? Na ikiwa umepewa, ya nini kujivunia kana kwamba hukukipewa?

8 Haya! Mmekwisha shiba! Mmekwisha kuwa matajiri! Mmekuwa wafalme bila ya sisi! Naam, laiti mngekuwa kweli watawala, ili nasi pia tutawale pamoja nanyi. 9 Nafikiri Mungu ametufanya sisi mitume tuwe watu wa mwisho kabisa, kama watu waliohukumiwa kuuawa, maana tumekuwa tamasha mbele ya ulimwengu wote, mbele ya malaika na watu. 10 Sisi ni wapumbavu kwa ajili ya Kristo, lakini nyinyi ni wenye busara katika kuungana na Kristo! Sisi ni dhaifu, nyinyi ni wenye nguvu. Nyinyi mnaheshimika, sisi tunadharauliwa. 11 Mpaka dakika hii, sisi tuna njaa na kiu, hatuna nguo, twapigwa makofi, hatuna malazi. 12 Tena twataabika na kufanya kazi kwa mikono yetu wenyewe. Tukitukanwa, tunawatakia baraka; tukidhulumiwa, tunavumilia; 13 tukisingiziwa, tunajibu kwa adabu. Mpaka sasa tumetendewa kama uchafu wa dunia; na kwa kila mtu sisi ni takataka!

14 Siandiki mambo haya kwa ajili ya kuwaaibisha nyinyi, bali kwa ajili ya kuwafundisheni watoto wangu wapenzi. 15 Maana hata kama mnao maelfu ya walezi katika maisha yenu ya Kikristo, baba yenu ni mmoja tu, kwani katika kuungana na Kristo mimi ndiye niliyewazaeni kwa kuihubiri Habari Njema.

16 Kwa hiyo, nawasihi: Fuateni mfano wangu. 17 Ndiyo maana nimemtuma Timotheo kwenu. Yeye ni mtoto wangu mpenzi na mwaminifu katika kuungana na Bwana. Atawakumbusheni njia ninayofuata katika kuungana na Kristo; njia ninayofundisha kila mahali katika makanisa yote.

18 Baadhi yenu wameanza kuwa na majivuno wakidhani kwamba sitakuja tena kwenu. 19 Lakini, Bwana akipenda, nitakuja kwenu upesi; na hapo ndipo nitakapojionea mwenyewe, sio tu kile wanachoweza kusema hao wenye majivuno, bali pia kile wanachoweza kufanya. 20 Maana ufalme wa Mungu si shauri la maneno matupu, bali ni nguvu. 21 Mnapendelea lipi? Nije kwenu na fimbo, ama nije na moyo wa upendo na upole?

1 Corinthians 4

1 Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.2 Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.4 For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.5 Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God.6 Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?8 Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have come to reign without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.9 For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor.11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place;12 and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;13 being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.14 I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.15 For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel.16 I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them that are puffed up, but the power.20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?